Knowledge Organisers
Key facts and information to help children learn new topics
Knowledge organisers are developed each term to help children understand a particular subject
within our curriculum question
What is a knowledge organiser?
Knowledge Organiser
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A 2-sided document which contains key facts and information that children need to know to have
a basic knowledge and understanding of a particular subject. It will include:
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Prior Knowledge
This is knowledge that your child should already have from previous learning.
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New Knowledge
The essential knowledge which your child will be learning in that subject during the term.
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Key Vocabulary
The important words, with definitions, that your child will need to know. There may be additional knowledge
included, such as a timeline or facts about a significant person, depending on the subject.
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How will this support my child’s learning?
Bigger Picture
Knowledge organisers give children (and parents!) the ‘bigger picture’ of a topic or subject area. Some topics can be complicated, so having the essential knowledge, clear diagrams, explanations and key terms on one document can be really helpful.
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Making Links
Research shows that our brains remember things more efficiently when we know the ‘bigger picture’ and can see the way that pieces of knowledge within a subject area link together. Essentially, making links helps information move into our long-term memory and become more ‘sticky’.
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Supports Memory
Another key benefit is that they can be used for retrieval practice. Regularly retrieving knowledge helps us to remember it more effectively and store it into the long term memory.
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Makes Knowledge Explicit
From the beginning of a topic, children know what knowledge is to be learned.
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What do children need to do with the knowledge organiser?
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All of the knowledge in the knowledge organiser will be covered through learning in school and teachers will use these regularly in lessons and in homework activities. Therefore, there is no expectation that your child learns all of the knowledge on the knowledge organiser at home. However, if your child would like to learn parts of the knowledge organiser at home or it inspires their own curiosity to find out more, then this is welcomed.
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