Introduce comprehension strategy: Predicting
From FreeReading
| Activity Type: Introduce |
| Activity Form: Standard |
| Grade: K, 1 |
| Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class |
| Length: 15 minutes |
| Materials: A read-aloud story that students know |
| Goal: While reading independently, the student can stop and make a prediction about what happens next ( text -> prediction ). |
| Items: - |
Comprehension strategy motion
To help make this comprehension strategy more concrete (and fun) to students -- and more visible to you -- some teachers find it helpful to teach students a motion like this one:
- Start with the index and middle finger of your right hand make a horizontal 'V' shape held up to your right eye, palm towards your face.
- Now flip your hand, maintaining the horizontal 'V' but moving it away from your face.
- The motion means "I can see" ('V' in front of your eye) "into the future" ('V' moving away from your face).
- Make this motion whenever you make a prediction while reading and whenever you say the phrase "I wonder what's going to happen here."
What to do
- (Some teachers like to dress up as a fortune teller to make this strategy more memorable.) Today, I'm going to teach you a reading secret. I'm going to teach you to predict (motion) the future! Are you ready?
- When I'm reading a story and it gets interesting, I stop and say "I wonder what's going to happen here?" (Motion). And whenever I do that, I make this sign (motion). Can you make this sign too? Make sure every student can make the sign well enough for you to recognize it. Good! Make the sign at the same time that you say in an exaggeratedly puzzled way: I wonder what's going to happen here?
- Let me show you what I do to predict the future when I'm reading. Then you can do the same. Read a passage from a book where students don't know what will happen next. Then pause, motion, and say: I wonder what's going to happen here? Now make a prediction and be sure to explain why you made that specific prediction. Then read on and point out to students whether your prediction came true or not.
- Now it's your turn. I'm going to read a bit more of the story and then ask you what you think will happen next. Ready? Read further in the story (or select a different story if there isn't an appropriate plot point to pause at). Now, let's all think for a second and see if we can predict what is going to happen next (motion). Turn to a student who is likely to have an answer and ask them, What do you think is going to happen next? Remember to make the prediction sign whenever you say your prediction. Facilitate a short discussion in which students share their predictions and justify them. Make sure students know when to make the prediction sign. Depending on how comfortable students are with making predictions, you might bring out the following points:
- People have different predictions, sometimes based on personal experience (eg, a student who has a sister like the girl in the story)
- Good predictions use information from the text (plot, character, setting)
- Good predictions use information about the kind of book being read (if a book is called Silly Sally, Sally will do silly things).
- For students who have difficulty generating predictions, ask them to make a movie in their head of the story so far and "let the movie run".
- Wow! I heard a lot of predictions. Shall we find out what happens next in the story? Read on. Whose prediction came true? Facilitate a discussion that touches on:
- Not all predictions come true
- When your prediction turns out to be wrong, you have to let go of it
- Right or wrong, predictions help you "get into" the story.
- Now I want you to go read with your reading buddies and use what you just learned to make predictions. Remember to make the sign whenever you make a prediction. Can everybody make the prediction sign? Check one more time that students can sign properly.