Prediction Task

Students predict the content of a text from headlines, key phrases, or images, then read to check — turning reading into a meaning-focused, curiosity-driven task.

Procedure

1. Prime: Show a headline, title, or image from the text. Briefly discuss the topic.
2. Give clues: Provide 8–12 key words/phrases from the text, in the order they appear.
3. Predict: Groups use the clues to predict the story or content. They discuss and agree on a version.
4. Prepare to report: Each group selects a spokesperson and rehearses their version.
5. Report: Spokespeople tell their predictions to the class; others listen and compare.
6. Read: Students read the original text to check their predictions.
7. Focus on form: Teacher highlights useful language features from the text (e.g., tenses, collocations, prepositions of place).

Tips

• Give enough clues so the task is "doable" — too few and students get frustrated; too many and there's no challenge.
• Do not reveal correct answers during the prediction stages — hold back to maintain curiosity.
• Vary the clue type: headlines + phrases, first and last sentences, key words only.
• The teacher can retell the story quickly after reports, reformulating errors naturally.
• Works especially well with narrative texts but can adapt to informational texts via key facts.