About this activity
Ten scenes frozen a moment before something happens: the boy is holding a fishing rod at the lake; dark clouds are rolling in over the picnic; the cat is creeping up on a bird; the glass is tipping off the edge of the table; the oven timer is beeping. Prediction is inference pointed forward, and it is usually easier than working backward — which makes it a good place to start.
How to use it in a session
Ask why after every prediction. The glass will fall is the answer; because it is tipping past the edge is the reasoning, and only the second transfers to a scene the student has not seen. Push for one plausible alternative on a few of them — the cat might miss the bird — since holding two outcomes is the more advanced skill. Twelve minutes covers the ten with the reasoning step.
What to listen for
Watch for predictions that ignore the evidence. A student who says the boy will go home when he is holding a fishing rod at a lake has not used what is in front of them, which is different from a student who predicts something unlikely but connected. Notice the birthday candles item, which requires knowing a social routine rather than physical causation — a different kind of prediction and worth separating.
Carrying it home
Pause a film or a story just before something happens and ask what comes next. It takes ten seconds, it works with any material, and the answer is checkable a moment later, which children enjoy.
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- Second through fifth, at the same level as single-clue inference work.
- Is it free?
- Yes, all ten scenes play with no account and no card.
- How is prediction different from inference?
- Prediction points forward from what is happening; inference works out something unstated about now or the past. Prediction is usually easier, which makes it a good entry point.