Anticipatory Sets/Guides
Anticipatory sets/guides are terrific strategies that prepare English Language Learners and Students with Special Needs for the content. But, as any educator knows, what helps one often helps many. This strategy is versatile and can be tailored to the needs of the students and one’s teaching style. Students complete a “before set” to answer questions before the reading or activity. This serves to set the tone and provide powerful context. A “before set” could be true/false, multiple-choice, short-answer questions, or a drawing or free-write. Students complete the “before set” after reading the questions. Students then engage in the activity, reading, video clip, etc., and complete the “after set” questions. To achieve your objectives, begin with a straightforward Anticipatory Set (1) or Anticipatory Set (2) and expand by tweaking your classwork and tasks or generating your own sets using the example below.
By focusing the students' attention on what to look out for, this practice proves to be highly beneficial. One should see academic gains in the “after set” since students were prepared and aware of essential items to look out for. The “after set” can be graded, but please do not assign a grade to the “before set” as students have not learned the material yet. A fun way to introduce and practice anticipatory sets is through a “Meet the Teacher” activity during the first week of school.