Making Predictions: Mystery Box and Turkey Style!

This week the skill that we are focusing on in our Houghton Mifflin reading series is making predictions. On Thursday we jumpstarted things off by using the amazing Mystery Box unit from the incredible Abby Mullins! I don't know who loves doing this activity more: me or the kids! I started off by telling them that today they were going to get to be a detective and that we had a very special mystery to solve. They came to the carpet with their partner and we each took a turn holding and shaking the mystery box:

The kids made some great observations about the mystery box--whatever was inside was heavy and it made a clunking noise when they shook it. Based on those observations, we made our first predictions about what could be inside of the mystery box:

(I apologize for the lack of a cute anchor chart, but with parent teacher conferences last week I figured it would still work! I also forgot my nice camera so these aren't the best quality of pictures either, but I think they'll still do the job. :)

Next, I had the kids work in partners to go around the room to collect 4 clues that would help them figure out what was inside the mystery box. In the unit, Abby used a Valentine for her clues, but since we weren't doing this in February I made up my own:

Clue #-1-I come in different sizes.

Clue #2--I come in many colors.

Clue #3--I go on a body part.

Clue #4--I come in a pair.

I can't even tell you how engaged and on task my kids were during this time! LOVE! As I walked I loved hearing their conversations as they were thinking and drawing conclusions together. You seriously need to go purchase this activity if you already don't have it: it's SO wonderful and can be used in so many ways! Click {here} to purchase it!

The students went back to their seats and then drew and wrote about their predictions. Then we gathered back on the carpet and discussed our new predictions and how they had changed based on the new information we had learned during our clue hunt:

I wrote our new predictions in black. Then we discussed each one and eliminated the shirt and bowling ball after reviewing each of the clues again. We discussed how the pair of shoes was probably the best prediction since whatever was inside the mystery box made a loud clunking noise, even though the socks and slippers fit the clues too.

Right before we opened up the mystery box, one of my boys said "I hope it's a pair of Mr. Foxwell's shoes!" :) To say the least the class was very elated when they opened up the mystery box to find:

Mr. Foxwell's shoes!! {Thanks honey for letting me borrow them!}

We discussed that as we learn more information often our predictions change from the beginning, middle, and end. I told them that while they are reading books they are also detectives: they have to put their thinking caps on and be looking for details to make predictions about what the characters are going to do next, what the story is going to be about, or how the story will end. To apply our skill of making predictions with stories I read another one of my favorite fall time stories: The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

 

It's a perfect book for making predictions and if you haven't read it to your class yet it would be a great addition to your classroom library! It also is a great choral read aloud: I put motions to them and my kids beg to re-read it!

  

We will be working on making predictions all week, but I am most looking forward to using this book on Thursday: A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting

 

I love reading this book at Thanksgiving time! Besides the fact that I adore Eve Bunting's books, this books is adorable and is another perfect book for making predictions! Before reading the story we will make a prediction about what they story is about. Then during reading, I will stop after I read page 25 and have the students predict what the turkey would say if turkeys could talk:

They will write their answers on the "he would say" writing paper and then after the story they will create this cute turkey craftivity:

What I love most about the book is that there is a great surprise at the ending! I won't give it away though, you need to go read it for yourself! 

The If a turkey could talk...craftivity is available for purchase on my TPT store:

 

The turkey craftivity unit includes 30 pages of everything you need (templates, writing pages, blackline masters) to create this craftivity. It also includes a thankful writing prompt, a traditions writing prompt, and a blank writing prompt incase you like the craft but want a different writing activity to go with it!

I'm linking up with Beach, Sand, and Lesson Plans for her Let's Talk Turkey Linky Party:

Great read alouds, turkey units, and talented teachers: what's not to love about this linky party?!

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is just around the corner!?

I hope that you have a wonderful start to your week!