What is Predicting?

A prediction is a smart guess about what will happen. Good readers predict all the time — before, during, and after reading.

Before reading:

"From the cover picture, I think this book is about a lost puppy."

How to Make a Prediction

Use these clues to predict:

📖 Text clues — what words tell us

📷 Picture clues — what we see in illustrations

🧠 Your knowledge — what you already know about the topic

Prediction Sentence Starters

Use these helpful phrases:

💡 "I think ... because ..."
💡 "I predict ... because the picture shows ..."
💡 "I think next ... will happen because ..."
💡 "Based on ... I think ..."

Always explain WHY you made your prediction!

Checking Predictions

After you read more, check if your prediction was right!

✓ Confirmed: your prediction matches what happened

⟳ Revised: you update your prediction with new clues

It is okay to change your prediction — good readers do this!

Practice: What Happens Next?

Max loved baking biscuits with his nan every Saturday. Today, he carefully mixed the dough, rolled it flat, and cut out star shapes. He put them in the oven and set the timer.

The timer beeped. Max opened the oven door. A wonderful smell floated through the kitchen.

Then he noticed something...

🧠 Think about what might happen next. Some clues:

• The biscuits smell wonderful — could be good or bad
• "He noticed something" — could be that they are burnt, ready, or something else
• Max loves baking and was careful — probably did it right

Possible prediction: "I predict the biscuits are ready and look perfect, because Max was careful and they smell wonderful."

Key Vocabulary

predict — to make a smart guess about what will happen based on clues

clue — information in the text or pictures that helps us work something out

confirm — to check if a prediction was correct after reading more

revise — to change your prediction based on new information

Lesson Summary

✓Predicting is using clues from the text, pictures, and prior knowledge to guess what will happen next.
✓Use the sentence starter: "I predict ... because ..." to show your evidence.
✓After reading more, confirm (correct) or revise (change) your prediction.
✓Changing your prediction is fine — it shows you are reading and thinking carefully!

Predicting