Here's how it works:
* Before you read: You can use context clues from the title, headings, or the first few sentences to guess what the text might be about.
* During reading: When you encounter an unfamiliar word, you look for clues in the surrounding sentences or paragraphs that might explain the word's meaning.
Here are some examples of how predicting can help you understand unfamiliar words:
* "The scientist was studying the fauna of the rainforest." You might predict that "fauna" refers to the animals of the rainforest based on the context of the sentence.
* "The diminutive bird perched on the giant oak tree." You might predict that "diminutive" means small or tiny based on the contrast between the bird and the tree.
Predicting is an effective reading strategy because it helps you engage with the text and use your prior knowledge to make meaning.