Above Image:One student holds out a seedling while another holds out a more mature plant

What is it?

The Predict-Compare-Share learning strategy is a collaborative strategy based on the Think-Pair-Share learning strategy that provides structure for students to make individual predictions about an inquiry question, and then share and refine their predictions with a partner and with other classmates.

Why use it?

• To help students make individual predictions about an inquiry question.
• To build oral communication skills while sharing predictions with others.
• To encourage students to reflect on their own and other’s predictions

How do I use it?

• Before using this strategy, introduce its purpose to the students and provide a structured example to teach and model expected behaviours.
• Pose an inquiry question (e.g., “What do you think will happen when….”) and ask students to think or record their own predictions quietly without sharing them with anyone (one to two minutes).
• Once students have had their own quiet and private time to think, have each student pair up with another student sitting near him/her.
• Have each student share his/her prediction with his/her partner and explain the thinking that led him/her to the prediction. Students should take turns listening attentively to each other’s predictions and explanations.
• Once the students in each pair have shared their predictions, they should discuss each other’s predictions and determine if they want to amend or refine their predictions.
• Provide partner groups with an opportunity to share their predictions with the larger group. Encourage students to discuss whether any of their individual predictions changed after hearing what their partners had to say.
• Create a list of the various predictions and keep a tally of how many students predicted similar outcomes.

Tips for Success

• If necessary, help students get organized into their pair and share groupings (see Variations below).
• Students may need encouragement to spend time thinking before they start sharing their predictions.
• Attention and focus may be lost if the stages are not kept short and the tasks at each stage not well-defined.

Variations

• After students have shared their predictions in the first partner group, provide them with a short reflection time and then have them form new partner groups and share their predictions with their new partners.
• Have students agree as a class to a common consensus-based prediction.

Recording Ideas

• Students could draw or sketch their predictions and describe what the drawings represent to their partners.
• Use sticky notes to have students record their individual predictions. Then, have paired groups sort and organize the common predictions using the sticky notes.

Making groups

• To get students to form partner groups, have them walk around the room while music plays. When the music stops, each student partners with the person next to him or her.
• To get students to form partner groups, place one colour of masking tape on the hands of half of the students and a different colour of masking tape on the hands of the other half of the students. Have students with one colour of tape pair up with students that have a different colour of tape. Then, have these colour pairings meet with another colour pairing to start sharing.

Tools and Templates

Seed Investigation Predict-Compare-Share pdf doc

Predict-Compare-Share: Seed Investigation Question pdf doc

Predict-Compare-Share - Template pdf doc