Making Predictions in StoriesActivities & Teaching Strategies
Active learning works for making predictions because young readers need to test their ideas in real time. When students pause to share and justify predictions, they move from passive listening to active sense-making. Hands-on activities keep engagement high while building comprehension skills that last beyond the page.
Learning Objectives
- 1Analyze story elements, such as character traits and past actions, to predict future events.
- 2Explain the reasoning behind predictions using specific textual or visual evidence from a story.
- 3Compare their own predictions with those of peers, justifying their differing perspectives.
- 4Evaluate the accuracy of their predictions after reading a story segment, identifying why they were correct or incorrect.
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Think-Pair-Share: Story Predictions
Read a story page aloud, then have students think silently for 1 minute about what happens next. They pair up to share and justify predictions using picture clues. Pairs report one idea to the class before turning the page.
Prepare & details
What do you think will happen next in the story? Why?
Facilitation Tip: During Think-Pair-Share, provide sentence stems like 'I predict ____ because ____' to scaffold discussions and keep responses focused on evidence.
Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor
Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs
Picture Walk Prediction
Hold up book pictures one by one without reading text. Students predict the story sequence in small groups, drawing quick sketches of their ideas. Compare predictions to the real story as you read.
Prepare & details
Can you use the pictures to predict what happens on the next page?
Facilitation Tip: For Picture Walk Prediction, model how to scan for key details before making predictions, such as noticing a character’s posture or an object’s placement in the scene.
Setup: Four corners of room clearly labeled, space to move
Materials: Corner labels (printed/projected), Discussion prompts
Prediction Station Rotation
Set up stations with story excerpts: one for picture predictions, one for character action guesses, one for ending forecasts. Groups rotate, recording predictions on sticky notes, then discuss as a class.
Prepare & details
How do the things a character has done help you guess what they will do next?
Facilitation Tip: In Prediction Station Rotation, place a timer at each station to keep groups moving efficiently while ensuring all students contribute to the prediction chart.
Setup: Four corners of room clearly labeled, space to move
Materials: Corner labels (printed/projected), Discussion prompts
Role-Play What Next
After a story cliffhanger, students in pairs act out two possible next events. They perform for the class, vote on the most likely, and check against the book.
Prepare & details
What do you think will happen next in the story? Why?
Facilitation Tip: Use Role-Play What Next to shift predictions from paper to action, helping students see how characters’ choices connect to story events.
Setup: Four corners of room clearly labeled, space to move
Materials: Corner labels (printed/projected), Discussion prompts
Teaching This Topic
Start with picture-based predictions to build confidence before introducing text clues, as visuals are more accessible for young learners. Avoid correcting predictions immediately; instead, ask students to reflect on why their ideas changed after reading further. Research shows that children learn prediction best when they practice it repeatedly in low-stakes, collaborative settings, so rotate activities to maintain novelty.
What to Expect
Successful learning looks like students using text or picture clues to form predictions, then explaining their thinking to peers. Evidence should be specific, such as pointing to a character's facial expression or a repeated pattern in the story. Students should also show flexibility when predictions change after new information appears.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring Think-Pair-Share, watch for students who make predictions without citing evidence from the text or pictures.
What to Teach Instead
Provide a shared anchor chart during the activity with sentence starters like 'I predict... because I noticed...' and model using it during the pair discussion. Circulate to prompt students with 'What in the text makes you think that?' if they skip evidence.
Common MisconceptionDuring Picture Walk Prediction, assume students recognize visual clues but struggle to articulate how those clues connect to predictions.
What to Teach Instead
Hand out sticky notes labeled 'I see...' and 'I think...' for students to attach directly to the picture. Require them to fill both sections before sharing with the group to make the connection explicit.
Common MisconceptionDuring Prediction Station Rotation, treat predictions as a one-time guess rather than a process that can change.
What to Teach Instead
Include a 'Prediction Revisions' column on each station chart where students can add new predictions after discussing with peers or reading a snippet of text. Highlight revisions during the wrap-up to normalise changing ideas.
Assessment Ideas
After Think-Pair-Share, collect one prediction and the evidence students shared during the pair discussion. Look for specific references to text or picture details in their explanations.
During Picture Walk Prediction, listen for students to name at least two visual clues and connect them to a logical prediction. Jot down missteps or strong examples to address in the next lesson.
After Role-Play What Next, ask students to write or draw their final prediction on a sticky note and place it on a class chart. Review their written or visual evidence for accuracy and depth of reasoning.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge early finishers to create a new ending for the story based on their predictions and justify it using text evidence.
- Scaffolding for struggling students: Provide a prediction sentence frame with blanks for evidence, such as 'I think ____ will happen next because I saw ____.'
- Deeper exploration: Have students compare their predictions to the actual story ending and write a reflection on what clues they missed or overemphasized.
Key Vocabulary
| prediction | A statement about what you think will happen in a story before it actually happens. |
| clue | A piece of information in the text or pictures that helps you guess what might happen next. |
| evidence | The specific words, sentences, or details from the story that support your prediction. |
| prior knowledge | What you already know about similar stories, characters, or real-life situations that helps you make a prediction. |
Suggested Methodologies
Planning templates for Foundations of Literacy and Expression
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