A. Literacy Connections and Applications / C. Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts · Understanding and Responding to TextsPredicting, Questioning and Making Connections
C2.3 C2.5 A1.1About 45 minutes
Learning goals- I can make predictions based on evidence, and pose questions that will confirm or refute them.
- I can revise my understanding when new evidence appears.
- I can connect, compare and contrast ideas in a text with my own knowledge and experience, other texts and the world.
Words to know
prediction
A thoughtful guess about what will happen or what a text will say, based on evidence and what you know.
confirm
To show something is true or correct.
refute
To show something is false or incorrect.
revise
To change your thinking when you get new information.
text-to-self connection
A link between a text and your own life or knowledge.
text-to-text connection
A link between one text and another text you know.
text-to-world connection
A link between a text and events, issues or facts in the wider world.
Remember from Grade 7
In Grade 7 you made predictions and posed questions to check them, and you made connections that deepened your understanding.
In Grade 8 you'll do this with more precision: predictions that rest on specific evidence, questions designed to confirm or refute them, honest revisions, and connections that compare and contrast instead of just saying this reminds me of...
Hook: Plot twist!
Think of a time a book, show or game surprised you. Were there clues you missed? Good readers treat predictions like a scientist treats a hypothesis: Here's what I think and why. Here's what would prove me wrong. Let's see.
Two Weeks to Regionals (a story in three parts, written for this website)
Part 1
Nadia read the message twice. Sorry. I'm quitting robotics. Hockey's too busy. — Owen.
Regionals were two weeks away. Their robot, a boxy thing called Moose, still couldn't pick up the foam blocks; the claw kept dropping them. Owen had been the one who understood the motor code.
At lunch, Mr. Dube gave her two options. "Compete alone, or team up with Marcus. He joined the club last month."
Nadia looked across the room. Marcus sat by himself, drawing in a black sketchbook. In a month, she'd heard him say maybe ten words.
Worked exampleLet's predict and design checking questions
Make a prediction after Part 1. Then write questions that will confirm or refute it.
- Gather evidence: Nadia is in trouble (two weeks, broken claw, no partner). Mr. Dube offers Marcus. Marcus is quiet and always drawing. Stories often introduce a quiet character because they're more than they seem.
- Use what I know: in many stories, the unlikely partner turns out to have a hidden skill.
- Prediction: Nadia will team up with Marcus, and his drawings will help fix the claw. They'll win Regionals.
- Checking questions: Will Marcus agree to join? What is he drawing? Does he know anything about robots? Will the claw actually be fixed in time? Is winning really what this story is about?
- What would refute it: Marcus says no; the sketchbook has nothing to do with robots; they lose.
A strong prediction states what will happen and why (evidence + knowledge). Strong checking questions point to the exact evidence that will confirm or refute it. Notice the prediction has two parts (teaming up, winning): each might be confirmed or refuted separately.
Part 2
"No, thanks," Marcus said, without looking up.
So Nadia worked alone. For three evenings she rewrote the motor code. Moose's claw opened, closed, and dropped the block every time.
On Thursday she left her laptop in the robotics room and came back for it at 4:30. Marcus's sketchbook lay open on the table. Nadia didn't mean to look, but she did.
It was full of hands. Robot hands, bird claws, a crab's pincer, a human thumb drawn from five angles, each with tiny arrows and notes in Portuguese and English: grip here, pivot, rubber?
Worked exampleLet's revise our understanding
Which parts of the prediction are confirmed, refuted or still open after Part 2? Revise the prediction.
- Will Marcus agree? He said No, thanks. Refuted, for now.
- What is he drawing? Hands, claws, pincers, with engineering notes (grip, pivot). His drawings are about grabbing things, exactly Moose's problem. Confirmed, more strongly than expected.
- New evidence: his notes are in Portuguese and English. This might help explain his quietness: he may be learning English or more comfortable in another language. (This is a possibility, not a certainty.)
- New question: If he cares about claws, why did he say no?
- Revised prediction: Marcus wants to help but something is holding him back, maybe nervousness about speaking or presenting. Nadia will find a way to team up that works for him. Whether they'll win is unclear.
