Building Knowledge: Expanding the World Through Reading

What does "building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction," the 3rd Shift of college-and career-ready instruction, look like in practice? This course focuses on what it means to “build knowledge” through English Language Arts instruction through the use of high-quality complex text combined with content-rich nonfiction. Participants will be able to explain how studying a topic during reading instruction can support students’ academic vocabulary acquisition, knowledge and content understandings, and reading comprehension. This course consists of three modules, each containing an approximately 1-hour video and associated PowerPoint and handout materials. These modules can be run as is or customized by the user and can be delivered as a self-study, in a Professional Learning Community, or during professional development sessions during one day or over several consecutive weeks.

Find specific subjects addressed in this course quickly by using this topic reference guide.

A professional learning certificate is available for participating in each of these modules. To receive the certificate for each module, select the “Access On-Demand” option and complete each module as a registered participant.

The materials on this page are currently being revised to align with the Professional Learning Principles. For updates on these resources and other Achieve the Core resources, click here to subscribe.