Description: This fiction pre-reading activity uses conversation cards to help students establish purpose, context and motivation for reading. It involves viewing, speaking, listening and writing, and it can work with all genres of fiction, including film. For purposes of demonstrating the approach, the fiction used in teaching examples is Romeo and Juliet; teachers will find it easy to adjust the lesson to whatever fiction they are employing in class. 

Additional Information: 

• suggestions for pre-lesson preparation by teacher

• teaching example and group activities encouraging students to use conversation cards to share ideas about topics related to the fiction piece

• large group activity to get class focussed for reading

• instructions for guided individual reflection to allow teacher to get a snapshot of students’ perceptions, prior knowledge, attitudes and requests for accommodating reading needs, before reading begins

• suggestions for how to use information gleaned from student reflections to create reading activities