Year 4 English: Predicting what happens next, and asking questions
Part of the Year 4 English reading fiction and vocabulary chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Predicting what happens next, and asking questions
A prediction is a sensible guess about what will happen next. A good prediction uses clues. Some clues are stated: the writer says them directly. Others are implied: the text suggests them without saying them. A torch and boots suggest a trip outside. A red cross on a map suggests a place to find.
Asking questions helps you understand a text. Good questions often begin with why, how, what if or who. Try asking a question when something in a story does not make sense yet.
Key ideas
- A prediction is a sensible guess, and a good one uses a clue from the text.
- Stated clues are said directly; implied clues are suggested by the details.
- Use words such as might or probably when you predict.
- Ask a question that helps you understand: why, how, what if or who.
Read: The Map in the Book
Asha found the old map tucked inside her grandad's favourite book. It was folded into a tiny square, and its edges were brown and crumpled. A red cross marked a spot near the old mill. Underneath, in faded ink, someone had written: "Do not go after dark." Asha looked out of the window. Dark clouds were gathering over the hills, and the first drops of rain tapped against the glass. Her grandad had gone to hospital that morning, so Asha was staying in his cottage. She had promised to look after it. She folded the map and slipped it into her pocket. Then she pulled on her boots, took a torch from the hook and opened the back door. The wind pushed hard against her, and a gate banged somewhere behind the garden.
Method. Find the clues, then use them to predict.
- Find the clues. Boots and a torch show she is getting ready to go out.boots and a torch
- Use what you know. People who put on boots and take a torch are usually going outside.going outside
- Make the prediction. The clues suggest she will go outside, in the dark.She will go outside with the torch.
- Write the answer. She will go outside with the torch.
Check. The clues point to a trip outside. ✓
Method. Look for the stated fact, then the feeling it might cause.
- Find the stated fact. Her grandad has gone to hospital.gone to hospital
- Find the implied feeling. Someone we love being in hospital makes us worried.worried
- Give the reason. The fact makes her worry about him.her grandad is in hospital, so she may be worried about him
- Write the answer. her grandad is in hospital, so she may be worried about him
Check. The stated fact explains the feeling. ✓
Watch out. The text does not say she is worried; the clue suggests it.
Method. Choose the question that links to the plot and the warning.
- Check A. Food does not help you understand the warning.A does not help
- Check C. The colour of the door is not important to the plot.C does not help
- Check B. The warning is important, and the question helps you think about the danger.B helps you understand
- Write the answer. B
Check. Only B helps you understand the warning. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: a prediction must link to a clue. "Asha will fly to the moon" is not sensible, because nothing in the text suggests it. Use words such as might or probably, because a prediction is a guess.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Pause at the end of a paragraph and ask: what do you think will happen next, and what clue made you think so? Then read on and check.
Exercise 8E Practice: predicting and asking questions
Method. Find the fact that the text states.
- Find the words that answer the question. Scan the text for the detail the question asks about.Asha found the old map tucked inside
- Check that the fact is stated, not guessed. The first sentence states what she found.the old map
- Write the answer. the old map
Check. The text states this fact. ✓
Method. Find the fact that the text states.
- Find the words that answer the question. Scan the text for the detail the question asks about.Do not go after dark
- Check that the fact is stated, not guessed. The warning is in the sentence that begins Underneath.Do not go after dark
- Write the answer. Do not go after dark
Check. The text states this fact. ✓
Method. Find the fact that the text states.
- Find the words that answer the question. Scan the text for the detail the question asks about.A red cross marked a spot near the old mill
- Check that the fact is stated, not guessed. The sentence says what marks the spot.a red cross
- Write the answer. a red cross
Check. The text states this fact. ✓
Method. Find the fact that the text states.
- Find the words that answer the question. Scan the text for the detail the question asks about.Her grandad had gone to hospital that morning
- Check that the fact is stated, not guessed. The text states the reason for her stay.her grandad had gone to hospital
- Write the answer. her grandad had gone to hospital
Check. The text states this fact. ✓
Method. Find the fact that the text states.
- Find the words that answer the question. Scan the text for the detail the question asks about.slipped it into her pocket
- Check that the fact is stated, not guessed. The sentence that begins She folded the map states the action.into her pocket
- Write the answer. into her pocket
Check. The text states this fact. ✓
Method. Find two details about the weather.
- Find the first clue. The clouds are dark and gathering.Dark clouds were gathering
- Find the second clue. Rain has started to tap against the glass.the first drops of rain tapped against the glass
- Write the answer. dark clouds and rain tapping on the glass
Check. Both clues are about the weather. ✓
Method. Use a clue from the text to make a sensible prediction.
- Find a clue in the text. A clue is a detail the writer states or suggests.A red cross marked a spot near the old mill
- Use the clue to predict. The map shows the place, and Asha has a torch and boots ready.to the old mill, because the map has a red cross there
- Write the answer. to the old mill, because the map has a red cross there
Check. The prediction follows from the clue. ✓
Method. Use a clue from the text to make a sensible prediction.
- Find a clue in the text. A clue is a detail the writer states or suggests.Do not go after dark
- Use the clue to predict. The warning makes it likely that she will feel nervous or brave.nervous, because the map says do not go after dark
- Write the answer. nervous, because the map says do not go after dark
Check. The prediction follows from the clue. ✓
Method. Test each choice against the sentence and the text.
- Read the sentence with the word in it. Decide what the sentence needs.
- Test the choice in the sentence. This question makes you think about the warning and the danger, which drives the story.Why did someone write "Do not go after dark"? fits
- Reject the other choices. The title and the colour do not help you understand what happens in the story.What is the name of the book? and What is Asha's favourite colour? do not fit
- Write the answer. Why did someone write "Do not go after dark"?
Check. Why did someone write "Do not go after dark"? fits the sentence. ✓
Method. Check the prediction against the stated facts.
- Find the stated fact. Her grandad had gone to hospital.Her grandad had gone to hospital
- Check the prediction. If he is in hospital, he is not likely to be at the mill.unlikely to be at the mill
- Decide. The clue makes the prediction unlikely.No, because her grandad is in hospital
- Write the answer. No, because her grandad is in hospital, so he is unlikely to be at the mill
Check. A prediction must fit the clues. ✓
Method. Use two different clues to make two predictions.
- Find the first clue. A red cross marks a spot near the old mill.A red cross marked a spot near the old mill
- Find the second clue. The warning says not to go after dark.Do not go after dark
- Make two predictions. She might walk to the mill; she might hurry home before dark.two sensible predictions
- Write the answer. Asha might walk to the mill, because of the red cross; she might hurry home, because of the warning
Check. Each prediction has its own clue. ✓