ELT365 · D156 — Predicting content before listening or reading

Idea — Prediction activates background knowledge and creates a purpose for engaging with the text. It primes the brain to recognise incoming information faster.

Example — Before a listening about nutrition, students write three things they predict they will hear. During the task, they check their predictions against the audio.

Try — Before your next text, stop. Ask students: ‘What do you think this will say?’ Collect three predictions. Let the text confirm or surprise them.

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