PREDICTING
"This looks like a useful chapter," you say. What makes you reach that conclusion? You made a prediction about the reading. Predicting means making educated, intelligent, and reasonable guesses about what will happen. You've probably made many predictions about what you will read, what will be on the next test, what that new movie will be about.
For example, if you hear someone say "land of the midnight..." you probably expect the next word to be sun because the phrase "land of the midnight sun" is a well-known description of the area north of the Arctic Circle.
Making predictions about a passage helps you become a more active reader, because it engages your attention and gives you a stake in the outcome of the passage. As a result, you'll learn more from a text and retain the information longer.
To make a prediction about a passage, start by previewing the material. Then make your predictions.
STEPS TO FOLLOW
- Read The Big Idea!, the title, and any subtitles.
- Look at the visuals. Scan the photographs, illustrations, charts, graphs, and maps.
- Skim the first paragraph.
- Scan the text for boldfaced words and phrases. These signal key ideas in the reading.
- Think about what you already know about the topic. Draw on your prior knowledge, as you learned to do in Unit 8.
- State what you think the passage will be about, in your own words. Some readers write their predictions. This helps them focus on their key ideas and remember what they thought would happen in the text.
When you finish reading, think about your predictions. Were your predictions correct? If not, where did you guess wrong? Revisiting your predictions can help you to focus more closely on the contents of the reading.
As you revise your predictions, skim key points in the reading, such as the visuals, the title, the first sentence, and the first paragraph. Compare and contrast what you see now, after you have finished reading, to what you predicted before you read.
TRY IT!
Take a look at Section 35.3 on pages 861865. Make a prediction about this section, based on the title, visuals, and first paragraph.
Click here to check your answers to TRY IT!
To practice what you've just learned, go to Worksheet 9.2.
To learn about another reading strategy, go to Reading Strategy 9.2.
Reading Strategy 9.1 | Worksheet 9.1
Reading Strategy 9.2 | Worksheet 9.2
Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall. All rights reserved.
Privacy Statement, Terms of Use, Permissions
