Making predictions means using clues to make a smart guess about what might happen next. Early readers do this when they look closely at pictures, listen to words, and think about what has already happened in a story. Prediction helps children stay curious and focused while they read.
It also shows them that reading is active thinking, not just saying words.
Understanding Early Learners: Making Predictions
Predictions work because stories usually follow patterns. A character who feels hungry may look for food. A child who drops a glass may feel worried, then try to clean up.
Young readers begin to notice these links between an action and a likely result. They use their knowledge of everyday life to understand a story before every detail is explained.
This does not mean they must be right. It means they are thinking about cause, feelings, problems, and possible solutions while the story moves forward.
Pictures can give important information before a child reads the words. A dark sky, an open umbrella, or a character wearing boots may suggest rain. A character with a birthday hat near wrapped boxes may suggest a celebration.
Children should look at faces, body positions, objects, settings, and small details in the background. The words matter too.
A sentence saying that a dog hears a noise may point toward the next event. A strong prediction connects several clues instead of choosing an idea with no support.
Checking a prediction is an important part of reading. After the next page or sentence, the reader compares what happened with the earlier idea. Sometimes the idea fits well.
Sometimes only part of it fits. Sometimes the story gives a surprise and the reader needs a new idea. Changing a prediction is not a mistake or a failure.
It shows that the reader noticed new information. This habit helps children learn to be flexible thinkers. It helps them pay attention when a story does not go in the expected direction.
Children use this skill outside books every day. They predict what might happen when clouds gather, when a traffic light changes, or when a friend carries a large bag into class. In school, prediction supports science activities too.
A child can think about what may happen when ice sits in a warm room or when a seed receives water. When practising, it helps to pause at a natural point, say one possible next event, then give a reason from the story.
Teachers and families can ask children to point to the picture or words that helped them think that way. The most useful goal is clear thinking based on clues, not getting every guess correct.
Key Facts
- A prediction is a smart guess about what might happen next.
- Picture clues + word clues + what you know = prediction.
- Good readers stop, think, predict, read, and check.
- A prediction can change when new clues appear.
- Text evidence means a clue from the words or pictures that supports your prediction.
- Prediction sentence frame: I predict ___ because ___.
Vocabulary
- Prediction
- A prediction is a smart guess about what might happen next.
- Clue
- A clue is something in the picture or words that helps you understand the story.
- Evidence
- Evidence is a clue that supports what you think.
- Check
- To check means to read on and see if your prediction was right or needs to change.
- Next
- Next means what happens after what you are reading or seeing now.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Guessing without looking at clues is wrong because a prediction should be based on the pictures, words, or what already happened.
- Thinking a prediction must be correct is wrong because readers often change predictions when they find new clues.
- Ignoring the words and only using the pictures is wrong because both pictures and words can give important story clues.
- Forgetting to check the prediction is wrong because reading on helps you learn whether your thinking makes sense.
Practice Questions
- 1 A child sees 3 picture clues on a page: dark clouds, an umbrella, and a wet sidewalk. How many clues point to rainy weather, and what prediction can the child make?
- 2 A class reads 5 pages of a story. After each page, they make 1 prediction. How many predictions do they make in all?
- 3 A story shows a puppy looking at a ball under the couch. The words say, The puppy wagged its tail and crawled closer. What do you predict will happen next, and which clue supports your prediction?