Define foreshadowing. Write the term "foreshadowing" on your chalkboard before students arrive. When they arrive, ask them to tell you what the word means. After listening and responding to student suggestions, write the definition of the term on the board.
Present examples of foreshadowing to which the students can relate. Tell students that an example of foreshadowing they may see in everyday life is when they notice that the sky has darkened and it appears rain is on the way, allowing students to see that foreshadowing exists in the real world as well as in literature.
Read a foreshadowing-rich text with your students. Select a text that is grade-appropriate to ensure that your students are not overly challenged by it. Scholastic recommends "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe as an option for teaching about this topic as foreshadowing is prevalent in this text.
Ask students to highlight foreshadowing examples as they come across them in the text. Give students copies of the text that they can write on and highlighters so they can complete this task.
Pause periodically and discuss what students highlighted. To ensure that your pausing doesn't disrupt the flow of the text, pause at logical places as you read instead of stopping immediately after each instance of foreshadowing.
Bring the topic back up when reading future texts containing foreshadowing. After teaching this lesson, make reference to the term again and again throughout the rest of the year, ensuring that students don't forget what the term means and remain attentive to the presence of this element in the texts they read.