These lessons were modified and modeled from ideas in Strategies that Work by Harvey and Goudvis and

Reading With Meaning by Miller. I am currently working on my Masters. One of my projects for a class was to create this HUGE unit using the Understanding By Design Backward Planning Model. I decided to create a unit about inferencing because this is an area I struggled with last year and was not really pleased with how I pulled it all together. Well, this project became a MONSTER. I had no idea how big the unit would become. So on that note, beware! This is a LOT of info! This unit is not just using inference; it is inferencing character, plot, theme, motive using inference to figure out context clues and answering inferential questions. Yikes! The unit is a good 30 days.
Day 1 Activity Introduce the Concept of Inferencing Give a real life example (building picture- what do we know, what clues does the building site give us? On the umbrella poster/ graphic organizer write the definition of Inferencing As a class decide on hand motions to match this chant: Inferencing is combining schema and background knowledge with clues provided in the text to form a new idea. In weekly parent newsletter, describe Inferencing unit in the Up and Coming preview section. The newsletter will be updated weekly of what students will learn next in the unit. Students will meet in Guided Reading Groups. We will discuss Inference in GR groups. Model Inference using think aloud while reading Train to Somewhere by Eve Bunting Students will meet in Guided Reading Groups. We will discuss Inference in GR groups. Model inferencing by finish reading the book Train to Somewhere. Use post it notes to mark areas that I inferred what was going on in the story. Have students brainstorm all of the things I inferred about (the character, the characters emotions, the problem why an event was happening, what was going on etc). Write al of these on the Anchor

chart: I infer to : (this chart will be added every lesson as we realize things we infer about) Students will meet in Guided Reading Groups. We will discuss Inference in GR groups. Read aloud the story Smoky Night by Eve Bunting. Model inferencing using think alouds again. As students to raise their hands to share an inference f they made one while I read aloud. Stop before the end of the story. Ask the students to think-pairshare with a neighbor something that they inferences while reading. Ask students to share their inference or a neighbors inference. Students will meet in Guided Reading Groups. We will discuss Inference in GR groups. Teacher will give each student two post it notes. As I finish reading Smoky Night, ask the students to jot down any inferences they have made. Students will meet in Guided Reading Groups. We will discuss Inference in GR groups. Teacher will read aloud the story The Blue and the Gray. Ask students to jot down any inferences that they make during the story on post it notes. Share post it notes at the end of class. Students will meet in Guided Reading Groups. We will discuss Inference in GR groups. Teacher will model how to complete both the story frame graphic organizer and the T-chart graphic organizer using the post it notes students wrote yesterday. Students will watch the Reading Rainbow video on Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting. As students watch the video they will complete the inferencing graphic organizer. The teacher will pause the movie and students will discuss what they have inferred so far. The class will then share at end. Introduce the idea of conclusions. Discuss how it is a multiple meaning word (a final decision reached by reasoning or the last part of something). Share with students that what we have been doing is drawing conclusions. We have been reaching a final decision about a story based on our reasoning. Add drawing conclusions to raindrop on the Inference Umbrella Visual Aid. Today we are going to play a game to continue practice drawing conclusions. Model how to play drawing conclusions board game. Class plays in small

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groups of 4-5 players per game. Games will be available to play before school begins during morning work and as an independent activity during guided reading. Mini assessment on Drawing Conclusions from Scott Foresman reading practice workbooks. Students will complete the graphic organizer of choice after reading a picture book of their choice. This activity will be completed independently over a period of several days (when students are not meeting in guided reading groups). Introduce the idea of interfering about a character. Sometimes the writer will imply why a character feels a certain way or acts a certain way, but does just say it. Introduce the word motive and add to the word wall. Often readers have to infer a character motive. Read aloud the story Teammates by Paul Golenbock. Model activating schema and review making connections (This unit will have been taught previously). After reading the story, review how activating schema is important to inference. Ask students what can we exactly infer about a character? Add these to the anchor chart. Students should brainstorm things like what they say, what they do, what they think. Add some of these things to the raindrops under on the Inference Umbrella Visual Aid Introduce to students a character graphic organizer. Point out that it contains many of the ideas they just brainstormed. Model how to complete the graphic organizer about Jackie Robinson from Teammates. (No guided reading groups) Have students break into pairs. Students will complete the graphic organizer about Pee Wee Reese from Teammates. Each student will have a copy of the text and will be asked to write their own copy of the graphic organizer. Return to the inference graphic organizer. Is there anything we can add about inferencing about a character? How does this help us as readers? Share what inferences we made about Pee Wee? What can we tell about his motives? Ask student to include any inferences that they are making while reading in their journal response notebooks. I will read and respond to these letters weekly. Mini assessment on understanding character (from Scott Foresman reading practice workbook) Ask students if anyone noticed what genre Teammates was? See if students figure out it is written like a biography of Jackie Robinson. Let students know today I will be reading aloud a (big book) biography of Beatrix Potter, the author of Peter Rabbit. While reading the book, model thinking about how to figure out words

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using context clues. Atop half way through the book and ask students what they notice that I did when I ran across words I did not know. Create a list on a poster. Tell students I was using context clues to figure out words. Finish reading the biography of Beatirx Potter. Model the same lesson as above. Add to the list. Make sure the list includes synonyms, reading around, replacing the word, what makes sense, using your schema, using picture clues, etc. Add using context clues to a raindrop under the umbrella Support this activity over the next several days in guided reading. Read short story in the basal. Complete the reading practice workbook pages from the Scott Foresman Test Link workbook using context clues. Students may complete this in pairs to help support each other. Check together at the end of class and make corrections. Let students know that today in their independent reading I want them to write down any words they are not familiar with on a sticky note. They will also need to write what they think the word means and which context clues strategy they used to figure it out. At the end of class meet back and share what strategies the kids used. Add any interesting vocabulary words to the word wall. Play the What Word Am I technology lesson plan. Review strategies to figure out words using context clues. Play Context Clues Board Game for more guided practice. Teacher will mill around to check for understanding Mini Assessment of Context Clues using Scott Foresman reading practice workbook. Ask students to think-pair-share and review with a neighbor what we have learned about questioning. Ask students to share. Ask students what they have learned about author and me questions. See if any students can make the connection that this is inferencing. Add to the Inferencing Umbrella poster/ visual aid. Ask students to define the word evident. Add the word to our word wall. Discuss how we need evidence in our reading to make inferences. Lead students to realize the clues the text gives us could be called evidence. Review good test taking strategies. Model reading aloud a reading passage with inferential/ author and me questions at the bottom (try to find science/ NF connection) and think aloud how I will answer the question. Puzzle over the part of the question that states, Use the text to support your answer. See if any students can make the connection that this is simply the evidence in the text. Model

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answering the questions. Return to the Inferencing Anchor chart. Add Author and me questions and how I answered the questions (reread, questioned myself and was able to put into words the evidence to defend my inference) Break students into groups of four. Pass out each member of the group a reading passage with author and me questions on the bottom. Have the groups read the passage and answer 1 assigned question on the bottom. Come back together as a class and share our responses. Discuss how we used the text to support our answers. Ask students why is it important to answer author and me questions? Let students know the reason we are practicing this, is many tests they will come across for the next few YEARS will have questions like this! However, in life we have to be able to state our beliefs, opinions and conclusions and be able to support WHY we think this. This is a life skill too! Students will then independently complete a reading comprehension worksheet. Check together as a class. Inference Benchmark assessment

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