Year 7 pitch · Lesson 1

Year 7: predict out loud, then check

The strategy is modelled before it is asked for. Ākonga hear the teacher predict from a cover and first paragraph, then make and record their own predictions and check them against the text.

Same skill at the other pitch: Literacy Fundamentals — Building Strong Foundations →
Year 7 English · Reading & Viewing / Comprehension

Lesson 1: Active Reading Strategies: Predicting & Activating Prior Knowledge

Building confident, active readers through Te Ao Māori perspectives, comprehension strategies, and rich Aotearoa texts.

🎯 Ngā Whāinga Akoranga | Learning Intentions

🧠 Students will know:

Active reading strategies (activating prior knowledge / Whakawhanaungatanga, previewing text features, making evidence-based predictions), and difference between passive and active reading.

✏️ Students will demonstrate:

Preview non-fiction/pūrākau text elements (titles, headings, images, glossary), complete a KWL chart (Know, Want to know, Learned), and state predictions supported by text clues.

🎥 Media Anchor & Pedagogical Scaffold

Active Reading Strategies: Predicting & Schema

Video Clip: Reading Comprehension Strategies - Prior Knowledge — Digital Courses With Robyn (Runtime: 6:16).

🧠 1. Before Viewing (Activate & Predict)

What happens in your mind when you look at a book cover or article headline before reading the first sentence?

👁️ 2. During Viewing (Watch With a Job)

  • Pause @ 1:30: Examine text features: bold titles, subheadings, diagrams, and te reo Māori glossaries.
  • Pause @ 3:15: Activate background knowledge (schema) relating personal/cultural experiences to the topic.
  • Pause @ 4:45: Formulate explicit predictions using sentence frame: 'I predict... because the text clue shows...'

🗣️ 3. After Viewing & Kaiako Move (Process & Apply)

Kaiako Move: Model 'Think-Aloud' strategy while previewing an Aotearoa legend or School Journal article on the projector.

Immediate Task: Complete Section 1 of your Reading Journal: Text Preview & KWL Prediction Chart.

⚡ Whakaoho | Do Now: Reading Warm-Up (10 mins)

Review key reading vocabulary, strategy definitions, and context clues for Lesson 1. Connect previous reading reflections to today's text analysis.

📖 Activity 1: Guided Reading & Strategy Practice (25 mins)

Read selected Aotearoa non-fiction, School Journal articles, or pūrākau passages in pairs. Apply active reading strategies, highlight text evidence, and complete graphic organisers.

📝 Activity 2: Year 7 Reading Journal & Reflection Scaffolding (20 mins)

Draft your formal Reading Journal entry for Lesson 1. Use specific text quotes and reading strategy terminology (e.g., schema, context clues, main idea, evidence-based inference, cause/effect, pūrākau metaphor, author bias, text synthesis) to justify your answers.

🏫 Kaiako Planning & Pedagogy Notes

Year 7 Curriculum Alignment: Te Mātaiaho English Phase 3 — Reading and Viewing for meaning. Builds core comprehension, critical literacy, and cultural connectedness through Aotearoa literature and pūrākau.