Lesson starters: structures to activate prior knowledge

The first minutes decide whether a class joins in. A good lesson start brings up what pupils already know, so the new material has something to hook onto. It is the step of activating prior knowledge, and it comes before the explanation, not after it.

These structures do it with the whole class at once: everyone writes, stands up or tells, and within minutes you see where your explanation has to begin.

7 structures in this theme

Stand Up & Sit Down
Participants respond to statements by standing (agree) or staying seated (disagree).
Everyone joins in
± 9 min5.04.8
Interview in Three Rounds
Interview each other in groups of 4: A↔B and C↔D simultaneously. Then switch and share with the class.
Materials in the basic kitEveryone joins inCooperative learning
± 12 min
Written Thoughts
On an open question everyone writes ideas: one per slip, said out loud and put in the middle, until the time is up. Then the group sorts the pile: what belongs together, and what is that group called?
Materials in the basic kitEveryone joins inHigher-order
± 19 min
Inner & Outer Circle
Two circles facing each other. Short conversation with your partner. Then the outer circle rotates to a new partner.
Everyone joins inChanging groupsCooperative learning
± 13 min5.0
Placemat
Each participant writes their answer individually, shares it and together finds a consensus.
Materials in the basic kitEveryone joins inHigher-order
± 13 min
Four Corners
Participants choose a corner that matches their answer to a statement. They move, exchange thoughts and can change corners if persuaded.
Materials in the basic kitEveryone joins in
± 13 min
Snowball (1-2-4-All)
Start individually, combine in pairs, merge in groups of four, and so build shared insight step by step.
Everyone joins inHigher-orderChanging groups
± 18 min5.0

Why activate prior knowledge before you explain?

New material sticks when it has something to hold on to. A lesson that opens with the explanation leaves the class to find that hook alone; a lesson that opens with what pupils already know puts the hook down first. That is why activating prior knowledge comes before instruction, and why it is short: five to fifteen minutes, not half the lesson.

A lesson start does one more thing: it shows you where the class is. If half of them know the concept, you start your explanation further on. If nobody does, you know that too, and better now than at the test.

Which structure for which start?

To see at a glance what the class thinks, use Stand Up & Sit Down or Four Corners: in the first, agree is standing and disagree is sitting; in the second, everyone picks a corner for a question with several answers. Inner & Outer Circle is strongest for many short turns: in ten minutes every pupil talks with four or five classmates about the same question.

To have everyone think alone first, use Written Thoughts, Placemat or Snowball (1-2-4-All): alone first, then in pairs, then in fours. Interview in Three Rounds is for a deeper start: one tells, the other asks on, and the roles switch.

What to watch for

Ask a question everyone can answer, including those who do not know the material yet: an experience, a guess, an everyday example. A start that only rewards right answers silences half the class before the lesson has begun.

Keep the time tight and let the board guard it: the step and the timer are on it, so the start does not stretch to twenty minutes. And use what you hear in your explanation straight away, or the class learns that the start does not matter.

More collections

All structures →Ready-made by subject →Five-minute structures Short structures (up to 10 minutes)Structures for speaking skills Structures for listening skills Structures for reading skills Structures with writing Learning in motion: structures with movement Retrieval practice structures Ice-breakers for class and team Energisers for class and team Formative assessment in class: checking together Processing tasks: the class works it out Lesson closure and exit tickets: structures