Work in a small group to preview “The Cabuliwallah.” Read the Prereading information on page 720, and skim the rest of the selection pages. Discuss this information with your group members, and work together to make a few preliminary predictions about the Cabuliwallah, the young girl, or the young girl’s father. Write down your predictions.
1. Begin reading the selection independently. Look for details that might confirm or refute your preliminary predictions. Also, as new information is revealed in the text, jot down a few new predictions about future story events.
2. As you read, keep a detailed written record of your predictions. When you come across information in the text that confirms a prediction, write down those details from the text next to your prediction, and note that it proved true. When you find that a prediction you made was wrong, use the story details to revise the prediction or to make a new one. Again, write down those story details in your notebook near that prediction. By keeping track of this process, you will be able to evaluate your use of the reading strategy later on.
If you have difficulty making predictions while you read, use the Guided Reading Questions to help you focus on the selection’s main ideas. Read the first question on the page, and then read until you find the answer. Jot down the answer in your notes and consider whether that information confirms or refutes any of your existing predictions. Revise predictions as necessary, and try to make one new prediction before you move on to the next Guided Reading Question.
When you finish reading, review the predictions you made throughout your study of the selection. Think about the information that led you to make your predictions and the details that confirmed or refuted them. Analyze the process by answering the following questions: Were the predictions that didn’t work out misguided, or did the story offer a twist or surprise to refute them? Did your predictions become more accurate as more story details were revealed? In other words, did you have to revise fewer predictions toward the end of the story than you did in the beginning? Work with a partner to discuss your predictions. Compare your record of predictions with your partner’s, and discuss how the process of making predictions added to your reading experience.