However, you have to remember that in some cases, your previous experience or background knowledge will not be totally similar to what is discussed in the reading material. In the paragraph about Rocky, perhaps the word “mat” confused you because you have never associated this word with a wrestler. You might say that a wrestler plays or works in a ring, but not on a mat. But after reading the material, you now know that a mat is a thick pad placed on a floor to protect wrestlers, tumblers, etc. Remember that when we read, we should be ready to adjust our background knowledge to accommodate new information we can get from the material.
This is especially crucial when we read materials that have culture-specific content. For instance, if a Filipino reader comes across “Thanksgiving” while reading a story, would he/she easily understand the significance of the event among the American characters in the story? In the same way, would an Ameri-can reader easily connect his/her previous knowledge of religion/spirituality upon reading about Filipinos’ devotion to the Black Nazarene?
To summarize, when reading, always start by activating any previous knowledge that you have about the topic/material that you are about to comprehend. Search for possible connections by reflecting on the title and reading the first few sentences/paragraphs. Be open to the possibility that the material might give you a different aspect or different information from what you already know.