Anticipatory/Pre-Reading Activities for Literature allows for the activation of background knowledge leading to engagement in the literature.

Standing before a dense forest, there’s a pathway through it, but the entrance isn’t immediately clear. This metaphor mirrors the experience of our students in the classroom. We introduce a foreign concept—whether it’s a short story, a novel, or a new idea—and expect them to navigate it successfully. Yet, we often fail to provide them with a clear entry point.

Our students come from diverse academic backgrounds and have varying levels of confidence and experience. We ask them all to find the gate that leads to understanding. The problem is, some students have the confidence to dive right in, persevering through challenges until they succeed. Others hesitate, unsure of where to begin, while some become frozen in place, paralyzed by fear of failure.

With this in mind, how do we achieve buy-in from them? We allow students to draw on their personal knowledge and experiences to find their way in. Years ago, this was referred to as “text-to-self” connections, but that term now feels overly academic and impersonal. The key is to present an anticipatory task that feels approachable—not threatening—one that every student can engage with and feel confident that they have something valuable to contribute.

And, of course, it needs to be engaging and fun, providing students with the opportunity to do something they love—socialize. Enter Speed Dating, an anticipatory activity that taps into students’ prior knowledge while building bridges to the literature we, as teachers, want them to explore.

How does Speed Dating work?

The teacher prepares a list of open-ended questions focused on the themes or ideas in the text. Students move around the room in a predetermined order, engaging in brief “dates” with their peers, where they discuss a provided prompt for a set amount of time. When the teacher (the moderator) signals that it’s time to rotate, students move on to their next “date,” where they discuss a new question with a different peer. This activity helps activate prior knowledge and sparks meaningful conversation around the text.

This is a fun, low-pressure activity for students. To build excitement, I advertise the upcoming speed dating event with a flyer that matches the theme of the literature. On the day of the event, I arrange my room to accommodate the rotation of students, so that when they enter, it resembles an actual speed dating event. The rules of the activity are posted in the classroom and provided on a student reference sheet.

During the event, students have a recording sheet where they can quickly jot down notes after each “date,” recording both their thoughts and their peer’s responses. At the end of each round, students decide whether they are “compatible” based on the information shared during their conversation. I usually assign a small grade for participation once students turn in their completed sheets, encouraging engagement without the stress of a high-stakes assignment. SAMPLE OF DISCUSSION PROMPTS

The questions can focus on themes in the literature that connect to real-life experiences, the exploration and sharing of ideas related to keywords or concepts, or the analysis of quotes from the text. The key is to keep the questions open-ended, allowing all students to draw on their background knowledge and perspectives while building a deeper, collective understanding of the material.

As we transition into the literature, it is always rewarding to see lightbulbs go off as students apply the concepts covered during the speed dating activity or recognize a quote that was incorporated

Using an anticipatory activity like Speed Dating engages middle and high school students resulting in higher participation and knowledge acquisition.

Below is a FREE version of Speed Dating fo accompany the short story “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs. Please Enjoy!

For Speed Dating Activities for the following stories, visit me at Infinite Horizons Teaching

• 2BRO2B
• Fish Cheeks
• Lamb to the Slaughter
• The Lady or The Tiger
• The Masque of the Red Death
• The Most Dangerous Game
• The Story of an Hour
• A Jury of her Peers
• The Lottery
• The Necklace
• The Cask of Amontillado