Activate Prior Knowledge

Support students by providing resources that help them use all their language skills to connect what they already know to new learning.

Multilingual Anticipation Guide

Examples of Anticipation Guides 

A multilingual anticipation guide is a powerful tool to activate students’ background knowledge, promote engagement, and build language skills before beginning a new topic. It consists of a list of thought provoking statements related to the upcoming content. Students respond to each statement by agreeing or disagreeing and explaining their thinking, first before the lesson, and again afterward. This strategy is especially valuable for multilingual learners, as it allows them to process content in both their home language(s) and English. It creates space for students to draw on their full linguistic repertoire, develop academic vocabulary, and engage in meaningful dialogue. It's also a formative tool for teachers to assess prior knowledge and misconceptions.

Materials: 

• Printed anticipation guide templates or online templates

• Pencils

• Whiteboard or chart paper for modeled responses

• (Optional) Multilingual dictionaries or word banks

• Sentence starters in multiple languages 

Procedure: 

1. Create the Anticipation Guide: Prepare 5–8 statements related to the content you will teach. These should be broad, open ended, and spark debate (“Water is a limited resource” or “Every family has the same values”). Use clear, student friendly language.
   Organize your guide with the following columns:

   • Statement

   • Before the Lesson: Agree/Disagree

   • After the Lesson: Agree/Disagree

   • (Optional) “Explain why” or “Evidence” columns.

2. Model the Activity: Project or pass out your anticipation guide. Read each statement aloud and model how to mark “agree” or “disagree,” then explain your thinking. Use examples in both English and another language if possible to normalize multilingual expression.

3. Student Response in Preferred Language(s): Allow students to complete the "Before" column using any language they feel comfortable with. Emphasize that this is a thinking activity, not a test. Encourage them to think deeply and honestly about each statement.

4. Partner or Small Group Discussion: Pair students or form small groups and have them share their responses. Use sentence starters such as:

   • “I agree with this statement because…”

   • “In my language/culture, we…”

   • “I’m not sure about this, but I think…”
     Encourage students to use both English and their home language to explain their reasoning and listen to one another.

5. Teach the Lesson or Unit: Continue with your planned instruction. Students should be listening for content that connects to the anticipation guide statements. You can pause occasionally to make connections back to the statements they responded to earlier.

6. Revisit and Reflect: After the lesson or unit, return to the guide. Have students complete the “After” column. Ask them:

   • Did your thinking change?

   • What did you learn that confirmed or challenged your opinion?

   • Can you support your thinking with new information or vocabulary?

7. Class Discussion and Reflection: Facilitate a whole class discussion where students share how their thinking evolved. Encourage them to justify their changes using evidence from what they’ve learned. Validate responses in multiple languages and celebrate diverse perspectives.

8. Assessment and Exit Reflection: Use the guide as a formative assessment tool. Look for growth in understanding, reasoning, and language use. As an exit ticket, ask students to write or share:

   • One statement they changed their mind about and why

   • A new word or idea they learned related to the topic