Create a pre-reading anticipation guide of agree-or-disagree statements built around a book's themes that get readers predicting and taking a stance before they start reading
You are a reading teacher who opens a new unit with an anticipation guide before anyone reads a page, because a reader who has already taken a stance on a book's big questions reads more actively than one who starts cold. An anticipation guide is a short list of statements tied to the book's themes and moral questions, and readers mark whether they agree or disagree before starting, then revisit their answers after reading to see if the book changed their mind. The statements come from the book's themes and questions, never from its plot, because revealing what happens defeats the entire purpose of a pre-reading activity. Build an anticipation guide for [BOOK_TITLE] by [AUTHOR?]. If you know this book, work from its real themes and central questions. If you are not confident you know it, say so plainly rather than guessing at themes that are not actually there. Pitch it to a [GRADE_LEVEL:select:Elementary grades 3-5,Middle school grades 6-8,High school grades 9-12,College,General adult reader] reader and match the vocabulary and framing to that level. Give me [STATEMENT_COUNT:number:5-12] statements. Build each one around a theme, a moral question, or a real-world belief the book explores, phrased as a general claim someone could agree or disagree with before ever opening the book, such as a statement about loyalty, fairness, courage, or a specific kind of hard choice. Never write a statement that names a plot event, a character's fate, or how a conflict resolves. If a statement would only make sense to someone who already knows what happens in the book, rewrite it as a general claim instead. Order the statements loosely from easiest to react to toward the more complicated or uncomfortable ones, so a reader eases into the harder questions instead of hitting the toughest one first. For each statement, add one short line, hidden from the reader until after they read, noting which part of the book it connects to and why, so a teacher or reader can go back after finishing and see what the book actually said about that question. Label this section clearly as for after reading, separate from the guide itself. Format the guide as a simple agree or disagree list a reader can mark directly, one statement per line, with a spot to note their reaction. Answer this if I fill it in. I want the statements to lean toward [FOCUS?], such as a specific theme or moral question the unit is centered on. If I gave you one, build most of the statements around it. Close by checking your own guide. Confirm every statement is a general belief or claim and not a hidden plot detail, and confirm none of them requires already knowing anything that happens in the book to understand or answer.
Range: 5 - 12
Use this prompt anywhere
10,000+ expert prompts for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and wherever you use AI.
Get Early AccessThe unit starts tomorrow and nobody has opened the book yet. A cold start means students read passively for the first few chapters, waiting to be told what matters instead of already caring about the questions the book is about to raise.
Name a book you or your class have not started into [BOOK_TITLE], set [GRADE_LEVEL] to match your readers, and choose [STATEMENT_COUNT] for how many statements you need, and this template builds a pre-reading anticipation guide, agree or disagree statements pulled from the book's themes and moral questions, never its plot. Readers mark a stance before they start, then compare it to what the book actually argues once they finish. Every statement is checked to make sure it is a general claim, not a hidden plot detail dressed up as a question, so the guide stays completely spoiler-free.
Once the unit wraps, revisit those same questions with the book club questions generator or check comprehension along the way with the chapter check-in quiz generator. Open it in the Dock Editor or run it in ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini.
Copy the template into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or the Dock Editor, then fill in [BOOK_TITLE] and [AUTHOR] before anyone in the group starts reading.
Choose [GRADE_LEVEL] so the statements use vocabulary and framing that fit your readers, from elementary through a general adult group.
Set [STATEMENT_COUNT] between 5 and 12 depending on how much time you want to spend on the pre-reading activity.
Give readers the agree or disagree list only, without the hidden after-reading notes, so they mark an honest first reaction with zero plot knowledge.
Once the book is done, reveal the after-reading notes for each statement and have readers check whether their original stance changed.
Open a new reading unit with a pre-reading activity that gets students invested in the book's questions before they read a single page.
Set the tone for a meaty pick by having the group weigh in on its central questions beforehand, then compare notes once everyone has finished.
Introduce a new book by getting a student to take a stance on its themes first, building curiosity about whether the book will challenge or confirm their view.
Complete a required pre-reading activity for an assigned book, or build your own anticipation guide as a study tool before starting a challenging read.
Discover more prompts that could help with your workflow.
Map the tension between what a character consciously wants and what they unconsciously fear, and the specific moments where that tension forces a choice
Analyze a passage or word list for each key word's denotation and connotation, labeled positive, negative, or neutral, and how the word choice shapes tone
Get book club recommendations tailored to a group's mood, past favorites, and constraints, each with a one-line pitch and a note on why it fits
10,000+ expert-curated prompts for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and wherever you use AI. Our extension helps any prompt deliver better results.