Contents of Chapter
Before lecture, give a brief description of what the class is about and what to expect throughout the duration of the course.
And, in addition to the verbal description, I have found that writing this description on the board allows for my students to see it and their tendency is to write it down.
Before I lecture to the class, I always the class an introduction about what the chapter is about, sometimes before I can get started on the lecture we have a conversation before I get started. Sometimes the introduction has to get the students motivated first.
I agree. I also remind students to pay attention to the layout of the textbook--the table of contents, the bold headings in the chapters, the italics, etc. I've learned that students need constant reinforcement regarding these basics of reading comprehension.
I've learned in my short time of teaching that an initial brief conversation about what the student is about to learn is essential. The student needs the big picture first. Then that picture can be broken down into small components The student will see how the big picture comes into view.
