ELT365 · Day 166 — Pre-teaching vocabulary for reading

Idea — Pre-teach only vocabulary that blocks meaning and cannot be guessed from context. Teaching too many words steals time; teaching too few risks comprehension breakdown. Nation’s research suggests 98% coverage for fluent reading.

Example — A text on solar panels: pre-teach ‘photovoltaic’ if it appears twice and cannot be inferred. Do not pre-teach ‘panel’ — learners can guess it.

Try — Scan your next reading text. Identify two words learners almost certainly don’t know and cannot guess. Teach those two only. Leave the rest for post-reading work.

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