Predicting Questioning Summarising

A  prediction  is  a  good  guess  about   Asking  questions  about  a  text  helps   Summarising  a  text  means  picking  
what  you  think  you  will  find  out   you  have  a  purpose  or  reason    for   out  the  main  ideas  and  leaving  out  
about  or  what  will  happen  next  in  a   reading  and  deepens  your   anything  that  is  not  essential.    
text.     understanding.    
 

  Good  readers  look  for  the  main  

Good  readers  make  
Good  readers  ask   ideas  as  they  read  and  can  give  ‘the  
predications  before  
themselves  questions  all   gist’  of  what  they  have  read  in  their  
they  read  and  as  
the  time  while  they  are  reading  and   own  words.  
they  read.    
read  to  answer  those  questions.  
Things  that  help  you  make  a    
How  to  summarise  what  you  
prediction  .  .  .   Ask  ‘teacher-­‐like’  questions:   read:  
 Headings,  pictures  and  other  text    Look  at  the  topic  sentences  -­‐  the  
 What  is  going  on…?  
features.   first  sentence  in  each  paragraph.  
 When  is  this  happening?  
 The  questions  the  author  asks.    Look  at  the  concluding  sentence  -­‐  
 Where  is…?  
 Making  connections  to  what  you   the  last  sentence  in  each  paragraph.  
 Who  will…?  
already  know    –  your  background  
 How  is…?    Answer  the  -­‐  Who?  What?  When?  
knowledge  and  experience.  
 Skimming,  scanning  and  rereading    Why  is…important?   Where?  Why?  How?  –  of  the  text.  
the  text.    Why  is  that  happening?    Focus  on  key  details.    
 How  are  ____  and  ___  alike  
 

Prediction  sentence  starters:    Use  key  words  and  phrases.    

 or  different?    Leave  out  little  details  that  aren’t  
 Based  on  the  title,  subheadings,    Why  would  happen  if…?  
picture/diagram,  etc),  I  predict  that   important.    
 What  does  …  mean?  
this  page/chapter  will  be  about…    Write  only  enough  to  convey  the  
 How  will  it  ….?  
 I  think  the  next  chapter  (or   gist.    
page)  will  be  about…    How  come…?  
 Use  thinking  maps,  mind  maps,  
 From  the  questions  I  think  that  I  will    What  might…?    
 Why  can…?   graphic  organisers,  etc.  to  plan  your  
find  out  about…      
 Based  on  (a  clue),  I  imagine  that…     summary.  
 Use  a  coding  system  as  you  read.  

frichardson@nbss.ie National Behaviour Support Service

 Clarifying Visualising Making
Inferences
Clarifying  means  making  the   Visualising  means  picturing  what  
meaning  of  the  text  clearer.   you  read  in  your  mind.  It  is  about   Making  inferences  means  reading  
Clarifying  helps  you  recognise  when   creating  pictures  in   between  the  lines  and  
you  don't  understand  parts   your  head  based  on   understanding  what  the  author  
of  a  text.     the  text  read  or   means,  even  though  it  is  not  
words  heard.  
 

Good  readers,  when  they   explicitly  stated  in  the  text  

notice  they  don’t  understand  what   Predicting  is  part  of  inferring.  
Good  readers  can  visualise  text  that    
they’ve  read  take  steps  to  restore   it  is  almost  like  watching  a  movie.   Good  readers  figure  out  things  that  
meaning.   They  make  pictures  in  their  heads  to   aren’t  actually  written  in  the  text  by  
You  read  it  but  haven’t  got  It  when:   go  with  words  and  the  text.   using  “clues”  that  the  writer  leaves  
 The  voice  inside  your  head  has  stopped.   and  their  prior  knowledge  to  draw  
 The  camera  in  your  head  or  the  movie   Visualise  a  picture  in  your  mind:  
conclusions,  make  judgments  and  
stops.      As  you  read  a  story  or  novel  picture  
 Your  mind  begins  to  wander.     form  new  ideas.  
it  in  your  mind.  Think  about:  time    
 You  can’t  remember  what  you  just  read.     period;  location;  season;  colours;  
 The  questions  you  have  are  not  
What  can  you  infer  from  this?    
clothes  etc.    
answered.    
 You  have  no  idea  what  a  word  or  phrase  
 Make  a  picture  in  your  mind  of  the   Sam  
  was  doing  his  homework.  
characters  using  what  the  author   He  sighed  and  turned  the  
means  or  can  say  a  word  but  don’t     pages  of  the  journal.  
remember  what  it  means.   says  about  them.  
 
 
 Try  to  picture  in  your  mind  the    

Clarifying  or  fix-­‐  it  up  strategies:   events/sequence  that  you  are   Is  Sam  enjoying  doing  the  homework?  How  do  
you  know?  Does  the  text  state  it?  
 Re-­‐read  the  part  you  don’t  understand,   reading  about  in  history,  science,    
you  may  ‘get  it’  the  second  time.   etc.  
 Read  forwards  and  backwards.   Make  Inferences  by:  
 Picture  in  your  mind  an  image  to  go  
 If  it’s  a  word  you  don’t  understand,  use   with  the  keywords  of  a  topic.    Reading  carefully.  
the  rest  of  the  sentence  to  figure  out  
 Create  storyboards  of  what  you  have    Use  language  clues.  
what  it  means.      Use  what  you  know  already.  
read.  
   Look  at  the  text  features  for  clues.    Ask  questions.  
 Use  a  dictionary  to  look  up  words.      Create  mind  maps  of  what  you  have  
read  using  your  mental  images.    Think  really  hard!  
 Ask  a  student  or  your  teacher  for  help.  

frichardson@nbss.ie National Behaviour Support Service