10 Classroom Tested Pre-Teaching Activities

May I share a secret? I am so gosh darn sick and tired of K/W/L pre-teaching worksheets * that I have sworn to never use them again in my classroom. Of course, I acknowledge their benefit, but I have used them so often that I’m bored by them. And if I’m bored, my students are bored. So, over the past few years I have expanded my repertoire of pre-teaching activities. Here are ten pre-teaching activities that I’ve successfully used in my ELA classroom:

1. Vocabulary lists

Vocabulary is a foundational element of learning. Students must be armed with a basic understanding of the words used to discuss the topic at hand. Rote memorization of vocabulary can be tedious, so enliven learning by playing games such as hangman or Pictionary.

I find that pre-teaching vocabulary is especially important before I teach Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild because Krakauer doesn’t shy away from SAT-level vocabulary. I will quiz students on the vocabulary list, but I’ll also scatter in a couple rounds of hangman as students are packing up their bags at the end of class.

2. Flipped learning homework

This pre-teaching activity flips “traditional” instruction on its head. Instead of offering instruction in class and having students practice concepts at home on their own, I have students watch videos on the topic at home and then engage with activities in class.

I use this activity when I teach Wilfred Owen’s poem “Dulce et Decorum est,” which is a solemn reflection on World War One. I assign a couple YouTube videos on the history of WWI for students to watch at home; the next day in class I’ll ask questions as a knowledge check before diving into analysis of the poem. Armed with a basic understanding of the war, students engage more meaningfully with the poem.

3. Preparatory research

This activity is like the flipped learning activity in that it arms students with basic knowledge of the topic before they analyze a work of the literature. For homework I ask students to generate ten factual statements about the topic we’re studying. Then, the next day in class I call on students to share a couple of their facts aloud before we begin our study of the work of literature.

One poem that my students specially enjoy is Ernest Thayer’s “Casey at Bat.” The day before we’re going to read and analyze the poem together, I assign the ten factual statements for homework. The next day in class we have a quick sharing of these facts before we dive into study of the poem. I’ll often assign a couple bonus points on the next graded assignment for the most surprising/funny fact.

4. Guest presenters

I don’t know everything (shocker!); because of this, I rely on people with more knowledge to share that knowledge with me. When appropriate I bring these knowledgeable people from both inside and outside the school community into my classes as a pre-teaching activity.

When I teach Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age novella The Great Gatsby, I ask the band teacher to give a short (10-15 minute) talk about the history of jazz. This is a big hit with students because many of them are also her students and they like seeing her in an unexpected place—their ELA class. It helps that she’s very engaging and loves The Great Gatsby. When teaching a unit on journalism I’ve called on a reporter from my local newspaper to come to class and talk about his work, which has also been a big hit.

5. Assigned readings

This pre-teaching activity is like the flipped learning and preparatory research activities in that it exposes students to the topic before fully engaging with it. I assign a couple brief articles on the topic for students to read before we begin our unit study. In addition to exposing them to the topic at hand, it also activates their non-fiction reading skills.

I’ve used this effectively when teaching Krakauer’s Into the Wild. Before we begin studying the book, I assign the following articles on Chris McCandless.

6. Debate/Discussion

This pre-teaching activity gets students out of their seats and interacting with each other. For topics of study that involve a debatable topic, I put signs in corners of the classroom with a statement. Students must physically position themselves next to the statement that they most agree with.

For example, Guy de Maupassant’s short story “The Necklace” is about a woman who borrows a necklace from an acquaintance to wear to a party. The necklace is lost, and the woman and her husband suffer great financial strain in raising enough money to replace the borrowed necklace. In the end, they learn that their sacrifices were for naught as the acquaintance lent a necklace that only appeared to be of great value but was actually a knockoff. So, before we read the story and analyze it, I place each of the following statements on a classroom wall:

·       I would lend anything I own to a friend.

·       I only lend items that I can afford to replace.

·       I never lend anything.

Students then move to stand near the statement that they most agree with. (They may agree with more than one statement. In that case, they should stand by the statement that they most agree with.) Students are given five minutes to confer with their classmates who are standing with them to generate a list of reasons why they agree with the statement. Then, each group shares their point of view, and a lively discussion usually follows. This activity gets students thinking about the main theme of the short story they are about to read.

7. Guessing from pictures/words

This is another pre-teaching activity that I use before teaching Owen’s WWI poem “Dulce et Decorum est.” If I’m using both this activity as well as the pre-teaching activity outlined above in number two, I use this activity first. I start listing words on the white board that all relate to WWI. Students are encouraged to guess aloud what topic/theme the words relate to as I write them. I begin with “allies,” and a student may call out “World War 2,” which is a good guess but incorrect. Then I write “trenches,” and an astute student may guess WWI, but I encourage them to hold that thought and check it against the next words I write, which are “No Man’s Land.” This may confirm their guess of WWI, or it may cause them to second guess that answer. If the latter is true, I continue with “Archduke Franz Ferdinand” and most have accurately identified the theme of WWI. This is a great activity for filling a super short period of time or used in conjunction with another pre-teaching activity.

Images can be used in place of writing the words.

8. Brainstorming

For this pre-teaching activity I write a topic on the board and the whole class brainstorms aloud on the topic. For example, before we read a work such as “John Redding Goes to Sea” or James I write the words “colloquial dialect” on the white board and students brainstorm examples of colloquial dialect from the past or present. Before reading  “The Raven” by Poe, I write “Poe” on the white board and ask the students to brainstorm in order to activate their prior knowledge of the author.

9. True/false

This activity consists of reading statements about the topic and having students guess if the statement is true or false. Sometimes students have some knowledge about the topic, which is fine, but often they don’t. When teaching works of literature relating to WWI I use this true/false activity which is an easy adaptation of the “Two Lies & a Truth” game that I have on WWI. I simply read each of the statements and students guess if the statement is true or false. This allows students to gain some familiarity with the topic while not having pressure to be right or wrong; I don’t care if their guesses are correct or not, I simply care that they are engaging.

10. Quick write

    
    

I write a theme on the white board that is related to the work of literature that we’re about to study. For example, if we’re about to study Raymond Carver’s short story “Popular Mechanics,” I’ll write “divorce” on the white board and students have five minutes in which they must write anything relating to that theme. They can write based on their lived experience or complete fiction. All that matters is that they are writing on the theme and that their pens (or typing fingers) are moving for the whole five minutes. I like this pre-teaching activity because it is also a brainstorming activity.

Pre-teaching activities allow students to arm themselves with knowledge, vocabulary and skills required to be successful in the upcoming lesson. They don’t take up much classroom time but show results in students’ understanding.

What pre-teaching activities have you successfully used in your classroom? Please share in the comments.

 * A KWL chart is a graphic organizer used to help students learn and reflect on a topic. It consists of three columns: K (What I Know), W (What I Want to Know), and L (What I Learned). This tool helps students activate prior knowledge, set learning goals, and assess their understanding.