These posts focus on activities that I often use to introduce themes of an upcoming reading. These are different than vocabulary activities as they focus on larger meaning within a text or topic.
Blackout Poetry – Name a theme found in a new text and have students create a poem by crossing out all words or phrases that do not fit their idea of the theme. Use student poems for student generated read and discuss, preference survey tasks or simply a new reading.
Circling – More a skill than an activity. Essential in any comprehension based program.
Dramatic Partner Dialogue Reading – Use dialogue from a recent text to build community through dramatic student readings.
Student Actors – Can be used in all kinds of activities pre and post reading.
Word Cloud – Copy and paste a text into a word cloud generator. Display the cloud and ask for predictions. Take predictions and create mini stories. Turn the cloud into a partner race Vocabulary game.
Comprehensible Antiquity 