Drawing Conclusions & Predicting Outcomes

Drawing Conclusion 

What is the Drawing Conclusion ?

Drawing conclusion a closely related skill to making inferences and predicting outcomes, you may think of them as essentially the same thing.

Why is Drawing Conclusions an important reading strategy?

Drawing Conclusions is very important in understanding what is happening in a story. For example, many times an author will describe story elements, rather than directly telling you where, when, who, and so forth. We need to draw conclusions in order to understand the important parts of the story.

How do we draw conclusions to help us understand what we are reading?

As you read, think about the characters, setting, problem, plot, and solution. Did the author give you any clues to think about? Use the story clues and what you already know from your own experiences (prior knowledge) to draw a conclusion about what is happening in the story.

Steps to draw a conclusion:  

  -            Think about what the author wrote.
 -             Think about your own experience or your prior knowledge.
 -             Now make a conclusion using what the author wrote, your own experience, and     
               your prior knowledge.

Example of drawing conclusion:  

If you cannot stay on school nights and there is school tomorrow, you cannot stay out night.      

      Comment: the conclusion, “…you cannot stay out night,” is right, it is the only conclusion  
                          that can be drawn from the stated fact

Predicting Outcomes

What is a Prediction?

Predictions are thoughts about what you think will happen in a story before you read. A prediction is more than just a guess. It should make sense with the clues you have been given.

Why is making a prediction an important reading strategy?

 It helps us to focus on what we are reading about.  It helps us make connections about what we already know to what we think we know.  It gets us excited about what we are reading.

Predicting Outcomes When is it important to predict outcomes?

• when reading.
• when you make a decision.
• when you are watching a movie.

How do we make Predictions to help us understand what we are reading?

Before you begin reading , preview the title, table of contents, and pictures. Ask yourself:
• “Does this remind me of any experiences in my life?”
• “Does this remind me of other books I have read?”
• “Have I read or heard something like this before?

As you are reading, look for clues that will lead you to make a good prediction. How we use our past experiences to help us predict future outcomes can be seen in the following

example :  
Your neighbor has mowed his lawn every Saturday morning for as long as you can remember. Can you predict what your neighbor will be doing next Saturday?

Comment:
You can predict your neighbor will be mowing his lawn. If he has been doing it for as long as you can remember, it is pretty likely he will be doing it this Saturday.

Example :  Ronald was running around the classroom with his shoesØ untied. One of the nicer boys in the class, Ezekiel, said, “Ronald, your shoe is untied.” Ronald replied, “Don’t talk to me.” He did not like Ezekiel. Ronald then continued running and playing. As he was running around the bookshelf, he stepped on one of his shoelaces and…..

Based on information in the text and what you, what is likely to occur next?
Answer : Ronald is probably going to trip over his shoelace and fall.

EXERCISE :

Drawing Conclusion :  

He had always wanted to serve his country, but this seemed likeØ madness. He was supposed to fight a war in a foreign land, helping to protect people whom he didn't even know. Michael had a strong sense of patriotism, but he was worried about the bombs, death, and carnage that could await him in Iraq. He pondered whether he would ever see his family again.

What conclusions can you draw about how Michael is feeling about going to war?
a. He feels proud of his country
b. He is looking forward to the challenge of being in the military
c. He is afraid of going into battle (Answer)
d. He regrets joining the military (50)

Predicting Outcomes :  

Ben always had trouble getting up in the morning. His mother usuallyØ had to call him at least twice. He'd already been late for school three times this month. Mom had already called him once and now headed up to his room and knocked on the door.

When he didn't respond she walked in and found him fast asleep! (50)