Making Predictions
Guessing What Will Happen Next
Predicting:
Making a prediction means guessing what will happen next in a reading. However,
predictions are much more than just random guesses. To make a prediction, you will
need to recall facts, make inferences, and draw conclusions. Practicing these skills—as
you make predictions—will help you more fully understand what you read.
Thinking Ahead:
Another term for making predictions is guessing or thinking ahead.
Thinking ahead and guessing are different ways of saying “make a
prediction.” Making predictions will give you ideas to think about as
you read. The reading will confirm some of your predictions (tell you
that you’re right) and will correct some of your mistaken predictions.
Making Predictions = Thinking Ahead
Evidence
Making predictions requires evidence. You might find evidence in a title, an
illustration, a specific part of the reading, or in your own personal experience or
background knowledge.
Evidence can be found in:
Titles, subtitles
Illustrations (pictures)
specific details
personal experience
background knowledge (what you already know)
Steps 1, 2, and 3: Preview, Make a
Prediction, and Find Evidence
Let’s look at an example. Have you ever read this book before? Without even opening the book,
we can gather a lot of evidence from the title, front cover, back cover, and illustrations.
Based on this evidence, what do you think the book will be about? What evidence did you use
to make this prediction?
Step 3: Find Evidence
Here’s an example of a prediction you might make before opening the book. This prediction is
based on the title and the bear’s scary shadow in the illustration.
Prediction: A little mouse has to give a red strawberry to a big, hungry bear.
Evidence: The title and the bear’s scary shadow.
Step 4: Read the material
After making predictions, it’s time to read the material. As you read, you will gather
information about your original ideas. When you finish reading, you will use that information
to confirm or correct your predictions. If the information you found in the reading is the same
as your prediction, your prediction is confirmed. If you need to make changes to your
prediction, it needs to be corrected.
Read
Gather Information
Confirm or Correct Predictions
Step 5: Confirm or Correct
Example
If you read this book, you would learn that the story is actually about the way the little mouse
keeps the strawberry safe from the bear. So, by reading the book, you could adjust your
prediction to make it more accurate.
Prediction:
A little mouse has to give a red strawberry to a big, hungry bear.
Evidence:
The title and the bear’s scary shadow.
Correction:
A little mouse saves a strawberry from the big, hungry bear.
Step 5: Confirm or Correct
Making predictions is important at the beginning and in the middle of a reading. In the middle
of this book, we learn that there is only one way to keep a red, ripe strawberry safe from the big,
hungry bear. Use your background knowledge (what you already know) to make a prediction:
Prediction: The only way to keep the strawberry safe is ____________.
(What made you say that? )
Evidence: What evidence do you have?
Review
Remember these simple steps for making a prediction. First, preview the material. Then, make
a logical guess about what will happen next. Look for evidence, then read the material. After
reading, confirm or correct your predictions.
1. Preview
2. Make a Prediction
3. Find Evidence
4. Read the Material (complete the assignments)
5. Confirm or Correct
Practice Activity
Use this lesson to practice making predictions. Look at Lesson 4 in GS 120L in I-Learn to
preview the lesson title, subtitles, bold words, and illustrations (if any) of the assignments
posted. Guess what the unit will be about. Find evidence that helped you make your prediction.
Step 1: Preview
Step 2: Make a Prediction
Step 3: Find Evidence
Prediction: (What do you think this lesson is going to be about?)
Practice Activity
Now that you have made your guess on what the unit will be about, continue completing the
assignments for the remainder of this lesson. While you are working on the assignments, look
for information that will help you to confirm or correct your prediction.
Step 4: Read the Material - Complete all Lesson 4 Assignments
Practice Activity
Was your prediction accurate? Can you confirm it, or do you need to make corrections? You’ll
only find out after you have completed all the assignments.
Step 5. Confirm or Correct (only after you have completed all of Lesson 4)
Review: Making Predictions
Remember, making predictions is important before and during reading. Making predictions
will help you understand and remember more than if you read without making predictions.
Let’s Review the steps to making predictions:
1. Preview
2. Make a prediction
3. Find Evidence
4. Read the material
5. Confirm or Correct
