Comprehension Strategy - “Making Predictions ”
Reading is more than just decoding words; it also involves understanding the words, and comprehending the ideas. Making predictions will help your students become actively involved in understanding the story. Your students will also see that reading stories in this way is fun, sort of like a mystery game. Moreover, they learn that good readers may make inaccurate predictions but that they improve as the story progresses. Finally, your students will have fun making predictions with stories as active involvement engages them in story comprehension and in predicting and monitoring for their understanding while reading.
When introducing a book, ask your student what he thinks will happen in the story. As the story progresses, encourage your student to “check” his prediction. If the student’s prediction is proven wrong, encourage him to make a new prediction.
When your students make a prediction, no matter how far-fetched it may seem, it is important to be non-judgmental. Just give a quick, “Oh, you think that is going to be what happens? Let’s read to find out.” In this way, your students will learn that it is acceptable to make predictions that may be inaccurate.
This strategy can be used with younger and older students and is particularly appropriate for English Language Learners. Younger students and those with emerging English language skills can draw their predictions while older students can write a sentence or two about their predictions. You can use your student’s journal to record his/her predictions.
Good Luck!
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