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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

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

6. 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

7. 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

8. Predicting Non Fiction Text
The Four “P” Process…

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

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

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

12. Picture
Caption
Caption

13. Label/heading
Graph

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

15. Text Structures/Organizational Patterns
Advanced Signal Words

16. 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.

17. 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

18. 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…

19. 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.”

20. 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.

21. 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

22. 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.”

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

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

25. 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

26. 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.

27. 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.”

28. 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

29. 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.

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

31. 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.

32. 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.”

33. 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

34. 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

35. Proposition/Support
Opinion Proof

36. 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