Making

Prediction
&
Types of
Essay
Learning Objectives
After the lesson, you are expected to be able to:
Reading:
Make inferences from the text.
Use your knowledge to predict contents of the texts.
Identify text purpose and audience
Identify the main ideas of the texts.

Writing:
Identify different essay types and structures
Write the first draft of an essay
MAKING PREDICTION
“Predictions are the connecting links between prior
knowledge and new information in the book. It’s
the interaction of these processes that coalesce-
much like sparks firing before the bright flame
ignites ...”
(Gillett and Temple, 1990)
To predict means
 You use your prior knowledge and the
text to set up expectations of what will
happen or what information the text will
contain.
 You use your knowledge of the vocabulary,
concept, text organization, author or
other connections.
 You monitor your predictions as you read and
adjust or confirm them as needed to better
understanding the text.
The strategy of predicting:
 To promote understanding and interest in the
reading materials.
 To predict and anticipate or logically ‘guess’
what the text will be about.
 To help access knowledge of a topic,
concept, text structures and text.
 To set a purpose for reading.
 To provide motivation – you read, confirm or
contradict responses.
Readers sometimes struggle because ...
 They don’t predict what the
selection might be about
 They don’t think about what
they already know about a
topic
 They don’t form images as
they read. “They open a
book, look at words, and
begin turning pages.”
(Beers).
How to make a prediction
 First, use information that you already know. This is
called background information or prior knowledge.
 Second, use what the author is telling you.
 Let’s try it!
 Read the short writing on the next slide.
 Based on what you learn in the example as
well as what you already know, make a
prediction about what will happen next.
 John, Ann, and George were playing in the
backyard when their mother called them in for
dinner. They were very hungry, so they came
running in and forgot to take off their muddy
shoes. Their mother had just had cream-colored
carpets cleaned.
Let’s take some guesses
a. Do you think mom smiled nicely and told
them to wash their hands before sitting
down?
b. Do you think mom laughed and said, “oh,
it’s just a carpet”?, or
c. Do you predict that the children’s mother
got angry at them for wearing their muddy
shoes on her clean carpet?
if you predict the answer C,
then you are correct!
 Making predictions is actually
pretty easy if you use what you
already know as well as what the
author tells you. If you do these
two things, it can actually be fun
to guess what is going to happen
next!
 Using Your Knowledge to Predict Content
Let’s take unit 1, Unlock reading and writing
skills 4 page 18 – 19 and do the exercises
WRITING
Types of Essay in English 2
 Agree and Disagree essays
 Arguments for and against (Discuss two
different opinions)
 Problem and Solution
 Interpreting Graphs/Charts

Note that these text types are strongly related to both IELTS Task 1
and Task 2. Therefore, English 2 is also essential for you to
comprehend IELTS text types further.
Agree and Disagree Essays
Sample question
In some countries, an increasing number of people are suffering
from health problems as a result of eating too much fast food.
It is, therefore, necessary for governments to impose a higher
tax on this kind of food.
Do you agree or disagree?
For this agree or disagree essay you can say either:
This essay agrees that governments should tax fast food
This essay disagrees that governments should tax fast food;
Or This essay partly agrees/partly disagrees that governments should tax fast
food.
Discussion texts
Sample question
Some people think that the best way to reduce crime is to give
longer prison sentences. Others, however, believe that there are
better alternatives of reducing crime rates.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

For this discuss opinions text, you must address:

The first viewpoint: longer prison sentence (as well as its justification)
The second viewpoint: better alternatives
And your own opinion (after discussing both viewpoints equally).
Problem and Solution
Sample question
Nowadays, many children have access to computers on a wide
basis, including play computer games. What are the negative
impacts of playing computer games for children? What can be
done to minimize the negative effects?

In this type of essay, you need to discuss the problems with

regards to a particular topic and then suggest possible solutions
to these problems.
 Interpreting Graphs/Charts
This type of essay is
related to IELTS Writing
Task 1.

In this text type, you are

asked to summarize the
information by reporting
and comparing the
different group data.

You need to look for

similarities and differences
of the patterns.
Now, let us start outlining
the first text in this course:
Agree and disagree essay.
Tips for writing agree & disagree
essays:
 Make sure that you have a clear structure
plan for your text. For instance:
1. Paragraph 1: Introduction
2. Paragraph 2: Supporting Paragraph 1
3. Paragraph 3: Supporting Paragraph 2
4. Paragraph 4: Conclusion
Deciding opinion
 It is important for you to give a clear opinion. Therefore,
you must make a decision when you read the question
whether to agree or disagree with the statement
 Make a rough list of supporting ideas to support your
decision. For instance: “Why do you agree that the
government should tax fast food?”
1. Reason 1
2. Reason 2
Transition words
 Use good transition words when moving between
ideas.
Using supporting points
 Usefacts, statistics, quotes and examples to
convince your readers of your argument.
Creating an Outline
 Begin with an introduction. This paragraph should state the
essay’s thesis statement and the purpose of your text.

 Think of arguments that explain, support, or develop your idea.

Make each argument a separate section in your outline.

 For each argument, think of details, examples, and reasons that

support the argument. Write these points underneath the
arguments they support.

 Organize your points. Finish one argument or idea before beginning

the next one.

 End with a conclusion that restates your main idea or arguments.

Let’s Practice
Write an agree and disagree essay (250-350 words) by
choosing one of the topics below:
 Avoiding preventable illnesses is the responsibility of
individuals and their families, not governments. Do you
agree or disagree with the statement? (See Unlock book
page 66).

 After the pandemic ended, teaching and learning activities

at universities must be conducted fully online. Do you
agree or disagree with the statement?