Predicting A strategy that begins PRIOR to reading and extends into POST reading discussions

Making Predictions Why do it? To become a strategic, active reader by Activating prior knowledge about a topic Seeing causal relationships Making connections Forming images/visualizing

Prediction Signals that help readers focus… If the text contains: A question A subheading Therefore You might predict you’ll find An answer Details that describe it A conclusion or outcome of previous text

To illustrate this point If the text contains: For example Such as For instance In fact To illustrate this point You might predict you’ll find: One or more examples that illustrate the main point of the paragraph or text

If the text contains: In other words That is Consists of Means You might predict you’ll find: A definition or simpler explanation

A difference or unexpected outcome If the text contains: However But Whereas On the other hand In contrast In comparison Yet You might predict you’ll find: A difference or unexpected outcome

Finally… A continuation or comparison that shows similarities Just as If the text contains: Just as Likewise Also Just like Similarly In the same way Moreover Furthermore You might predict you’ll find: A continuation or comparison that shows similarities

Predicting Non Fiction Text The Four “P” Process…

The Four “P” Process of Predicting Prior Knowledge Patterns/Text Structure Pictures? Graphs? Text Features? Prove your prediction with proof from the text

Text features guide us through non fiction text… Subheadings Font Bullets White space Layout Charts Diagrams Labels Pictures Captions

Use the title, headings, pictures and graphics to activate PRIOR KNOWLEDGE Subheading Key Words

Picture Caption Caption

Label/heading Graph

My prediction Evidence For Evidence Against Sample Prediction Organizer My prediction Evidence For Evidence Against How My Understanding Has Changed

Text Structures/Organizational Patterns Advanced Signal Words

CAUSE AND EFFECT The author’s purpose is to write about Why something happens, i.e., the cause. And explain What happens because of the cause, i.e., the effect.

SIGNAL WORDS Because Since Therefore Consequently As a result This led to So that Nevertheless Accordingly If…then Thus One reason for that For this reason

CAUSE Why? “Drug abusers often start in upper elementary school. They experiment with a parent’s alcohol and enjoy its outcome. They keep doing this and become accustomed to the end result of alcohol…

EFFECT What? Consequently, they start taking more and more of the alcohol to get the same level of buzz. As a result, the child turns to other forms of stimulation including marijuana.”

COMPARE AND CONTRAST To achieve his/her purpose, an author makes a comparison by telling how things, people, places or events are alike and contrasts them to tell how they are different.

SIGNAL WORDS However Like Unlike Likewise Both As well as On the other hand Not only…but also Either…or while Although Unless Similarly Yet Nevertheless In contrast Too As opposed to Whereas

Compare/Contrast “Middle school gives students more autonomy than elementary school. While students are asked to be responsible for their learning in both levels, middle school students have more pressure to follow through on assignments on their own, rather than rely on adults.”

Both asked to be responsible for learning More pressure to complete assignments and follow through Less pressure to complete assignments and follow through

PROBLEM AND SOLUTION The author’s purpose is to write about a problem and give a solution.

SIGNAL WORDS Issue Details Possibilities Trials Reasons Analysis Selection Result Text focus: What is wrong and how it can be corrected What needs to be changed, improved, fixed Who is confronting problems

PROBLEM “The carrying capacity of a habitat refers to the amount of plant and animal life its resources can hold. For example, if there are only 80 pounds of food available and there are animals that together need more than 80 pounds of food to survive, one or more animals will die – the habitat can’t ‘carry’ them. Humans have reduced many habitats’ carrying capacity such as housing development, road construction, dams, pollution, fires, and acid rain.

SOLUTION So that they can maintain full carrying capacity in forest habitats, Congress has enacted legislation that protects endangered habitats from human development or impact. As a result, these areas have high carrying capacities and an abundance of plant and animal life.”

Problem: Humans destroy habitats of animals and plants through housing development, etc. Solution: Abundance of plant and animal life Action: Congress has enacted legislation that protects endangered habitats from human development

SEQUENCE or TIME ORDER GOAL/ACTION/OUTCOME To achieve his/her purpose, the author arranges the facts in a special sequence or lists them in chronological or time order.

SIGNAL WORDS On (date) Not long after Now As Before After When Since Until First Following At the same time Finally During At last

Time Order “Astronomy came a long way in the 1500s and 1600s. In 1531, Halley’s Comet appeared and caused great panic. Just twelve years later, however, Copernicus realized that the sun was the center of the solar system, not the Earth, and astronomy became a way to understand the natural world, not something to fear.

In the early part of the next century, Galileo made the first observations with a new instrument – the telescope. A generation later, Sir Isaac Newton invented the reflecting telescope, a close cousin to what we use today. Halley’s Comet returned in 1682 and it was treated as a scientific wonder, studied by Edmund Halley.”

Concept/Definition Signal Words Who What Where When Why How Text focus: What something is or looks like How something can be described How something can be classified

Proposition/Support Signal Words Viewpoint Opinion Idea Hypothesis Theory Proof Evidence Text focus Why accept an opinion, theory, or hypothesis What viewpoint is expressed in an editorial or persuasion How conclusions are based on research results or studies

Proposition/Support Opinion Proof

Resources Tovani, Chris, Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? Beers, Kylene, When Kids Can’t Read What Teachers Can Do Zwiers, Jeff, Building Reading Comprehension Habits in Grades 6-12 Strong, Silver, Perini & Tuculescu, Reading for Academic Success Literacy First training materials