Lesson Summary: Students pantomime various character traits, make inferences on a worksheet after reading about situations, and infer about a character while reading “Frank.” Advanced learners infer plot lines for a story after looking at a photograph of two people interacting. Struggling learners infer about the stories books tell after looking at illustrated covers.
Lesson Objectives:
The students will know…
· that a conclusion can be drawn using evidence from the text, background knowledge, and reasoning.
The students will be able to…
· synthesize and make logical connections between ideas within a text and across two or three texts representing similar or different genres.
Learning Styles Targeted:
Visual / Auditory / Kinesthetic/Tactile
Pre-Assessment:
1) Explore with students how making inferences is a bit like being a detective. Like detectives, every day students use evidence or reasoning to draw conclusions. Ask students to share questions they were able to solve by using clues to make inferences. For example, if they saw a friend who had a cast on his arm, they could infer that their friend broke his arm. Or if they heard a fire truck’s siren, they could infer that the truck was racing to put out a fire.
2) Tell students to imagine that they were reading a brand new book or watching a newly released movie. Then, explore how they can use what they know to make an educated guess about a character’s actions and motivations, the setting of a story, or how a story ends.
Whole-Class Instruction
Materials Needed: index cards with a variety of character traits listed, Activity Worksheets*, pencils, and copies of “Frank”*
Procedure:
Presentation
1) Give each student an index card with a character trait listed. Select a wide range such as: shy, brave, silly, brilliant, messy, strange, hopeful, stubborn, annoyed. Remind students that these descriptive adjectives can be used to describe a character in a book. Sometimes the author will show, rather than tell, character traits. Students can infer the traits by examining what the character says, thinks, and does.
2) Tell students they will have up to 60 seconds to pantomime the character trait. They can use gestures, body language, and facial expressions, but no speaking allowed. Challenge other students to guess the character trait.
Guided Practice
3) Distribute copies of the worksheet* and have students make inferences after reading about the situations.
Independent Practice
4) Distribute copies of the passage*. Ask a volunteer to read the first paragraph of “Frank.”
5) Pause and have students make inferences about Frank’s cousin Julie. Tell students to use their own prior knowledge and experience and predict Julie’s character traits.
6) Now select another volunteer to read the second paragraph of “Frank.” What inferences can they draw about Julie?
7) Continue with the remaining paragraphs, pausing after each and asking students for inferences. How did their inferences change over the course of the story?
Closing Activity
8) Tell students that they sometimes need to “read between the lines” to make inferences. What could they infer about someone who enjoys going to the zoo?
Advanced Learner
Materials Needed: magazines, paper, and pencil
Procedure:
1) Have students search through the magazine to locate a photograph of two people interacting. Ask them to infer three possible plot lines for a story. Students should ponder the following questions: What is the possible relationship between these two people? What occurs and why? How would each story end?
2) Tell students to write a paragraph about each plot line. Then have them share their three plot lines along with the photo. Which plot line does the class believe is most plausible?
Struggling Learner
Materials Needed: books with illustrated covers
Procedure:
1) Show students a series of books with illustrated covers.
2) As a group, ask them to infer what the story might be about. Would they want to read the book after making a reasonable guess at the plot? Encourage students to explain why or why not.
*see supplemental resources
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