Week 5-Activating Background Knowledge

One thing that made an impression on me last night and this past week with our readings was the importance of NOT reteaching students material they should have already learned in previous grades.  Instead, the book suggests activating prior knowledge in other ways. For example,  broadening beyond the classroom by using geographical or economic context.  I feel like every teacher will be put in this position at some point, and what does one do?  Are there resources and websites that help teachers expand beyond the classroom in this way?  From an outsiders’ perspective this seems like a very difficult thing to do if resources are limited.