Prediction Skills Activity
Learning Objective: Pupils can make predictions about a story based on the title, cover, and opening paragraph
About this resource
This KS1 English activity is designed for Year 2 pupils to develop their prediction skills. It provides engaging tasks that encourage children to make informed guesses about a story's content based on its title, cover, and opening paragraph, directly supporting the National Curriculum's emphasis on comprehension and inferential reading. Teachers can use this resource to foster critical thinking and prepare pupils for deeper textual analysis.
Activity Overview
40 minutesPupils practise the reading skill of prediction — using clues to guess what might happen next. They examine book covers, read openings, and make reasoned predictions before finding out what really happens.
Part 1: Cover Predictions
15 minutesShow 4 book covers (without reading the blurb). For each cover, pupils:
- Look at the title and illustration
- Write: 'I think this book is about... because...'
- Share predictions with a partner
- Reveal the blurb — how close were they?
Part 2: Story Opening Predictions
20 minutesRead aloud the opening paragraph of a story. Stop at a key moment. Pupils write or draw:
- What do you think will happen next?
- Why do you think this? (What clues did you use?)
- Read the next section — were you right?
Repeat with 2-3 stopping points throughout the story.
Key Sentence Starters
- I predict that... because...
- I think... will happen because the text says...
- Based on the clue '...', I think...
- My prediction was right/wrong because...
Differentiation
SEN Support
Picture-based predictions. Multiple choice prediction options. Paired discussion before writing.
EAL Support
Visual clue cards. Sentence starters provided. Paired with English speaker. Allow drawing predictions.
Gifted & Talented
Make predictions using inference from character behaviour and setting description. Explain which clues were most useful and why.
Key Vocabulary
Assessment Criteria
- Makes predictions based on evidence
- Explains reasoning for predictions
- Revises predictions when new information appears