What Happens Next? The Art of Prediction

Imagine someone hands you a box. It is heavy. It rattles when you shake it. There is a label on the side that says 'Handle with care — fragile pieces inside.' Before you open it, what do you think is in the box? How did you decide? You didn't peek — but you used clues to make a guess. Readers do exactly the same thing with books. This is called making a prediction.

A prediction is a sensible guess about what will happen next in a story. Good readers don't just guess randomly — they use clues. These clues come from three places: 1. What has already happened in the story. 2. What the characters are like — their feelings, their choices, their personality. 3. Words and phrases that hint at something coming, like 'suddenly', 'little did she know', or 'the worst was yet to come'. When you make a prediction, always back it up with a reason. The best way to do this is to say: 'I think… because…' For example: 'I think the wolf will knock on the door, because he has already visited the first two houses and the story is following a pattern.' Notice that the prediction is linked to a clue from the text. That is what makes it a strong prediction — not just a wild guess. Predictions can change as you read more. If something surprising happens, a good reader updates their prediction. This is called revising a prediction.