Frontloading

A QUICK GUIDE to FRONTLOADING

What is Frontloading?

  • Strategies that teachers use to introduce new content to students.

  • A pre-reading activity that allows readers to bring out prior knowledge in order:

What is the purpose?

  • To develop meaning of an upcoming reading text;

  • To supplement additional information whenever necessary;

  • To provide a purpose for reading.

What is key for Kids?

  • It is not enough to have interesting material for students to read. We must create a content that will motivate students to read, help them set purposes and ask relevant questions and encourage them to create and enter story worlds.‖(Wilhelm, 2002)

  • Teachers of struggling readers need to use a VARIETY of frontloading strategies for 3 days before students read a text book or reading selection that is TOO hard for them. (Robb, 2004)

  • The better job we do preparing students to do a task (frontloading), the more independently students—EVEN OUR YOUNGEST ONES---are able to work and problem solve and produce better-quality work. We cannot expect them to succeed without adequatefrontloading. (Routman, 2008)

  • Dependent readers are dependent in part because of their passive reading. The challenge we face is to get them thinking about the selection and about how they will read the selection before they begin the text.‖ (Beers, 2003)

FRONTLOADING Strategies are:

1. Think Aloud

2. Tea Party

3. Content Brainstorming

4. Concept Ladder

5. Text Talk

6. Author Study

7. Unit of Study

8. Genre Study

9. Anticipation Guides

10. Admit Slips

11. KWL

12. Draw Me – Pictionary

13. K. I. M. – Key idea, Information, and Memory Clue

14. Vocabulary Blocks – definition, antonym, drawing

How do you do it?

  • Each strategy has its OWN directions.