Background knowledge plays an important role in one?s ability to learn. We learn new knowledge by relating it to our prior knowledge, which in turn provides concrete understanding (Piaget, 1969). Rosenblatt (1996) explained, "The reader brings to the work personality traits, memories of past events, present needs and preoccupations, a particular mood of the moment, and a particular physical condition" (p. 30). As a result, students who lack relevant knowledge will struggle to comprehend text. Leo Lionni's beloved picture book, Fish Is Fish (1987), illustrates this problem. The fish in the story hears of the world above the water's surface, but lacking suf- ficient understanding, imagines birds as fish with wings, people as fish with legs wearing clothes, and cows as fish with horns. Similarly, the struggling reader who lacks background knowledge comprehends text through a distorted lens, unable to grasp an understanding of different people, places, and things.