Confident Little Learners: Make Predictions

Friday, September 9, 2011

Make Predictions

Often, I have observed that kids in grades three and up can read fluently (smoothly) and they sound like excellent readers. Some kids even fool their teachers and move up the highest reading group. Some parents feel this is the most important thing - what level is my kid? Is she in the highest reading group?

In the 3rd week of school one year, I had a parent approach me and ask why her daughter wasn't in the highest reading group. She explained that she believes her daughter is an excellent reader and has always been in the highest group in the past. After listening to her, I told her that I would take another look at the student's reading and re-test her using a reading assessment.

After assessing the student again, I discovered that she was, in fact, in the wrong group. She should have been placed in the lower group than where I had her. Her fluency was remarkable - she read smoothly with very few to no errors. However, she didn't understand a single thing she read. She was not comprehending or retaining any information that was conveyed in the text.

I moved her to the correct reading group for her individual level of reading and continued working with that group on the comprehension strategies on which I had been working with them since the school year began.

Strategy: Make Predictions While Reading

While reading with your children, stop periodically throughout the story and ask your child “what do you think is going to happen?” Some kids will give you what they think will happen next, others will give you a few events that may happen later in the story. Either way, this will spark an interest in finding out what is coming in the story. Predictions – regardless of whether or not they are correct – will promote a child to pay closer attention to the details in the story. In addition, an incorrect prediction can signal a misunderstanding of what has been read.

When an incorrect prediction occurs, encourage your child to go back and re-read the important parts.

Here are some prompting questions you can ask as you read with your child:

· What do you think will happen next?

· What makes you think that?

· What clues from the story tell you _____ is going to happen?

· How do you think the story will end?

· Look at the picture, what do you think will happen on this page?