Read the Reader’s Resource and Reader’s Toolbox on page 223. Look at the photographs in the selection and read the quotations called out and set in circles on pages 225 and 227. You will use the information gathered from these sources as a basis for a prediction. Draw a three-column chart with the following headings: Clues, Prediction, Adjustment. In the first column, record clues that help you make a prediction. Then, make a prediction about what the story will be about. Write your prediction in the second column of your chart. After you have started reading, you may need to come back to your prediction and adjust it.
1. Follow along in the text as your teacher reads the first two paragraphs of “The Sniper” aloud. Jot down clues you obtain from the passage, and then make a prediction about events to come. Review your first prediction. Do you have information that requires that you make an adjustment?
2. Continue reading the selection on your own. Jot down clues as you read, and make predictions when you have gathered enough clues. Also, adjust previous predictions when you find information in the text that verifies or disproves them. Make sure you stop at least five times to make and adjust predictions.
If you are having difficulty forming or adjusting predictions, take a break from the reading. Consider the information you have gathered about the situation, the setting, and the main character. Review the clues you have listed in your chart, and use all of this information to draw conclusions about events to come. Then, continue reading. If necessary, take another break to reflect on your reading.
In small groups, share your prediction charts. Discuss how you used clues to form predictions. Also, discuss how the author’s use of suspense and irony of situation affected your predictions.