Part 2 refutes one part of the prediction (he refused), confirms another (his drawings are about claws), and adds new evidence that changes the question from Will he help? to Why did he refuse? Revising isn't failing; it's reading well.
Part 3
The next morning, Nadia sat down across from Marcus and slid the sketchbook toward him. "I'm sorry I looked. But the crab one. Could that work on Moose?"
Marcus was quiet for a long time. "At Regionals," he said finally, "each team has to explain the robot to the judges. In English. Out loud."
"So you design," Nadia said. "I'll talk."
They rebuilt the claw with rubber strips cut from an old bike tube, exactly like the drawing. At Regionals, Moose picked up eleven blocks without dropping one. They finished fourth.
On the bus home, Marcus opened his sketchbook to a fresh page and drew Moose, mid-grab, from below, so it looked enormous. Underneath, in English, he wrote: Team.
Making connections that compare and contrast
Connections are useful when they explain something about the text. In Grade 8, push your connections to compare (how is it alike?) and contrast (how is it different?).
- Text-to-self: I was nervous presenting in French class, so I understand Marcus's fear. But unlike Marcus, I could switch back to English afterward; he speaks his second language all day, which must be more tiring.
- Text-to-text: Like Text A in Lesson 1, where Elsie takes over a job from her father, Nadia faces a crisis when her partner leaves. But Elsie works alone, while Nadia succeeds by sharing the work.
- Text-to-world: Many students in Ontario schools are learning English as an additional language. Like Marcus, they may know a lot but find it hard to show it out loud in English. The story suggests schools and teams can share roles so everyone's strengths count.
| Connection | Weak version | Strong version (compares or contrasts and explains) |
|---|
| Self | I like robots too. | Like Nadia, I've had a group member quit. Unlike her, I tried to do everything alone, and the project suffered. The story shows why sharing roles works better. |
| Text | This reminds me of a movie. | In many sports movies the team wins the final. This story refuses that ending: they finish fourth, which shows the real victory is the partnership. |
| World | Robotics is popular. | Engineering teams in the real world divide work between designers and presenters, just as Nadia and Marcus do. |
The prediction cycle
Predict (with evidence) → Question (what would confirm or refute it?) → Read → Check (confirmed, refuted, still open?) → Revise → repeat. Keep a two-column note: My prediction | What happened and what I think now.
Just for funPrediction: you will read this joke. Checking question: did you? Confirmed.
Prediction 2: you will laugh. Status: still open.
Hands-on activityPause-and-predict family read
You need: a short story, a TV episode, or a mystery chapter book; paper; a pencil.
- With a family member, read or watch until the first big problem appears. Pause. Each person writes a prediction with one piece of evidence and two checking questions.
- Continue to the middle. Pause. Mark each prediction confirmed, refuted or still open. Write a revised prediction.
- Finish. Whose prediction changed the most? Talk about which clue was the turning point.
- Each person writes one strong connection (self, text or world) that compares or contrasts. Read them aloud and decide together which one explains the story best.
Your turn
1What evidence in Part 1 suggests Marcus might be important to the story?
Mr. Dube offers him as a partner; he's always drawing in a sketchbook; he's described in detail even though he barely speaks. Writers usually introduce a quiet character this carefully because they will matter.
2After Part 2, which part of the first prediction is refuted?
That Marcus would agree to join; he said No, thanks.
3After Part 2, which part is confirmed?
That his drawings could help fix the claw: they show hands, claws and pincers with notes about gripping.
4What new question does Part 2 raise?
Why did Marcus say no if he cares so much about claws?
5In Part 3, what is the real reason Marcus said no?
He was nervous because each team had to explain the robot to the judges, in English, out loud.
6Was the prediction They'll win Regionals confirmed or refuted? Explain.
Refuted. They finished fourth. But the claw worked perfectly (eleven blocks without dropping one).
7Write one text-to-world connection to the story that compares or contrasts.
Sample: Like Marcus, many newcomer students in Canada have strong skills but find speaking in a new language stressful. Unlike in some classrooms, Nadia's solution let him show his skill without presenting, which is the kind of support that helps everyone contribute.
