BETUSA BLOG

Probable Passage:

This strategy encourages students to make predictions, activate prior knowledge, make inferences, and form images about a text. Before having students read a text, the teacher selects eight to fourteen key words from the text and presents them to the students. Choose words that would have an obvious connection and others that might encourage some disagreement. Model the strategy a few times before having students do complete the activity individually. Tell students that the words will be placed into particular categories based on what is known about the categories, and what they mean to students. As words are put into the various category boxes, the teacher should think aloud his/her reasoning. Model how to create a gist statement. In the “Discover” section, write down some things that one might be curious about. After modeling and during student independent work, and after explaining/discussing the meanings of the words, have students work individually or in groups to arrange the words into categories according to their probable function in the story (such as setting, characters, conflicts, solutions, or endings). After guessing/inferring which words belong to which story function and writing a gist statement (summary of the predicted story), students can read the story and see if their assumptions were correct. After reading the story, discuss together as a whole class the students’ prior story assumptions and gist statements. See how they compare to the true story. Discuss whether or not the predictions made as much sense as the story, and how the probable passage helped students better understand the story.