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What Happens Next?

A prediction activity where learners are given a scenario, narrative, or process at a critical point and must predict what will happen next, justifying their prediction with reasoning and evidence.

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What Happens Next? diagram

What is what happens next??

  • Present a scenario, story, experiment, or process that has reached a decision point
  • Ask learners: "What happens next?"
  • Learners make and justify their predictions individually or in pairs
  • Reveal the actual outcome and compare it with predictions, discussing why some were more accurate

How it works

What happens next? requires learners to apply their understanding to make predictions. This is a higher-order skill because prediction demands more than recall; it requires understanding of cause and effect, knowledge of patterns, and the ability to reason forward from given information.

Present the scenario at a carefully chosen moment. In a story, pause at a cliffhanger. In a science experiment, stop before the result is observed. In a historical narrative, halt before the outcome of a battle or decision. In mathematics, show the first steps of a pattern and ask for the next terms.

The justification is more important than the prediction itself. "I think the character will run away because..." reveals thinking. A correct prediction without reasoning might be a lucky guess. An incorrect prediction with strong reasoning shows genuine engagement with the material and creates a valuable learning moment when the actual outcome differs.

After predictions are shared, reveal the actual outcome. The comparison between prediction and reality is where deep learning happens. If the prediction was wrong, why? What information was missing? What assumption was incorrect? If it was right, was the reasoning sound, or was it right for the wrong reasons?

Classroom example

A Year 7 Science and Technology class in a Torfaen school is conducting an experiment on dissolving. They have dissolved sugar in warm water and now have a saturated solution. The teacher asks: "What happens next if we add more sugar?" Predictions vary: "It will dissolve because we keep stirring" (incorrect reasoning), "It will sit at the bottom because the water cannot hold any more" (correct reasoning), "The water will overflow" (misconception about volume). After observing the result, the class discusses why some predictions were more accurate and what "saturated" truly means.

Curriculum for Wales connection

What happens next? develops the "Develop" strand of thinking skills through prediction, reasoning, and cause-and-effect analysis. It supports the Four Purposes by developing "ambitious, capable learners" who can apply their knowledge to new situations and "ethical, informed citizens" who consider consequences before acting.

Rainbow Curriculum's Thinking Tools lens helps you plan where prediction activities are used across your curriculum, ensuring learners regularly practise applying their understanding to anticipate outcomes.

Tips

  • Choose the stopping point carefully. It should be a genuine decision point where multiple outcomes are plausible.
  • Require written predictions before discussion so every learner commits to a position.
  • A common pitfall: revealing the answer too quickly. Give learners time to discuss and justify their predictions before the reveal.
  • Use "What happens next?" as a lesson starter to revisit the previous lesson's content.
  • Combine with living graphs: learners predict the next point on a graph and justify their prediction.

Source: Adapted from "How to develop thinking and assessment for learning in the classroom", Welsh Assembly Government, Guidance 044/2010.