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Author: Mary Anne Edwards
Categories: 4th Grade, Reading

Even if your fourth grader can solve the mystery of the last missing cupcake, she probably still needs practice predicting story outcomes. This activity will teach her to use what she knows about a story in order to guess what's going to happen next!

What You Need:

  • A fourth grade level book (for example, The Wizard of Oz)
  • pencil
  • lined paper
  • ruler
  • Detective Questions (listed below)
What You Do:

Step 1

Explain to your detective that he'll be making a game to practice his reading skills. Using the pencil, the ruler, and lined paper, have your child make a "KWL Chart," also known as "Know, Want, Learn." They may have already used a chart like this one in school, but just in case, here are the directions:

Fold a piece of lined paper in thirds by folding the left side over, then the right side on top of the left side.  Use a ruler and pencil to trace over the folded lines to create 3 columns on the page.  Then, leaving a 1/2 inch top margin, draw one horizontal line across the top of the page (from left to right.) 

Label the left column by writing the letter "K" in the top margin. Label the middle column with the letter "W" in the top margin. Label the right column with the letter "L" in the top margin.

Step 2

Explain to your child these letters stand for:

  • What they "Know" about the book
  • What they "Want" to know
  • What they "Learn" after reading the book.

 

Ask your child to use words or phrases to fill in the columns by answering the following "Detective Questions":