Readers are active in their reading, constantly thinking about what they believe will happen in the text (predicting), and then looking for evidence in the text to decide if their prediction was true, partially true, or way off (confirming). They predict, confirm, re-predict, and re-confirm, creating a loop of engagement.

If you see readers who . . .

• make unsubstantiated predictions that have nothing to do with the text.
• may not realize they should be predicting and re-predicting throughout the reading.

Reading is an active process, and the more engaged we are in the text, the more meaning we make while reading. When we predict and confirm continually throughout our reading of a text, we become more engaged.

While reading, students pause and think about the details they already know in the text, then predict what they think will happen next. They stop again to see if their predictions were accurate, based on what they just read.

After defining the strategy for the class, we model how to use it by following these steps:

1. Look at the details in the selection.
2. Decide and say what you think will happen next, based on the details and your prior knowledge.
3. Look back and check to make sure the prediction you made was accurate, based on information in the text. (confirm)
4. Do steps 1–3 again. As readers, we use these three steps in a continuous loop while we are reading.

As we move to guided practice, we give students a piece of text and pair them with others in the class. We ask them to look at the text and predict what will happen, then read the selection together and find places in the text that confirm whether their predictions were true, partially true, or way off. Then start again, making a new prediction.

Suggested language:

• What do you think will happen, based on your information?
• What clues are you using to make that prediction?
• What kinds of clues did you use—pictures, words, or background knowledge?
• If your prediction was wrong, what clues did you miss that might have helped?

Possible ways to differentiate instruction:

• Ask readers to confirm their predictions with evidence from the text.
• Teach students to use the pictures and their prior knowledge to predict and also confirm.

Reconsider materials, setting, instruction, and cognitive processes.

These strategies may provide support before, during, and after teaching this strategy:

• Infer and Support with Evidence
• Back Up and Reread
• Use Prior Knowledge to Predict and Connect with Text
• Check for Understanding; Monitor and Self-Correct