Teaching Prediction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Teaching Prediction - Essay Example The first step encourages metacognitive thinking by having the students think about their own life experiences in relation to the article. A brief explanation of the article or story is presented and students pause to try and make connections with the topic to their own life experiences. This is also the step when students would think about prior learning if the reading were a summary or culminating activity relative to learning in another school subject. Making connections across the curriculum through reading has been shown to also help students retain more important information. The second step in the process is a question sequence that begins with a stated main idea. This is then followed with a question designed to get students to think about how this main idea is connected to their prior learning and experiences. Students are then instructed to write a prediction about what the article or story will say about the main idea based on the students personal experiences with the subject. The last step involves the independent reading of the story or article. They then discuss their predictions as a class and compare their past experiences to the information and experiences conveyed in the text. This method is especially appropriate for a sixth grade literature class. Children this age have had enough life experiences to have a broader range of existing knowledge to draw upon, allowing for a more diverse conversation about each topic. Also, as young adolescents, sixth graders have a growing awareness of themselves. Their metacognitive abilities are rapidly developing or ripe to be developed. Finally, I feel that this is an especially good method to use for sixth grade students because students this age a capable of sustained independent reading. Individual students will vary in their proficiency at this task, but most will be able to accomplish the third step