More practice: warm-up
To show something is false or incorrect.
2What should every prediction be based on?
Evidence from the text plus what you already know.
3Name the three kinds of connections.
Text-to-self, text-to-text, text-to-world.
4What did Marcus write under his drawing of Moose?
5What material did they use to improve the claw?
Rubber strips cut from an old bike tube.
More practice: on your own
1Why is it a good reading habit to revise predictions instead of sticking to them?
New evidence can show your prediction was wrong. Revising keeps your understanding accurate; refusing to revise can make you misread the rest of the text.
2Why did Marcus draw Moose from below, so it looked enormous?
A low angle makes a subject look powerful (Lesson 3). He's showing pride in their robot and their work, even though they finished fourth.
3Turn this weak connection into a strong one: This story reminds me of my science fair.
Sample: Like Nadia, I spent days on a project that kept failing. Unlike her, I didn't ask anyone for help until the last day. The story shows that asking for help earlier, and valuing different skills, could have made my project better.
4What checking question would test this prediction: Marcus is quiet because he doesn't like Nadia?
Sample: Does Marcus act unfriendly toward Nadia specifically, or is he quiet with everyone? (Part 1 says he sits by himself and says few words to anyone, which already suggests the prediction is weak.)
5How does finishing fourth, instead of first, change the story's message?
It shows the story isn't about winning: it's about teamwork, understanding someone and sharing roles. A first-place ending might suggest success only counts if you win.
Challenge
1Find two clues in Parts 1 and 2 that foreshadowed Marcus's reason for saying no. Explain each.
- In a month, she'd heard him say maybe ten words: he rarely speaks, hinting that speaking might be hard for him. 2) His notes are in Portuguese and English: he may be more comfortable in another language, which connects to his fear of explaining the robot in English, out loud.
2Compare how Nadia's understanding of Marcus changes across the three parts. Use evidence.
Part 1: she sees him as an outsider who barely talks (maybe ten words). Part 2: the sketchbook shows he's skilled and thoughtful about exactly her problem. Part 3: she understands his real barrier (presenting in English) and finds a solution that respects it (You design, I'll talk). Her view moves from surface impression to understanding, which mirrors how a reader's predictions are revised.
3Write a text-to-text connection between this story and another story you know, with one similarity and one difference that helps explain Two Weeks to Regionals.
Sample: In many superhero team stories, each hero has a different power and they only win when they combine them. Similarly, Nadia's speaking and Marcus's design only succeed together. But unlike superhero stories, where the team always defeats the villain, this story ends with fourth place, which makes its point more realistic: working together matters even when you don't win. (Accept any connection with a clear similarity, a clear difference, and an explanation.)
Quiz
1. Which is the strongest prediction?
2. A question that will confirm or refute a prediction should...
3. When new evidence shows your prediction was wrong, you should...
4. Like Marcus, my cousin found presenting in English stressful when she arrived in Canada, but unlike Marcus, she had no partner to share the work. This is a...
5. Why did Marcus first refuse to join?
6. Which ending detail refutes the prediction They'll win Regionals?
What this lesson teaches: Grade 8 students make predictions, pose questions to confirm or refute them, and revise their understanding (C2.3). They connect, compare and contrast ideas in texts with their own knowledge and experience, other texts and the world (C2.5). Discussing their predictions and connections with others builds communication skills (A1.1).
How to help at home:
- Pause shows or books and ask: "What do you think will happen? What would prove you wrong?"
- Celebrate refuted predictions: "Great, what made you change your mind?"
- Push connections beyond this reminds me of: "How is it the same? How is it different? What does that show about the story?"
Common difficulties:
- Predictions without evidence. Ask: "What in the text made you think that?"
- Sticking with a prediction after the text has refuted it.
- Surface connections that don't explain anything about the text.
About the text: Two Weeks to Regionals was written for this site; all characters are invented. Speaking a language that is not one's first language can be tiring and stressful; the story shows one respectful way to share roles. Avoid assuming that quiet students lack skill.