Making Predictions in Fiction
This worksheet helps 8th-grade students practice making predictions while reading fictional texts, using textual evidence to support their predictions.
Includes
Standards
Topics
Making Predictions in Fiction
Name:
Date:
Score:
Read the following passage carefully. As you read, pay attention to details, character actions, and dialogue. Then, answer the questions that follow by making predictions based on the text.
The old lighthouse keeper, Silas, peered out into the churning grey sea. A fierce gale had been raging for two days, and the waves crashed against the rocks with a deafening roar. The radio had gone silent hours ago, cutting off all communication with the mainland. His only companion, a scruffy terrier named Barnaby, whimpered nervously at his feet. A flicker in the distance caught Silas’s eye – not a ship’s light, but a faint, rhythmic flash from the treacherous Blacktooth Reef, where no vessel dared to venture. He gripped his binoculars, his brow furrowed with concern.
Suddenly, a tremendous crack echoed through the small room as a gust of wind ripped a section of the lantern room’s glass away. Rain and spray immediately began to lash inwards, threatening the delicate mechanism of the light. Barnaby barked frantically, sensing the urgency of the situation. Silas knew he had to act fast, but the storm was unlike any he had witnessed in his forty years on the isolated island.
1. What do you predict Silas will do immediately after the glass breaks?
Try to repair the broken glass to protect the light.
Attempt to call the mainland for help despite the silent radio.
Ignore the damage and continue watching the reef.
Go to bed and hope the storm passes by morning.
2. Based on the faint, rhythmic flash from Blacktooth Reef, what might Silas predict is happening there?
Another lighthouse has been built on the reef.
A ship is in distress and sending out a signal.
It is merely a reflection of the lighthouse's own beam.
Someone is trying to communicate with him from the mainland.
3. What do you predict Barnaby's role might be in the unfolding events, given his nervous whimpering and frantic barking?
4. Based on Silas's experience and the severity of the storm, what is one challenge you predict he will face in keeping the lighthouse operational?
5. Given the broken glass and the threat to the light mechanism, Silas will likely try to find a way to the light from the elements.
6. The fact that the radio has gone silent suggests that Silas is completely from outside help.
7. True or False: Silas will likely ignore the flash from Blacktooth Reef because it is too dangerous to investigate.
True
False
8. True or False: The story implies that Silas has never encountered a storm of this magnitude before.
True
False
9. Consider the details provided about Silas, the storm, and the mysterious flash. Write a paragraph predicting what Silas will do next and what the ultimate outcome of these events might be. Support your prediction with specific evidence from the text.