Before giving students an academic reading on a topic like the AIDS virus, create a semantic web on the board. This involves writing the word “AIDS” in the center of a circle and then branching out from that with related words connecting to the original word or to each other. So, for example, the word “virus” might connect to “AIDS” and then “communicable” to “virus.” Students call out words they associate with the word “AIDs” or other words connected to it. This is a good way to review or develop vocabulary related to the topic; in addition, at the end students will be primed to read on the topic having gone over related concepts.