Making Predictions

 

Lesson Plan of Making Predictions about Text for English Language Teaching

Grade VI, VII, VIII

Students` Learning Outcomes

• Use pre- reading strategies to:

Ø  Predict the content of a text from topic/pictures, title/headings etc. by using prior knowledge.

Ø  Guess the meaning of difficult words through context.

Information for Teachers

• There are three stages in reading skills:
• Ø  Pre-reading, while reading and post reading, at the pre-reading stage, students try to guess and predict ‘before’ reading the actual text. In while reading, they read and re-read the text to comprehend, analyze and evaluate the text. In post reading they use the reading text to do extended activities that are not directly related to the text and often require personal response or opinion.

• Ø  Prediction is a strategy used by readers to predict when they will read (or what will happen next) information in a text (including headings, titles, pictures, and diagrams) and their own personal experiences. Prediction requires the reader to do two things: 1) use the clues given by the author in the text, and 2) use what they know from personal experience or knowledge (diagram). Whenever book-lovers associate with these two things, they can make applicable rational predictions.
• Ø  Students should be encouraged to predict the theme of the lesson through the given title or picture.

• Ø  While teaching the lesson, consult textbook at all steps wherein and whenever it is required.

Material/Resources

Ø  Sample text, writing board, chalk/marker, duster, textbook, dictionary, sample story book (if not available, find a text with picture from course book).

Introduction

• Ø  Tell the students that content of a text can be predicted from the topic, title, pictures or headings.
• Ø  Show some pictures and titles to the students from the textbooks.
• Ø  Encourage them to guess the content of the lesson by looking at the title or picture.

Development

Activity 1

• Ø  Divide the class in different groups.
• Ø  Ask them to open the page number of their textbook which you have selected for them. Keep in mind that every group should open the same page. Ask each group to predict the content of the story by just looking at the picture on the cover page or reading the title only.
• Ø  Ask them to write the words/ideas that come to their mind on a piece of paper
• Ø  Collect the work and appreciate the groups.
• Ø  Select a few key words from each group`s work and write them on the writing board. Circle the words which most groups have used.
• Ø  Discuss how most of them came up with nearly the same words. Leave these words on the writing board for references.

Activity 2

• Ø  Distribute the paragraph worksheet (attached at the end of the lesson) to the groups/write the paragraph on the writing board.
• Ø  Ask the groups to read the title of the paragraph and predict what it is about. Give them some time to think and answer.
• Ø  There will be some words unfamiliar to the students of grade VI, VII, and VIII. Ask them to underline the words they are not familiar with.
• Ø  Ask them to read out the lines and predict the meanings of those underlined words. There will be many students who will guess it right and there will be many who will predict it half right. This is what you want from them.
• Ø  Bring a dictionary and ask one student to find the words from it (They have done the dictionary exercise in previous classes; this will help them recalling that exercise as well).
• Ø  Compare the answers of the dictionary and those suggested by the students. Appreciate those students who predicted it correctly or whose answers were close to the actual meaning of the text.

Sum up/Conclusion

• Ø  Conclude by recapping the lesson.

• Ø  Tell the class how they can predict the content of any text just by looking at the title or heading of it. They can also guess the meanings of difficult words through context.

Assessment

• Ø  Select some text from their textbook and read out a few lines from it. Let them point out the words which they are not familiar with. Ask them to guess the meanings of those words. (The selection of the text should be from the chapter which they have not read yet).
• Ø  Involve the students in solving the problems given in the exercise at the end of unit/chapter.

Follow up

• Ø  Ask the class to look at some titles from their textbooks/storybooks and predict (guess) what the text is going to be about.
• Ø  Bring a list of movie titles appropriate for children and ask them if they can guess from the title what the movie will be about, such as:

1. ·         The Lion King
2. ·         The Ice Age
3. ·         Kung Fu Panda, Etc.  

 

Paragraph Worksheet What Children Want? Universally children like to do something/certain things, no matter which country they are from: All children like to play games. Even if they don`t have toys they create imaginative games of their own by using their creative thinking. Children also like to be with their peers: no child likes to be only with grown-ups. They have the need to spend time with children of their own age. Children are curious by nature. That is why they ask so many questions and they like to find out how things work. Do you think you have some of these traits?