ELT365 · D172 — Pre-Reading: Activating Schema Before the Text

Idea — Activating background knowledge before a text reduces cognitive load during reading. Like a pre-listening warm-up, but faster: text titles usually give more context than audio titles.

Example — Before a text on urban farming, ask: ‘What problems does farming in cities solve?’ The answers don’t matter — the activation does.

Try — Design one pre-reading activity lasting under two minutes for a text you teach. It must not reveal the answer to any comprehension question.

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