Inferring lesson plans
http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/index.cfm?lesson=EM266
Comprehensionhttp://www.manatee.k12.fl.us/sites/elementary/palmasola/ccinfer.htm
Strategy:
online tutorial and quiz
Inferring
Lesson: Inferring from the Cover, Illustrations and Text
1. Before the lesson: Make a chart with two wide columns. Label the
first column "Quote or Picture From Text" and the second column "
Inference".
2. Tell students that good readers make INFERENCES when they read.
An inference is a new idea that happens when a reader thinks about
something that is probably true about a story. A reader can decide
what is probably true because of what it says or shows in the book
and what he or she already knows from his/her own life.
3. Use the book No, David! by David Shannon. Look at the cover of
No, David! Tell students that you can INFER that the fish bowl is
going to fall and spill. You can INFER that because the picture shows
that the table is tipping, and from your own life you know that when
this happens things usually spill. On the chart you made record
"Picture - Table with fish bowl is tipping" under the first column. In
the second column record "Fish bowl will fall and spill."
4. Turn to the title page. Read the title No, David! and point to the
picture of the woman with the hands on her hips. Ask students what
they can INFER (remind them that inferences are things that are
probably true) from the title and the picture. They may say the
woman is David's mom or that the mom is mad. If they cannot make
an inference model for them again. Record the info on the chart.
5. Do the same for the following pages: cookie jar page, Go to your
room page, Not in the house page, and I love you page. These are the
pages that would be easy for me to make inferences about. Use the
pages that are easy for you and your students.
6. Remind the students that good readers use the words and
pictures, along with things from their own lives to think about what is
probably true in story. These are called INFERENCES and they help us
understand the story better.
This page was written and submitted by CheriSumm@aol.com
Inference Card #1:
It was Sunday evening. Mary and
Jack were looking forward to the
next day. Mary chose the clothes
she would wear carefully. She
decided to wear the blue shorts
outfit mom had bought her
yesterday, when she had taken
Mary and Jack shopping for new
clothes. Jack put everything he
thought he might need for the day
in his backpack. He wondered if
his friends would notice he had
grown three inches taller over the
summer. Mary wondered if she
would be in the same room as her
best friend, Katy.
Questions:
1. Where are Mary and Jack
going tomorrow?
2. Why are they so excited about
going there?
Inference Card #2:
Mr. and Mrs. Smith got home at
5:00 Tuesday evening. John was
very happy to see them because
they had been gone all day. He
ran around in circles and jumped
up and down. Mr. and Mrs. Smith
sat down together to relax for
awhile and talked about how their
days had been. After this, they
made dinner. John ate his quickly
and waited for them to finish.
Later, he laid down near the sofa
to watch television with Mr. and
Mrs. Smith. They patted him on
the head and told him he was a
good boy. John said nothing, but
looked happy.
Questions:
1. Who is John?
2. Where had Mr. and Mrs. Smith
been all day?
Inference Card #3:
Inference Card #4:
Mother planned to make a surprise for
Harry. She bought everything she
would need at the grocery store.
When she got home, she took her
book out and began reading how to
make the surprise. Mother got out
everything she would need and put it
on the counter. After all the
ingredients were mixed together, she
put the batter in a rectangular pan and
turned the oven on. An hour later, she
took it out and put it on the counter to
cool. When it was cool she took a
container of the last ingredient and
began spreading it carefully over the
surprise with a knife. Finally, she
opened another package and counted
out seven objects. She put these on
top of the surprise and looked in the
drawer for matches.
Julie made sure she put her suit and
helmet on correctly. She checked her
air tanks to make sure that they were
full. She pulled on her gloves and
strapped her boots on tightly.
Questions:
1: What kind of book was mother
reading?
2. What room did mother make the
surprise in?
3. What did she spread over the
surprise?
Julie stepped outside and looked
around. When she walked on the
gray, powdery ground, she bounced. It
was funny to feel so light, when she
knew she weighed 90 pounds! She
explored the area and picked up a few
rocks to bring back to show her
friends. She looked into the rim of a
nearby crater.
Julie shivered, even though her suit
was heated and decided to return to
the ship. Before she got in, she looked
at the Earth. It looked beautiful, but far
away.
Questions:
1. Where do you think Julie is?
2. Why do you think Julie bounced
when she walked?
3. Why is Julie wearing a helmet and
airtanks?
4. Why is Julie's suit heated?
4. What were the seven objects she
counted?
5. What was the surprise?
Inference Card #5:
Ann counted backwards from a
hundred while keeping her eyes
covered with her hands. The other
children ran quickly in all
directions. Soon no one could be
seen except for Ann. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1,
0," she said.
Questions:
Inference Card #6:
Joe and Peter were working hard.
First, they sorted all of the things
into different piles. Next, they
decided which ones would go in
first. They put those in and poured
a cup-full of liquid from a bottle on
top of them. They closed the lid
and went away until that part of
the job was finished.
Questions:
1. Why is Anne counting?
2. What will happen next? Explain
how you know by using clues
from the story!
1. What are Peter and Joe doing?
2. What was in the bottle?
3. Why did they go away?
Inference Card #5:
Ann counted backwards from a
hundred while keeping her eyes
covered with her hands. The other
children ran quickly in all
directions. Soon no one could be
seen except for Ann. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1,
0," she said.
