A. Literacy Connections and Applications / C. Comprehension · Understanding What We Read and See

Before Reading: What Do I Know? What Will Happen?

C2.1 C2.3 C1.3 C1.4About 35 minutes

Learning goals

I can think about what I already know before I read.
I can use the title, pictures and clues to make a prediction.
I can check my prediction and change it if I need to.

Words to know

prediction
A smart guess about what will happen next or what a text will be about.

clue
A hint in the words or pictures that helps you figure something out.

prior knowledge
What you already know from your own life and from other books.

confirm
To check and find out that your prediction was right.

Be a reading detective!

Detectives look for clues to figure things out. Good readers do the same thing before and during reading.

Before you read, you can:

Think about what you already know about the topic.
Look at the title and the pictures for clues.
Predict: make a smart guess about what will happen.

Three steps to get ready to read.

A prediction is a smart guess

A prediction is not just any guess. It uses clues. You can say:

"I think ___ will happen because ___."

Then, as you read, you check. Was your prediction right? If not, that is okay! Good readers change their predictions when they find new clues.

Read-aloud: The Box on the Porch

Picture: A girl in a winter coat looks at a big box on her front step. The box has small holes in the lid.

Part 1

Ava came home from school. There was a big box on the porch. It had small holes in the lid.

Ava put her ear on the box. She heard a tiny sound. Scratch, scratch.

Stop and predict: What is in the box?

Part 2

A note was taped on top. It said: "For Ava. Be gentle! Love, Grandpa."

Ava lifted the lid very slowly. Two brown eyes looked up at her. A small wet nose sniffed her hand.

Stop and predict again.

Part 3

"Woof!" said the puppy.

Ava hugged her new puppy. "I will call you Biscuit," she said.

Worked example

Let's predict together

Use Part 1 of The Box on the Porch. What could be in the box?

Think about what I know: Boxes with holes in the lid let air in. Living things need air.
Look for clues: The box has holes. Ava hears scratch, scratch.
Predict: "I think there is an animal in the box because it has air holes and something is scratching."
Check after Part 2: Two brown eyes and a wet nose! My prediction is confirmed. I can make it more exact: maybe a puppy or a kitten.
Check after Part 3: "Woof!" It is a puppy.

Our prediction (an animal) was right, and we changed it to be more exact (a puppy) as we found new clues.

Each new clue helped us change our prediction and make it more exact: an animal, then a puppy or a kitten, then a puppy!

Worked example

Let's use what we know about a topic

You are going to read a fact book called Getting Ready for Winter. The cover shows a bear in a den and birds flying. What do you already know? What might you learn?

Think: "I know it gets cold and snowy in winter. I know some birds fly away."
Look: The bear is in a den. Birds are flying.
Predict: "I think this book will tell how animals get ready for winter, because the pictures show animals and the title says getting ready."

A good prediction: the book is about how animals get ready for winter.

The magic word: because

Say your prediction with because: "I think ___ because ___." The word because shows your clue. It is okay if your prediction is not what happens. Even great readers get surprised!

Just for fun

What if the box had said "Moo!" instead of "Woof!"? 🐄 Then Grandpa would have needed a MUCH bigger box, and Ava would need a much bigger porch!

Hands-on activity

Cover detective

You need: 3 books you have not read yet (from home or the library).

Look at one cover. Read the title with your grown-up.
Say what you already know about the topic.
Make a prediction with because.
Read the book (or the first few pages) together. Stop in the middle and predict again.
At the end, give a thumbs up 👍 if your prediction was right, or give a little wave 👋 if you changed it.

Talk: "Which clue helped you most?"

Your turn

In The Box on the Porch, what clue told you something alive might be in the box?

What did the note say?

Why do you think the note said "Be gentle"?

Finish the sentence for a book called Lost in the Snow: "I think this book is about ___ because ___."

A book cover shows a girl holding a hockey stick and a trophy. Predict what happens.

What should you do if your prediction is wrong?

More practice: warm-up

What is a prediction?

Name two places to look for clues before you read.

What word helps you explain your prediction?

What was in the box on the porch?

What name did Ava give her puppy?

More practice: on your own

Ava heard scratch, scratch. Why is that a good clue?

A book is called The Big Storm. The cover shows dark clouds and a family under a blanket. Predict what the family will do.

What do you already know about beavers? Say two things before you read a beaver book.

Mo predicts a book about a lost kitten will end with the kitten found. At the end, the kitten finds its way home by itself. Was Mo's prediction right?

Why is it helpful to think about what you already know before reading?

Challenge

Make up a new ending for The Box on the Porch where the box has something different inside. Use the clues (holes, scratching).

Two kids predict different things about a book called The Secret Door. Can they both be good predictions? Explain.

Why did the writer stop and not tell us what was in the box right away?

Check your understanding

Quiz

What is a prediction?

Which is the best clue that a box has an animal inside?

What should you look at before you read a new book?

Your prediction turned out to be wrong. What should you do?

Which prediction uses a clue?

Who sent the box to Ava?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Before and during reading, children use what they already know (prior knowledge) and clues in the text, title and pictures to make and check predictions.

How to help at home:

Stop once or twice in every bedtime story to ask "What do you think will happen next? Why?"
Model your own thinking: "I think the bear will find his hat, because I see something red under the bush."
Praise the reasoning, not whether the prediction was right.

Common difficulties:

Wild guesses with no clue. Ask "What made you think that?" and point to the picture.
Feeling upset when wrong. Say "Writers love to surprise us! Let's change our prediction."
Not changing a prediction. After a surprising part, ask "Do you still think that?"