Definition of Predicting What Characters Will Do for First Grade

📚 Definition of Predicting Character Actions

Predicting what characters will do means using clues from the story to guess what a character might do next. It's like making a smart guess based on what you already know about the character and the story.

📜 History and Background

Predicting character actions has been a part of storytelling for ages! Long before we had books like we do today, people told stories around campfires. To keep everyone interested, storytellers would hint at what might happen next, making the audience think and guess. This helped them stay engaged and remember the story better.

🌟 Key Principles

• 🔍 Understanding the Character: What kind of person are they? Are they brave, kind, or mischievous? Knowing their personality helps predict their actions.
• 📖 Looking for Clues: The story gives hints! What has the character done before? What are they saying? What are they thinking?
• 🧠 Using What You Know: Connect the story to your own experiences. If a character is scared of the dark, and it's getting dark in the story, what might they do?
• ⏱️ Considering the Setting: Where is the story taking place? How might the location influence what a character does? A character in a forest might act differently than a character in a city.
• ✏️ Making a Prediction: After gathering clues, make your best guess about what will happen.
• ✅ Checking Your Prediction: As you read on, see if your guess was right! If not, that's okay! Think about why and make a new prediction.
• 🗣️ Discussing with Others: Share your predictions with friends or classmates. Discussing different ideas can help you understand the story even better.

🌍 Real-world Examples

Example 1: Imagine a story about a little bear who loves honey. The story shows the bear smelling honey near a beehive. What might the bear do next?

Prediction: The bear might try to get the honey, even though the bees might sting him!

Example 2: A girl is walking home from school, and she sees a lost puppy. She loves animals. What might she do?

Prediction: She might take the puppy home to care for it or try to find its owner.

🎉 Conclusion

Predicting what characters will do is a super fun way to become a better reader! It helps you understand the story, connect with the characters, and use your imagination. Keep practicing, and you'll become a prediction pro!