Questions:
Inference Card #6:
Joe and Peter were working hard.
First, they sorted all of the things
into different piles. Next, they
decided which ones would go in
first. They put those in and poured
a cup-full of liquid from a bottle on
top of them. They closed the lid
and went away until that part of
the job was finished.
Questions:
1. Why is Anne counting?
2. What will happen next? Explain
how you know by using clues
from the story!
1. What are Peter and Joe doing?
2. What was in the bottle?
3. Why did they go away?
Inference Card #7:
They were dressed in odd
clothes. The leader had on a hat
with a curled feather in it. He had
a patch over one eye and carried
a parrot on his shoulder. His men
carried shovels. It was a hot day
on the beach. The leader kept
looking at an old piece of paper
that he had in his hand before he
decided which way to walk.
Finally, they came to a stop and
began to dig. Sand flew in all
directions! Soon they pulled a big
box out the hole.
Questions:
1. Why does the leader keep
looking at an old piece of paper?
Inference Card #8:
Eight of the them were normal.
They played and worked together.
The nineth one was very strange.
The rest of the group did not
accept him. Because he was so
strange no one would play with
him. The grownups said that he
would never grow up to do what
all the rest of the group would do
one day.
They were very surprised when
the very thing that made him so
strange helped him become a
hero one night. He went on to
become the most famous one of
the group!
Questions:
2. Why are the men digging?!
1. What are the members of the
group?
3. What is the box they pull out of
the hole?
2. Who is the strange one?
3. How did he become a hero one
night?
Inference Card #9:
Getting older was hard for her.
Once she had been the most
beautiful woman in the entire
country. Now, she was only the
second most beautiful. How did
she know this? She had an object
that hung on the wall which kept
track of this for her. Not only did it
keep track of who was the most
beautiful, but it told her so! Finally,
she couldn't stand it any more and
decided to take care of the matter
once and for all!
Questions:
1. Who is the woman in the story?
2. How does she feel about the
other woman who is more
beautiful than she is?
3. What is the object on the wall?
4. What do you think will happen
next in the story? How do you
know this?
Inference Card #10:
There were three brothers who
decided they needed to leave
home. They were very different
from each other. Two of them
were silly and didn't think things
through. The third brother was
wise. They all built their own
houses. The silly brothers used
poor materials to build with. Both
of their houses fell down for the
same reason. They ended up
living with their older and wiser
brother. His house remained
standing even though someone
tried to knock it down.
Questions:
1. Who were the three brothers?
2. How did the older brother show
he was wise?
3. Why did the houses of the silly
brothers fall down?
Inference Card #11:
First, he had to think about the
question. After he had thought
about it, he began to plan what he
was going to say. It was important
to have his ideas in the correct
order. It didn't matter if what he
said was the truth or not, as long
as he said it well. He got his
materials together and went to
work, knowing that he would do a
good job. When he was finished,
he thought about what he had
done, changed a few things, and
added several ideas. After he had
done this, he gave what he had
been working on to the adult in
the room.
Questions:
1. What did the boy do?
2. Why wasn't it important that
what he said was true or not?
3. Who was the adult he gave
what he had been working on to?
Inference Card #12:
The animal had very sharp teeth
and a flat tail. He used his teeth
as tools to get materials to build
with. He found the materials in the
forest near the river. When he had
enough materials he began to
build his home. He got very wet
while building his house, but
finally it was finished. The farmer
who lived down the river from him
was very upset when he learned
the house had been built. He told
his wife that he would have to pull
the animal's house apart or his
crops wouldn't grow because the
ground would dry up.
Questions:
1. What was the animal that built
a home?
2. What materials did he build his
house with?
3. Why did the farmer get upset
when he learned the animal built
a home?
Inference Cards Answer Key:
Inference Card #1:
Inference Card #2:
1. Tomorrow is Monday. They are going 1. John is the Smiths' dog.
to school.
2. The Smiths had most probably been
2. They are so excited because it is the at work all day.
first day of school.
Inference Card #3:
Inference Card #4:
1. Mother was reading a cookbook.
2. Mother made the surprise in the
kitchen.
3. She spread frosting over the cake.
4. Birthday candles
5. A birthday cake
1. Julie is probably on the moon.
2. There was less gravity on the moon
so she weighed less.
3. She can't breathe without them.
4. Because it is cold on the moon, or
planet she is on.
Inference Card #5:
Inference Card #6:
1. The children are playing hide-andseek.
2. She will probably go looking for the
others.
1. Peter and Joe are doing laundry
2. Laundry detergent
3. They went away while the clothes
were washing.
Inference Card #7:
Inference Card #8:
1. It was a treasure map.
2. To find the treasure
3. A treasure box
1. Santa's Reindeer
2. Rudolph
3. He used his nose to guide the sleigh.
Inference Card #9:
Inference Card #10:
1.The queen in Snow White and the
Seven Dwarves
2. She is jealous, hates her etc.
3. The magic mirror
3. Assorted answers
1. The Three Little Pigs
2. By building his house out of bricks
3. The Big, Bad Wolf blew them dow
Inference Card #11:
Inference Card #12:
1. He wrote a story or an essay.
2. It isn't important to write a true story
or essay as long as it answers the
question.
1. a beaver
2. sticks and trees
3. He was upset because the beaver's
house is a dam. The water in the river
3. The teacher
will not get down to his farm so his
crops can get watered.