Reciprocal Teaching: Prediction

Reciprocal Teaching at Work by Lori Oczkus is an invaluable book to own. It has many multi-sensory, direct approaches to teaching comprehension, focusing on predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing. There is a section in your Training Manual dedicated to Reciprocal Teaching. You can also Watch Lori Oczkus’s video on YouTube discussing Reciprocal Teaching and the Fab Four.  This week, we are highlighting predicting using  “Paula the Predictor.”

Fab Four

Each of the Fab Four should be introduced one at a time.  Here are some ideas you can incorporate with “Paula the Predictor”:

• Paula is a clairvoyant. She looks into her crystal ball to make predictions. She speaks in a “clairvoyant’s” voice while making predictions about a book or reading passage. 
• Paula uses words such as:  “I predict that…” “I see…” “I can tell that…”, etc. 
• You can use a Magic 8 Ball or Snow Globe to represent an object for predicting (like a crystal ball).
• Start to create a Four Corner Poster.  Take a large poster or piece of construction paper.  Fold over both sides vertically.  Cut each side in half horizontally so that you have four “doors” when folded.  The first door would say prediction.  Students can write the word, draw a picture (Paula could be on it), etc.  When you open the door, you would have phrases that help them make predictions, such as: “I predict that…” “I think that…”, etc. (image?)
• Teachers should model how to predict using a short passage.  
  • Next, students should get into groups of two or three and practice making a prediction with the same passage using the same language.
  • Finally, students should continue to practice making predictions with other short reading passages throughout the week using the same terminology that the teacher modeled.  
• Have students role-play being “Paula the Predictor” for a certain book.  Here is an example of what students might say about Buzzy the Bumblebee by Denise Brennan-Nelson:
  • “Paula the Predictor”: (In a clairvoyant’s voice):  I am looking into my crystal ball.  I can see Buzzy the Bumblebee.  I see that Buzzy looks upset.  I think he is trapped on a flower.  I notice that he starts to climb down the flower, falls and starts walking.  I predict that Buzzy stops flying and feels sad about it.  

Reciprocal Teaching by Lori Oczkus has ideas from Kindergarten to Grade 8 and above. It has so many wonderful multi-sensory strategies. If you have any questions about this technique, please contact your instructor.