English Teaching

ELT365 · Day 165 — The lead-in: why context before text always matters

📚60-Day ELT Masterclass — This post is part of an ongoing series. View full index →

Idea — The lead-in gives learners a reason to engage with a text before they see it. It activates relevant vocabulary and schema, reducing the cognitive load when they reach the text itself.

Example — Before a reading on urban farming, show an image of a rooftop vegetable garden. Ask: ‘Have you ever grown food? Would you?’ Two minutes. Now the text has a human hook.

Try — Plan a lead-in for a text in tomorrow’s lesson. Include: one image or question, one prediction or opinion prompt. Keep it under three minutes total.

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