Probable passage is an instructional strategy that would be effective in upper elementary classrooms and beyond. It is generally considered a pre-reading activity that will expose students to vocabulary and help students make predictions about the story. Important words and/or phrases are selected from the story by the teacher and are displayed in a random order for students to see. The words should represent different elements of the story, such as characters or setting. The students work in small groups to sort these words and phrases into the different story elements, and finally make a prediction about the story. After each group shares their predictions, the story is read and finally the predictions are compared with the actual text. This strategy is flexible, in that it can be used in both a small group (guided reading) or a large group format. It allow students to use their prior knowledge along with the important words and phrases to spark interest in what they are about to read and will help them in making predictions about what might possibly happen in the story.
MaryBeth Davenport