Prediction Worksheets, Games, & Activities | Scholastic - Free Printable

This worksheet is titled “What Will Happen Next?” and asks students to read short stories and predict what will happen next — a key skill in reading comprehension called making inferences or predicting outcomes.

Let’s go through each story one by one and explain the most logical “what happens next” based on cause-and-effect, real-world knowledge, and context clues.

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🎯 Story 1:

> *The baseball game was tied 6–6 at the bottom of the ninth inning with bases loaded. The home-team batter hit a high-fly ball deep into right field. The outfielder caught the ball but then dropped it. What happened next?*

✔ Answer: The batter was safe, and the runners scored.

🔹 Explanation: In baseball, if an outfielder drops a fly ball (i.e., fails to catch it cleanly), it’s not an out — it’s a hit. Since the bases were loaded, all three runners would likely score (a “grand slam” if it were a home run, but here it’s just a base hit). The game might end with the home team winning because they’re batting in the bottom of the 9th with the score tied — any run wins the game.

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🎯 Story 2:

> *Mrs. Lopez ran over a big nail. It stuck in the tire. Air began to seep out. What happened next?*

✔ Answer: The tire went flat.

🔹 Explanation: When air seeps out of a tire after being punctured by a nail, the tire loses pressure and becomes flat. This is a direct physical consequence — no mystery here!

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🎯 Story 3:

> *One day, Greg left his toy truck on the stairs. Mom came down the stairs carrying a laundry basket piled high with dirty clothes. She stepped on Greg’s truck. What happened next?*

✔ Answer: Greg’s toy truck broke or got damaged.

🔹 Explanation: Stepping on a small plastic toy truck while carrying a heavy basket of laundry would likely crush or crack it. Also, Greg might get upset — but the most direct physical outcome is damage to the truck.

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🎯 Story 4:

> *Latoya decided to bake some brownies. She put them in the oven and went outside and jumped in the pool. She swam for a long time. She forgot all about the brownies. What happened next?*

✔ Answer: The brownies burned.

🔹 Explanation: If you leave food baking in the oven too long without checking, it burns. Especially brownies — they can go from perfectly baked to charred quickly. Latoya forgot them → they overcooked → they burned.

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🎯 Story 5:

> *The wind began to blow. Dark clouds drifted in. Lightning cracked, and thunder roared. What happened next?*

✔ Answer: It started to rain.

🔹 Explanation: This is classic weather progression: wind → dark clouds → lightning/thunder → rain. These are all signs of an approaching storm. Rain is the natural next step.

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🎯 Story 6:

> *Dad and Sam went fishing. They rowed the boat to the middle of the lake. Then they hit a rock that made a hole in the boat! Water started rushing in. What happened next?*

✔ Answer: The boat began to sink, or they had to bail water out quickly.

🔹 Explanation: A hole in a boat + water rushing in = sinking boat. Unless they plug the hole or bail water fast, the boat will sink. This is a safety emergency — so the next logical event is either bailing water or the boat sinking.

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## ✔ Final Answers Summary:

1. The batter was safe, and the runners scored.
2. The tire went flat.
3. Greg’s toy truck broke or got damaged.
4. The brownies burned.
5. It started to rain.
6. The boat began to sink (or they started bailing water).

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## 💡 Teaching Tip:
This activity helps children practice logical reasoning, cause and effect, and real-world knowledge. Encourage them to ask: “What usually happens when ___?” — this builds critical thinking and prediction skills essential for reading comprehension.

Let me know if you’d like printable answer keys or extension activities! 📚✨