Opening Up a Reading
I like to bring my class into the lab for the first day of a new reading. I generally have them do some work on the new essay at the computer, but I always save time for a general discussion as well. Here are some of the kinds of exercises I ask students to do:

1. Locate important passages from the new text and type them into a blank document. Then have students switch computers and add a comment about whether or not they feel that's an important passage and why. Keep having them switch computers 3 or 4 times. Then have students return to their original computers and digest their peers' comments. Ask students to report on the passages they chose and what others had to say about. Not only does this open up discussion about the text, but students leave with recorded comments about a particular passage.
2. Have students write a short paragraph that summarizes the argument of the new reading. Then have them condense that paragraph, and keep condensing until they have one or two sentences that summarize the essay. Ask students to share these sentences with the class. Again this opens up discussion and gives students practice at identifying an author's argument, but it can also lead into a discussion of paraphrase or how to form a project statement by starting with a large sense of what you want to write about and then condensing that down.

Switching to the Visual
Sometimes I think students need to "switch registers" to locate a new perspective, to open up new modes of learning, or even to get a better sense of a project/argument. I sometimes start a new reading by bringing them to the lab to let them work with visual modes of explanation. Here's what I've tried:

1. Draw the argument. I tell students to use either the drawing tools in Word or Paint (Start >> Programs >> Accessories >> Paint) to draw a picture of the author's argument. I make it clear to them that they'll need to print this picture out and explain it to the class. This also works really well as group work.
2. Make a visual argument. I ask students to use a search engine like Google to locate images or pictures that are clustered around the topic or argument of the new essay. Working with these, I ask them to create a kind of "visual argument" that uses a series of images to illustrate the argument of the new reading. These can be copied and pasted into Word for printing and sharing with the class. Again, this can also be a good group project.