What critical thinking skill is enhanced when students predict outcomes while reading a story?

When students predict outcomes while reading a story, they are actively engaging their critical thinking skills, particularly in identifying evidence to support their predictions. Making predictions requires them to analyze the text, consider character motivations, plot developments, and previous events within the narrative. This process encourages them to look for clues and infer information that may not be explicitly stated, fostering deeper comprehension and critical analysis of the material.

Identifying evidence to support their predictions enhances their ability to justify their thinking and makes them responsible readers who can evaluate the story critically. This practice prepares them for more complex analytical tasks in the future and promotes a more interactive reading experience, where they are not just passive recipients of information but active participants in the creation of meaning.

In contrast, recalling facts pertains more to memory and retention of details rather than the inference-making process involved in predicting outcomes. Understanding grammar rules focuses on language structure rather than comprehension of the text itself, while summarizing the story is about distilling information rather than engaging with the narrative on a predictive level. Therefore, the act of predicting and identifying supporting evidence represents a richer, more analytical approach to reading.