Making Predictions - Reading Comprehension Strategy

Having your kiddos make predictions during story time is a great way to strengthen and assess reading comprehension. Amy, creator of the blog, Teach Mama, and contributor to ABC and 123, explains that students of any age can take part in this activity since,

"Predicting, as a reading strategy, is actually just using pictures or text to make a guess about what will happen in piece of literature."

So how do you incorporate it during your classroom reading time? Have students make predictions before you read - inviting them to make conjectures as to the setting, characters, plot, etc. based solely on the title of the book, and again after introducing the cover/cover art. Prediction doesn't have to stop once you start reading. Get students involved after reading key pages {i.e. there's a big twist in the plot, a new character is introduced, etc.} - asking them leading questions as they use what they've already learned as well as the illustrations to guess what will happen next, how the new character will fit in the story, etc.

We like how Amy likens this reading strategy with 'detective work'. Your preschoolers are certain to stay engaged during reading time and improve comprehension skills as they become mini 'reading detectives'!

Head on over to Teach Mama for the full post - you don't want to miss it!