Title of Lesson: Making Inferences using The Mystery of Eatum Hall
Written by Cathy Tincknell and Illustrated by John Kelly
Topic: Making inferences based on clues provided within a text and background knowledge.
Time Period: 40-45 mins
Grade Level(s): 1-4
Objective(s): This lesson is designed to introduce students to the reading comprehension strategy of inferring.
Using the e-book The Mystery of Eatum Hall by Cathy Tincknell, students will use the details provided within
the text and their background knowledge (schema) to make inferences. This lesson can also be used
throughout a unit on making inferences.
Materials and Resources Needed:
- Screen
- Computer/ Laptop
- Pencil (one per student)
- Eraser (one per student)
- e-book, The Mystery of Eatum Hall (by Cathy Tincknell)
- Making Inferences Double T-Chart (one per student)
- Enlarged version of the Making Inferneces Double T-Chart
Type of Assessment:
● Diagnostic
● Formative
○ Summative
Possible Strategies and Tools to Assess Students:
● Student work Samples
● Oral Statement
○ Peer-assessment
● Self-assessment
● Observation
● Teacher notes
○ One-to-one Interview
○ Checklist
○ Rubric
○ Other
Procedure of the Lesson:
Part 1
1. Mini-discussion: Engage in a mini discussion with students about inferences. You may wish to spark
discussion by asking them some of the following questions: What is an inference? Why do good readers make
inferences? How to good readers make inferences? When do good readers make inferences? How/when do
our inferences change? Why is it important for good readers to make inferences? Record student ideas on
large chart paper.
2. Share the objective of the lesson with the students: “Good readers use their background knowledge
(schema) to make predictions, draw conclusions, understand the meaning of unknown words, and to create a
deeper understanding of the author’s message. Today we will be practising to infer with the e-book The
Mystery of Eatum Hall, by Cathy Tincknell.”
3. Begin the e-book, The Mystery of Eatum Hall by Cathy Tincknell. Pause at the cover of the e-book.
4. Use the cover of the e-book to model aloud making an inference. Show the students how you use the visual
and textual cues in addition to your background knowledge to assist you as you infer about the text. For
example, “Based on this picture and what I know about ____, I am guessing that …”, “I predict … because...”,
and “I think the title refers to...because…”
5. Record your inference on the enlarged version of the Making Inferences Double T-Chart.
6. You may also ask the students to refer back to the ideas recorded about what an inference is (i.e. “Do the
inferences I made about the e-book satisfy the criteria made explicit by our class discussion and description of
an inference?”).
7. Give the students a few moments to think to themselves a possible inference.
8. Have students turn to the person sitting next to them to share their inferences. (*To build in accountability,
tell the students to ensure that they are listening very carefully to their partners’ inferences, as they will be
asked to share what their partner says).
9. After a few moments and when all students have had a chance to share, ask the students to return to the
large group discussion. Tell the students that you will select students to share their partners’ inference(s) with
the rest of the class.
10. Be sure to thank the students for sharing their inferneces.
Part 2
1. Continue playing the e-book The Mystery of Eatum Hall by Cathy Tincknell for the students.
2. Pause the e-book when you deem appropriate and model making an inference for the students. Record
your inference on the enlarged version of the Making Inferences Double T-Chart. At this time, you may also
want to come up with an inference together with the students.
3. Continue playing the e-book.
4. Pause the e-book periodically to allow the students independently formulate and record their inferences
onto the Making Inferences Double T-Chart.
5. Continue this process until the story is completed.
Part 3
1. Once the story is complete, give the students a moment to review their inferences.
2. Replay the e-book one more time without pausing (optional).
3. When the e-book is complete, ask the students to take a few moments and turn to the person sitting next
to them to share their inferences. Encourage the students to refer back to the modeled inferences.
4. Once students have had sufficient time to share, ask them to return back to the large group discussion. Ask
for volunteers to share any of their inferences with the larger group.
5. Discuss the inferences that the students are sharing and how and why good readers make inferences:
Do you notice a pattern?...Have the students understood how to frame
inferences and how to search for evidence in the text? …Ask the students to
share how they form their inferences and how they go about retreiving
evidence from the text to support their inferences...Refer to the double T-Chart,
ask the students, “How is this an example of an inference?” … “Does this
evidence satisfy the inference? How? Why?...”
6. Record the students’ inferences on the enlarged version of the Making Inferences Double T-Chart.
7. Be sure to thank the students for sharing.
Extension/Practice
Have the students practice making inferences with a text they are reading independently. Have them record
their inferences in their reading notebooks and/or on a copy of the Making Inferences Double T-Chart. Once
they have recorded their inferences and the time for independent reading is over, have the students orally
share their inferences with another student.
Closure
1. Ask the students to record on a sheet of paper on in their notebooks something new they learned during
the lesson, something that they have a clearer understanding of, and/or a question/concern they still have
regarding inferences.
2. Collect these from the students at the end of the lesson.
Name: ______________________
Date: ____________________________
Making Inferences
To infer is to use evidence from the text and background knowledge
(schema) to make predictions, draw conclusions, understand the meaning of
unknown words, and create a deeper understanding of the author’s message.
Evidence from the text Background Knowledge (schema)
Inference