Inference Mini-Lessons Lesson Designer: Marisa D. Ramirez P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School Based on Debbie Miller s Reading With Meaning Week One: Readers determine meanings of unknown words by using their schema, paying attention to textual and picture clues, rereading, and engaging in conversations with others. Day One: Read the first few pages of Where Are You Going, Manyoni? Think aloud the meaning of the difficult words like baobab, Limpopo and bushpig. Model inferring the meaning of the unknown words by using context or pictures. After a few more pages, ask kids to describe what you re doing Make a chart of what inferring looks like. Day Two: Re-read the beginning of Where are You Going, Manyoni? Have chart ready to record children s inferences of unfamiliar words (See p. 109 in RWM) Work through remainder of text together, recording unfamiliar words and inferences. Day Three: Look at glossary in the back of the book. Confirm or contradict student definitions. Ask children what they learned from this activity and record their responses on the bottom of the chart. Encourage them to try this in their own reading. **During sharing, children can discuss unknown words, which continually adds to their vocabulary!** Day Four: Read the text Where the Wild Things Are. Have children work in pairs to record unfamiliar words and infer meaning. Make a record sheet that looks much like the chart from the previous day. Discuss ways to confirm inferences (eg. Dictionaries, internet, discuss with others). Day Five: Text Talk Lesson Choosing words that can be defined using inference. Have students write on Sticky notes and use chart to keep track of thinking.
Week Two: Readers make predictions about text and confirm or contradict their predictions as they read on. Day Six: Begin reading The Royal Bee again modeling definitions of unknown terns such as yangban, sangmin, and Royal Bee. Stop when Song-ho is told that only privileged children get to go to school and ask children to predict what will happen next. Make a 2 column chart titled: Our Predictions and The Thinking Behind Them/Evidence Record children s predictions and the reasons why they predicted that. Continue reading and re-reading and when you come across evidence that supports the predictions put c next to it on the chart to show it s confirmed. Stop when Song-ho is welcomed to the school. Day Seven: Begin finishing the reading of The Royal Bee. Ask children to fill out the 2 column form predicting who will win the Royal Bee and their thinking behind their prediction. After all predictions are recorded, finish story. Day Eight: Using prediction logs, have children record their predictions and the thinking behind them from The Wednesday Surprise. Stop at p. 23 in the text and allow children to work with a partner(e2e, K2K) to record predictions and the thinking behind them. Day Nine & Ten: Using Amos and Boris, practice inference skills learned so far. Text provides challenging vocabulary and places for prediction. Use Prediction Log and Word Inference sheets. Week Three: Readers use their prior knowledge and textual clues to draw conclusions and form unique interpretations of text. Day Eleven: Inferring for Meaning with poetry: Have Favorite Bear (a poem by Georgia Heard from the book Creatures of the Earth, Sea and Sky) written on a large piece of chart paper leaving out the words, bear from the title and teddy bear from the last stanza. Work as a group to infer what the title is and what this poem is about. Record progression of
thinking on the chart together using word meaning and schema. (see p, 114 in RWM). Day Twelve: Practice same as above using Song of the Dolphin. Have poem typed for each pair of children to work together to infer meaning. E2E, K2k. Come together as a group and discuss meaning. Day Thirteen: Practice same as above with The Masked One Day Fourteen: Dramatic interpretation of poetry. Have 6 poems (suggested poems are Eagle Flight, Ducks on a Winter Night, Elephant Warning, Dressing Like a Snake, Bat Patrol and The Orb Weaver ) Have all poems written on large paper. Have children choose which poem speaks to them and which one they d like to understand better. Have children who chose same poem work together to make a dramatic interpretation of their thinking of the poem. Week Four: Readers know to infer when the answers to their questions are not explicitly stated in the text. Day Fifteen: Using the text Something Beautiful. Read aloud and model questions. After a few pages, invite children to ask questions as well. Make a chart of their questions after reading. Day Sixteen: Using the chart from the previous day, model inferring the answers to the questions. Make sure to model using the text, pictures and schema to answer the questions. Gradually invite children to add to the conversation. This would be a good opportunity to model how active listening and building on others ideas can increase comprehension. Day Seventeen, Eighteen and Nineteen: Use Arnold Lobel s Fables to ask questions and infer meaning. Run a multiple copes and use two column notes for children to work together to ask questions and infer meaning.
Week Five: Readers create interpretations to enrich and deepen their experience in a text. Day Twenty: Using the text If You Listen by Charlotte Zoltow. Discuss how authors sometime want to teach you something or give you something to think about when they re writing a book. Discuss how books can help you think about things in new ways. After reading If You Listen, facilitate a discussion about what ideas the author was trying to convey. Remember to provide evidence from the text. Practice active listening and taking a conversation deeper. Day 21: Read aloud Miss Maggie by Cynthia Rylant. Provide opportunities for partners to discuss the author s intent. Provide two-column notes for recording ideas. Days 22-25: Continue to provide experiences that children can practice inferring. Texts that lend themselves to discussions are as follows: Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting Grandfather Twilight by Barbara Berger The Table Where Rich People Sit by Byrd Baylor Tight Times by Barbara Shook Hazen
Name: Inferring for Meaning with Poetry I am a I swim in the sea, Flipping and shining. Can you see me? Now you do, and now you don t. Try and catch me-you won t, you won t! I jump in the air and feel so free, Twisting and turning. Can you see me? Now you do and now you don t. Try and catch me-you won t you won t! By Georgia Heard I m inferring
Name: Inferring for Meaning with Poetry wears a mask as if it s Halloween and tiptoes through our yard while I watch through the screen. Clank falls the garbage-can lid to the ground, As if is saying Trick or Treat! But the cans are empty, no food to be found. walks away on tiny feet. By Georgia Heard I m inferring
Name Prediction Log Title: Our Predictions The Thinking Behind Them/Evidence C?
Name Inference A Comprehension Strategy Title: Word What we infer it means What helped us? What is the evidence?
Name I predict will win the Royal Bee. What is the thinking behind your prediction?
Name Title
Name: Title Two-Column Notes