Making predictions about a text

​​In a nutshell 

A prediction is a well-thought-out guess about what may happen in a piece of writing based on the text or any pictures. Before reading - and once you've begun - you will naturally begin to make predictions about what the book is about or what will happen next. In this summary, you will learn how to make predictions about a piece of writing. 

Making predictions during reading 

When you read it is natural to ask yourself several questions about the text. 

Example

You might ask yourself the following questions.

• "What is going on?"
• "Why did the character do that?"
• "Will this part be important later on (in the story)?"

Sometimes you feel certain about how a story will end or what a character will become and it may surprise you.

Example

If the story surprises you, you may say the following.

• "Wow, I didn't expect that to happen!"
• "I thought he was the good guy!" 

You can get better at predicting by reading more and paying attention to conventions of the specific genre. 

Tip: When predicting, it is important that you don't guess based on what you would like to see but what you think will happen.

Example

Sarah and her brother Tom love playing football together. While playing outside, their father shouted from the living room, "Children, please don't shoot the ball in the direction of the kitchen windows or you'll break the glass!" but Sarah had already swung a hard kick and the ball was flying towards the kitchen windows. "Nikita Parris shoots and -" Sarah said and then covered her mouth in horror. 

Can you guess what happens next? Using clues from the story ('Sarah had already swung a hard kick and the ball was flying towards the kitchen windows' and '...Sarah said and then covered her mouth in horror.') you predict that the ball breaks the kitchen window.