Making Predictions - The Game Ritual

Presentation

Making Predictions - The Game Ritual

• I will use descriptive and persuasive language to support my predictions, incorporating vocabulary from the text.

• To explain that predictions involve making educated guesses about what might happen next in a story based on evidence from the text and prior knowledge.

Success Criteria

• I can define the term "prediction."
• I can identify and analyze context clues to make predictions.
• I will be able to understand the importance of evidence-based predictions in literature.

Do Now:

• What do you think is about to happen in this picture?
• What are your initial thoughts on the importance of making predictions when reading?

Define

A prediction is a guess about what will happen next. A reader can use clues from the text and their background knowledge to make predictions. Making predictions before and during reading can help readers keep their focus and interest in a text. Before reading, you can make predictions by previewing the text for clues. The clues may suggest what will happen in the story or what the nonfiction text will be about. During reading, you can make predictions by combining clues and information. For example, if a person is reading a story about a teenager who seems bored, the reader might predict that the character will seek an adventure. This prediction is based on the reader’s knowledge of other books with similar characters and plots.

Vocabulary

background knowledge

preview

prediction

nouninformation gained from personal experience and prior reading

nouna logical guess about what future events might happen in a story, what information a text might provide, or what points an author might make in an argument

verbto look at or see beforehand

Checklist for Making Predictions:

To make predictions, do the following:

• Before Reading:
• Preview the text. Look at the title, the headers, and any images available.
• Ask yourself: What do I think this text will be about?
• During Reading:
• Think about what you have already read.
• Think about what you know related to what you have already read.
• Ask yourself: What events or information do I think will come next?

Skill Model

Let’s look at how one student makes predictions during a discussion of “The Game Ritual.”First, the teacher reads aloud the title. She defines the word ritual as “a set of actions performed regularly.” Then, the teacher asks students to use this information to make a guess about what will happen in the story. The student thinks about the meaning of ritual and predicts: “I think that the story will be about a set of actions that someone regularly performs. It will probably be part of a game or maybe even have to do with a sports game.” He previews the first paragraph to confirm his predictions.

My prediction was right. The team eats peanut butter sandwiches before the game. That is a ritual for them.

Skill Model

Before the class continues to read the story, the teacher asks them to make another prediction. She asks them to think about what they already know about superstitions. Students can combine this background information with the events in the story to make a guess about what will happen next. The student makes another prediction:“Because they won the game one time after eating peanut butter sandwiches, they will keep doing this before every game because they think it brings good luck.” The teacher asks her students to read the next paragraph to see whether their predictions can be confirmed or corrected. The student highlights text evidence that confirms his new prediction.

My prediction was right. The team thinks that eating peanut butter sandwiches brings good luck and helps them win.

As the student reads, he will continue to make and confirm predictions.

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