Lead-in

Lead-in: 

A good lead-in sets the context of the entire lesson, engages the students in the content from the very beginning, and is student-centered by providing them ample opportunity to practice speaking for fluency. 

A typical lead-in follows the proceeding stages: 

  • Stimulus: Provide some kind of stimulus to set up a pair speaking activity i.e. a personal story, discussing some type of visual(s), or bringing up a particular topic etc. A good stimulus usually involves personalization, visuals, and is engaging. 
  • Pair Speaking Activity: Having the students speak in pairs allows for a more student-centered experience by providing them with more speaking practice than if the teacher were to lead a whole classroom discussion. 
  • Whole Class Feedback (WCFB): Ask a few students what they had spoken about during the pair speaking activity. You do not have to ask each and every student; only a few will due.  

Here’s a video demonstration of a typical lead-in: 

Comprehension Check:

Watch the following examples of a lead-ins and answer the following:

  1. What was good about the lead-ins? 
  2. Were they teacher or student-centered? 
  3. Did they follow the stimulus, pair speaking activity, whole class feedback pattern?
  4. Did the stimulus involve visuals and personalization? Were they engaging?
  5. What could have been better? 
  6. What would you do to modify them? 

Watch, think about your answers, and write them in the comments below. 

Video A: Grammar lesson on the ordering of adjectives

Video B: Listening lesson in the context of “The Toughest Job in the World”