Now that we have covered the basic concepts of teaching reading in the 1st part of the Receptive Skills Teaching Tips series, it is time to discover the power of pre-reading activities.
When you see a long text in your upcoming reading lesson, you might be tempted to jump straight into the text to have enough time to get through it all. However, this could set you up for failure as you struggle with difficult vocabulary, unfamiliar topics and a lack of interest from your students.
If you spend a few minutes on a pre-reading activity or game, your students will be primed and ready to tackle even the most difficult passages! Get your gears turning with these tips.
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Don’t jump straight into reading! Take some time to explore the topic first
Pre-reading is important because it helps activate students’ prior knowledge, connecting what they already know with the new information. This allows students to make meaningful associations and enhances their understanding of the text, making it easier to understand.
Pre-reading also makes students curious and interested in the topic, which makes them more motivated to read. Overall, pre-reading helps students feel more comfortable, curious, and ready to learn from the reading material.
Use some warm-up games or activities that are related to the reading
Pre-reading activities give the students a way to connect the new material with what they already know. You can use activities that focus on the topic in general, or that help students think about and predict what might happen in the text.
This can be an opportunity to practice reading skills before they dive into the text, which will make the actual reading much smoother.
For older students, pre-reading activities can also be used to introduce various reading strategies, such as making inferences. These strategies are then applied during the reading phase, improving overall reading skills.
Pre-reading can be fun with these activities!
Depending on your lesson, your pre-reading activity could be something fun and on-topic, or it could be more academic but still interesting to the students. Your main goal is to guide the students away from their daily distractions and bring their attention to your reading subject.
Here are some suggestions for pre-reading activities:
Short Video or Audio Clip
Play a short video or audio clip related to the text’s topic. This can provide context, spark curiosity, and engage students’ auditory and visual senses. Be sure to find your video before class to double-check its content and appropriateness
Baamboozle
Fun competition between students can be a great way to get them on-topic, and Baamboozle covers a lot of topics!
Are you reading about the pyramids? Have students look at ancient landmarks around the world and guess which country they’re from. The same could work for sports, hobbies, food, anything!
5 Things
Another competition, but this one doesn’t require a computer. Let’s say your reading is about animals. Put your students into groups and challenge them to list five animals that meet your criteria.
For example, five animals that have wings, and the faster teams get more points! Now your students are racking their brains and having fun getting on-topic.
Pictionary is a fun way to teach new vocabulary
Start to draw a representation of the new vocabulary from the reading and see if the students can guess what it is. Strong students can also be chosen to draw. This keeps them from getting bored and gives them a chance to show off their knowledge.
You could warm-up with a speaking activity
If your reading introduces a new grammatical structure, incorporate a speaking activity where students can use it with their friends. Get them out of their seats and walk around the class, chatting with their friends.
This also helps burn some of their energy, so they’ll be able to sit a little longer for the actual reading.
Pre-reading activities will save you a lot of stress and time in the long run, as you learn to adapt your new skills to a variety of different reading lessons. Your students will be more confident in their reading skills as well!
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