Ask These Questions to Examine a Poster:

• What do I notice about the pictures?
• What do I know that will help me understand this poster?

• What is each image telling me?
• What are the words telling me?

When you ask yourself these questions, you are using your background or prior knowledge to make meaning of what you see.

What do you know about a circus? 

Maybe you have been to a circus like this or have read about or seen visuals of one on TV or the Internet. 

In your notes, you might enter information such as “I have been to circus so I have seen this type of show. 

Or, I can relate it to the pictures I see here because I have been to a circus.”

If you have never been to a circus, you could search "Circus images" on the Internet to see pictures of a circus.

Apply the Use What You Know reading strategy to the poster in the "What Do You Notice First in the Poster?" section below.

Pictures in the poster show things you might see when you visit an circus. Consider the following details.

Perhaps you saw some of the following items in the poster:

• the big letters – RINGLING BROS AVIARY & AQUARIUM
• the picture of 5 men with moustaches
• a ring of huge tanks with amphibious animals inside
• polar bears standing on what appears to be a floating block of ice 
• two hippopotamuses in what looks like a water tank platform
• black & white swans in another water tank platform
• a variety of different exotic birds on a lower platform 
• people gathered around all the different platforms to view the animals
• the "Ladies Orchestral Symphony Club" playing music
• people up close and personal with all the animals

Perhaps you can relate to some of the following items in the poster:

• You may be familiar with some of the animals because you have seen some before.
• You and your family have attended a circus and seen the show.
• You may have seen television programs about a circus or different animals.
• You may like to have fun and would like to go to a circus one day.

You have just been given some examples of how to use your background knowledge to help you understand the the messages in this poster.

Now it is your turn to use what you know to practice this strategy.

1. Select one image or section within the poster.
2. Download the Reader's Notebook: Use What You Know - Circus Poster below. On it write a brief description of the image/section and explain how you used personal experience to help you interpret and relate to the photograph.
3. You will use these sentence starters for your response:
• The section/image I chose was...
• This image is about...
• This image reminds me of... because...

You may also refer to the Use What You Know strategy.

How to save a file for submission:

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1. Have the file open and select Save As from the File menu.
2. Select your Documents folder as the location to Save In.
3. Name the document. You will always name your documents in a similar way.
• Use the first letter of your first name, followed by your last name, then an underscore (_), then the name of the file.
• In this case, the file name is Reader's Notebook: Use What You Know - Aquarium Poster . For example, if my name is John Smith, I would name my file jsmith_aquariumposter.


4. Click Save. Your chart is in your Documents folder.

1. This Formative Assessment worksheet is similar to homework, which is an opportunity to practise important concepts in the lesson. The worksheet is NOT for marks.
2. However, your teacher may ask you to submit this worksheet to check on your progress so be sure to save it in your Documents folder.