6 zero-preparation prediction activities

Background

Instead of just handing out a text to read with no task, it’s good to give the students a reason to read – it gives them something to focus on. The classic activity here is predicting the content, then reading to see if you were right. Here are some options, all zero preparation, based on this timeless idea.

Activity 1

Write up the headline, and ask students to try to predict the content. The students can work in small groups or whole class. Then hand out the text and the students read to see if they were right.

Activity 2

Write up the headline, as for Activity 1, but students try to predict possible vocabulary in the text rather than content/ideas.

Activity 3

Write up the headline, as for Activity 1, but move straight to a full class discussion of the issue. Then, after the discussion, hand out the text and see if you covered similar points.

Activity 4

Write up the headline, as for Activity 1, and ask students for questions that they want answered. Write up the questions as students suggest them. Then hand out the text and the students read to see if the questions were answered.

Activity 5

Write up key words from the text on the board and the students try to predict the content. Then hand out the text and the students read to see if they were right.

Activity 6

The teacher reads the first two paragraphs aloud as a listening comprehension, then asks the class to choose three words to write on the board to summarize the ideas. Everyone calls things out and you collectively decide on three words. The teacher may read the two paragraphs again at some point to help. Then, having heard the first two paragraphs, the students work in pairs to brainstorm possible ideas for the rest of the text. Hand out the text and the students read to see if they were right.