A key component in developing better readers is to complete activities before the book has been read. Participation encourages the development of critical thinking skills, creativity, communication, collaboration, memory, comprehension, identity, empathy, social and literacy skills. 

Reading activities can be carried out individually, in pairs, small groups, as a whole class, across classes and year levels. They are therefore ideal as an element of a reading program.

Author

1. What do you know about the author and what do you want to know?

2. Read a short biography based in the author. What do you now know? What inspires the author? Can you guess what type of writer they are?

3. Use a short biography and complete a cloze activity.

4. Using a biography, put together a timeline of the author's life. Can you see any events that may have impacted on the author?

5. Look at a photo of the author and think what character traits are on display. How does it make you feel when you see the author?

6.  Where did the author grow up? Do you think that places where the author has lived or visited has inspired story settings?

7. Show the students a few items. How do you think these items are connected to the author and possibly the story?

8. Look at the collection of books the author has written. Can you determine what kind of writer they are?

9. Read a review based on the author. What do you now think?

10. Listen to a podcast of the author. What are three things you found interesting? What are two questions you have? What is something you feel you can relate to?

11. Create a poster/billboard to promote the author and their new book. Include some fun facts, a photo and image of the book. Craete an interesting headline to catch the attention of people.

12. Write five questions you would like to ask the author.

13. Review a book trailer and write a post responding to what you saw and heard.

14.  Create a biographical paragraph based on the author. Imagine that it will be used on the back cover of their new book.

15. Promote a book launch for the author and the book. Hold a reading for the book.

Title and Book Cover

1. What does the title tell you about the book? Does it capture your imagination?

2. What does the image on the book tell you? Do you judge a book by the cover?

3. What types of feelings and emotions do you get from looking at the title and book cover? Are you inspired to read the book?

4.  Describe the font and use of colour and images.

5. Look at the front cover and then turn the book over. Describe the front cover to a friend. What details could you remember?

6. How is the title written? Is it one word, a statement or a question? What impact does this have on you?

7. What words do you associate with the words on the front cover and back cover?

8. What genre do you think the book is?

9. Can you predict the reason for authoring the book? Do you think it is to inform, entertain or to persuade an audience?

10. What key words do you think could be used if someone was to research the book?

11. What do you see? What do you think? What do yo wonder?

12. Create a new front and back cover for the book.

13. Design a T-Shirt promoting the book.

14.  Create a new shake that could be used as a promotional item for the book.

15. Create an acrostic poem using the title of the book.

Language and Vocabulary

1. Look at a list of vocabulary that appears in the book. Do you know the meaning of the words?

2. Half the class has a word, and half the classhas a definition. Walk around the room and match the word and defintion.

3. From the words you have been given, can you predict what the book is about? Classify the words into nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prefixes and suffixes.

4. Look at a list of words and what do you associate with each one?

5. Write sentences using the new words.

6. use the new words and create a word finder/crossword. Complete a word finder/ crossword.

7. The teacher will provide quotes that are split. Match the quotes to form a complete quote. What do you think you now know about the book?

8. Read a blackout page of the book.

9. Make a blackout message using a page of text from the book.

10. You have been given a passage from the text with no punctuation. Add the punctuation.

11. You have been given a passage from the book. Create a coding system and identify verbs, adjectives, adverbs and nouns.

12. Take a passage and rewrite it in the first or third person.

13. Find out more information about specific terms and concepts.

14. Create a word wall in the classroom.

15. Play word games using the new vocabulary. ( Charades/ Pictionary)

Setting

1. Show photos of possible settings. Which setting do you think more likely suits the storyline?

2. Describe what you see in the photos and the mood each photo presents.

3. Using the title and front cover, design what you think the setting is.

4. View a list of words that describe the setting. What do the words tell you? Use the words in a sentence/paragraph.

5. Read aloud a description of the setting. Think about the tone, pace and accent you will use.

6. If the setting is in a real-world loction, use maps and Google Earth to find out more information.

7.  If the setting took place years ago or in a different country, find photos that relate to the time period and or country.

8. Describe what you see in the photos. Catergorize your information under social, cultural, historical, envrionmental, economic, political and technological. What conclusions can you draw?

9. What do you know about the period the storyline was set in? Create a graphic organizer/infographic/mind map vased on your researched information.

10.  Listen to music from the period. Does this give you an insight into the book? What mood do you sense?

11. Create a postcard that could represent the setting. Write the postcard to a friend pretending you are at the setting.

12.  Listen to a description of the setting. What can you infer?

13. Persuade someone to visit the setting.

14. Think of a slogan to promote the setting.

15. The teacher will inform you of the setting name. Create a news item that a movie or mini-series is going to be made based on the book in the community. Film from the destination and do a live cross over. Write the script, act the segment out and film it. Have the class view the news items.