Up and Away - National Council for Curriculum and Assessment

Strategy 4 – Predicting
Section 5 Examples of classroom activities
Introduction
Asking pupils to predict the contents of a text is an excellent strategy to prepare them for reading.
Discussing what they think the text is about not only generates interest and existing knowledge, but also
motivates pupils into wanting to read the text. Quite simply they want to know if their predictions were
correct. In this sense predicting helps establish a personal connection with the text.
Level of text
Third class.
Level of learner
A1 and higher.
Time
40 minutes.
Approach
1. Design a worksheet containing a grid/table with column headings specific to the content of the text
– see next page.
2. If possible use visuals, in this case the first two pages of the story (above), to introduce the theme and
establish basic information – in this example the names of the people, the relationships between
them, where they are, what happens, etc.
3. Replicate the grid on the board and, using the visuals, brainstorm ideas.
Source material: Time Traveller 1. Roddy Day, Fionnuala Waldron,
Tommy Maher & Pauric Travers (Reprint, 2002). CJ Fallon.
4. In pairs/small groups pupils predict what the next part of the text is about – in this case they discuss
how the story develops. Take feedback from all the pairs/groups.
5. Pupils read the next part of the text to see if their predictions were correct – see note on next page*.
6. Hand out the worksheet. Pupils work with the text and complete the grid as required.
7. Repeat the previous three stages with the next part of the text, establishing a cycle of predicting,
reading, and categorising the vocabulary.
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