Judging by the Cover

This engaging worksheet helps students in Grades 3, 4, and 5 build reading comprehension, inferential thinking, and visual literacy by making predictions before reading a story. Using the sample book title The Secret of Maple Hollow and its cover illustration, students analyze visual and textual clues to infer setting, topic, characters, and possible events. By combining observation with reasoning, learners practice forming thoughtful, evidence-based predictions that prepare them for deeper reading.

Learning Goals

• Prediction Skills (Grades 3-5)
  Students make logical predictions about a story’s content using the title and cover art.
• Visual Literacy and Observation
  Learners identify and interpret details from illustrations, symbols, and design elements.
• Inferential Reading Skills
  Students connect clues to inferred meanings about setting, mood, and plot.
• Evidence-Based Writing
  A prediction paragraph requires students to support ideas using specific visual and textual evidence.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created and Standards-Aligned
  Designed by educators to support reading literature, writing, and critical thinking standards.
• Strong Pre-Reading Strategy
  Helps students activate background knowledge and curiosity before reading a text.
• Clear, Scaffolded Structure
  Guided questions and clue identification support developing readers and writers.
• Flexible Classroom and Homeschool Use
  Ideal for reading workshops, literature units, independent practice, or discussion starters.

This printable worksheet helps students strengthen prediction-making, inference, and evidence-based writing by focusing on clues found before reading begins. By analyzing cover art and titles, learners develop stronger comprehension strategies and confidence in using details to support ideas. Suitable for both classroom and homeschool settings, this resource encourages thoughtful reading habits and creative, logical thinking from the very start of a story.

This worksheet is part of our Prediction collection.