Do your students’ predictions ever feel superficial? Thoughtful, text-based predictions can make a big difference in students’ comprehension of complex informational sources but frequently our students only make shallow predictions – predictions that don’t offer much bang for their buck.

For example, take a look at the two predictions below. Why would the second one be more helpful to a reader as they move forward in making meaning?

• It’s going to be about dolphins.
• The details in the heading, the intro and the photograph make me think this text going to be about the challenges that bottlenose dolphins face and what a group of scientists is doing to help them.

The first doesn’t offer much to go on as the reader continues. The second will help the students activate background knowledge, monitor and so forth.

As just described, strong predictions are helpful in so many ways:

• Predictions help you activate background knowledge.
• Predictions help you notice when an author has presented information you already knew.
• Predictions help you notice when new information is being presented. This may be an alert to slow down and pay attention.
• Predictions help you notice when contrasting information has been presented, information that may be wrong or that may need to be checked in additional sources.

What follows are some tips for teaching.

1) Choose and teach a mnemonic like THIEVES, HIP or TELL.

Teaching students to use the mnemonic THIEVES (Manz, 2002) is an easy way to introduce making informed predictions. Being a “thief” in this case is not about stealing but about getting ahead of the author. The poster below (created by a colleague!) reveals the details of this strategy–students preview, predict & then summarize their predictions. Further down is a bookmark I created on tag board for students. The sticky note is one student’s interpretation of the word “thief.” If you don’t want to use the THIEVES mnemonics, there are plenty of other choices including HIP & TELL.

2) Be prepared to think aloud in front of students.

In advance of teaching lessons with THIEVES, I take notes in preparation for a think aloud. Below are my notes for a lesson with a text on droughts. When you think aloud in front of the students, post the source for all to view. Include in your think aloud what you noticed in a particular feature and how that helped you begin to think about what may be important in this article. Use “I” language as you think aloud about what you are NOTICING and WONDERING like in the following examples:

• I noticed that there’s a map indicating where alligators live and the decrease in their numbers due to….
• Based on what I learned in this feature, I’m wondering if the author may be writing about the challenges alligators are facing…

3) With feature dense sources, preview fewer features.

A two-page spread can have a LOT of information. Students might get overwhelmed previewing a whole article or book. Frequently there’s enough information early in the source that can help them make an informed prediction. My recommendation is to think aloud about one text feature and then draw students into guided practice and partner practice as they think aloud about a few other features.

An example of a feature-dense text in Scholastic News.

4) Teach students to think flexibly as they use THIEVES, HIP, TELL.

Sources come in many formats. Sometimes there are headings, sometimes there are not. Sometimes just the headings and a few visuals provide enough information to make a prediction. Teach students to consider the title, heading, intro and other features as choices for what they can preview to “get ahead.” See this blog entry on using THIEVES flexibly.

5) Remind students that they make/adjust predictions during reading, too.

Predictions don’t just happen before we read. We are always making predictions about what we’ll be reading next – based on what we just read, etc. Predictions help us monitor for meaning. Engage students in talking about and reflecting on how they do this.

6) After reading, ask students to reflect on their predictions.

Predictions are not about WRONG vs. RIGHT. They are about helping us, as readers, make sense of a text. Students may need to hear us say this. Build in time (after reading) to reflect on the value of their predictions by asking questions like: How was your prediction helpful? At which points in the reading did you have to adjust your prediction? How was that helpful?

In Close Reading of Informational Sources, I describe lessons with THIEVES and provide charts with tips on conferring during THIEVES lessons (p. 77), and assessing students’ use of THIEVES (p. 78-79).

Okay…hope this helps.

S

FIRST EDITION POSTED 9/5/2015

REVISED & UPDATED 9/15/2021

REVISED AND POSTED AGAIN 9/5/2025