First, let’s talk about making predictions. We make them all the time in life, even if we don’t realize it. When we ask our students to predict what will happen next in a reading sample, we are asking them to think about what they already know and compare that to what might occur. We are also providing a reason to read – so they can determine if they were correct.
We are reading a novel and I needed to provide vocabulary support prior to students reading the chapter with a friend. I was going to be out of the classroom, so this was an activity they could complete independently.
What I did
1.) First, I gave them a list of key vocabulary structures (some were brand new, some they had had some exposure to before, and some they knew well – then provided all definitions giving the strongest level of support).
2.) Next, students were told that all structures were in the chapter they were to read that day.
3.) Before reading the chapter with a friend, students individually wrote one or two paragraphs that predicted the action of the chapter solely based on the provided vocabulary and their prior knowledge.
4.) Next, they read the chapter with a friend.
5.) Finally, they had to go back and explain in English how their prediction was similar to and different from the actual action.
The best part?
I graded what they explained (wrote) in English and NOT what they wrote in Spanish. I decided it was more important for me to to know what they understood, especially given that I wasn’t there to read with them. If comprehension is my goal, I’m OK with students writing in English. If I had asked them to write their explanation in Spanish, it would have been “out of bounds,” they would struggle, the affective filter would go up, and they would begin to dread my class. A few confident high fliers completed the activity in Spanish, and THAT’S FINE.
More Predictive Activities
- What will the book/article be about?
- Who will be the main character?
- What important events will happen?
- Where will the action occur?
- What evidence is there (from the title, previous chapters, pictures, etc.) to support the prediction?
- How will the character respond? What will they say?
- Who will help? How will they help?
- Why does the student think this person will help?
- How did the students’ predictions compare to the reading?
- Was the student correct?
- How/why was the prediction wrong?
(By the by, I’m not claiming to have invented anything here, only just to have stumbled upon an idea I’ll use again!)