Make Predictions

Shift the focus on simple predictions to complex predictions involving new examples. Nonfiction works that explore cycles, processes, and histories work well for these types of activities.

Get students involved with no only making predictions, but also providing reasons.

• Example. What other information do you think you'll find in this book? Why?
• Example. What do you think will happen in the future of this science. Why?

Prediction and Nonfiction Reading

Beginning readers learn about prediction through making observations as they read.

• Standards
  • English Standard K.2.2. Use pictures and context to aid comprehension and to draw conclusions or make predictions about story content. (Core Standard)
  • English Standard 1.2.6. Draw conclusions or confirm predictions about what will happen next in a text by identifying key words (signal words that alert the reader to a sequence of events, such as before, first, during, while, as, at the same time, after, then, next, at last, finally, now, when or cause and effect, such as because, since, therefore, so).
• Activity
  • Read alphabet books. Make predictions about the order of letters as well as the contents on each page. Create alphabet books using photos taken in the classroom of words beginning with particular letters or actions in the classroom such as drawing, sitting, talking.
• Resources
  • Arf! Beg! Catch! Dogs from A to Z by Henry Horenstein
  • Into the A, B, Sea by Deborah Lee Rose
  • Connect with basic alphabet practice using tools such as Literacy Center.

Processes and Nonfiction Reading

See nonfiction that explores processes, cycles, phases. Ask students to make inferences about other processes based on this experience.

Apply what you know about the butterfly life cycle to the frog life cycle. Use parallel concept maps to show these predictions.

Explore nonfiction books and websites related to process such as the origins of our food and life on a farm.

• Standards
  • English Standard 2.2.10. Draw conclusions or confirm predictions about what will happen next in a text by identifying key words (signal words that alert the reader to a sequence of events, such as before, first, during, while, as, at the same time, after, then, next, at last, finally, now, when or cause and effect, such as because, since, therefore, so). (Core Standard)
• Activity
  • As you read books such as Bread by Louise Spilsbury, ask "I Wonder" questions: I wonder
    • does everyone eat bread?
    • have people always eaten bread?
    • what are the ingredients in bread?
    • how is flour made?
    • where is bread made?
    • why do people eat bread?
  • Use the PowerPoint Sidekicks (Eggs PPT) and (Milk PPT) and More Milk PPT)
  • Explore online resources related to farms and agriculture.
• Resources
  • Bread, Milk, by Louise Spilsbury
  • Chick (Google Limited Preview) by Angela Royston
  • Lamb (Google Limited Preview) by Angela Royston

Scentific Prediction

Explore scientific processes and activities. Think about ongoing activities that you could do in your classroom such as predict the growth of plants, predict the weather or track the phases of the moon.

• Standards
  • English Standard 3.2.4. Recall major points in the text and make and revise predictions about what is read. (Core Standard)
    
  • English Standard 4.2.3. Draw conclusions or make and confirm predictions about text by using prior knowledge and ideas presented in the text itself, including illustrations, titles, topic sentences, important words, foreshadowing clues (clues that indicate what might happen next), and direct quotations. (Core Standard)
  • Science Standard 2.5.5. Explain that some events can be predicted with certainty, such as sunrise and sunset, and some cannot, such as storms. Understand that people aren't always sure what will happen since they do not know everything that might have an effect.
  • Science Standard 2.3.2. Investigate, compare and describe weather changes from day to day but recognize, describe, and chart that the temperature and amounts of rain or snow tend to be high, medium, or low in the same months every year.
  • Science Standard 5.5.7. Explain that predictions can be based on what is known about the past, assuming that conditions are similar.
  • Science Standard 5.5.8. Realize and explain that predictions may be more accurate if they are based on large collections of objects or events.
  • Science Standard 6.1.3. Recognize and explain that hypotheses are valuable, even if they turn out not to be true, if they lead to fruitful investigations.
• Activity
  • Read nonfiction about growing things including crops, flowers, and individual plants. Ask students to make predictions about plants and what is needed for growth.
• Plant Resources
  • Read Growing Beans by Peter Sloan and Sheryl Sloan
  • Plant Detectives
• Activity
  • Read nonfiction about weather and make predications about the weather.
• Weather Resources
  • Primary
  • A Meteorologist Answers Questions (Primary w/ audio)
  • A Weather Watcher Answers Questions
  • Whatever the Weather
  • World of Weather (Primary w/ audio)
  • The Weather: Wind (Google Limited Preview) by Terry J. Jennings
  • The Weather: Rain (Google Limited Preview) by Terry J. Jennings
  • The Weather: Sunshine (Google Limited Preview) by Terry J. Jennings
  • The Weather: Snow (Google Limited Preview) by Terry J. Jennings
  • The Weather: Clouds (Google Limited Preview) by Terry J. Jennings
  • Hot or Cold from Scott Foresman
  • Intermediate/Middle Grades
  • Atmosphere and Weather (Google Limited Preview) by Terry J. Jennings
  • Weather and Climate (Google Limited Preview) by Alvin Silverstein, Laura Silverstein Nunn