1. Topic-
Making Inferences
 
2. Content-
Infer/inference, character, evidence
 
3. Goals: Aims/Outcomes-
The students will develop a better understanding of how to make inferences through text.
 
4. Objectives-
Student will be able to make inferences using clues in the text and what they already know to describe their logical guesses, or inferences, about the information in the story.
 
5. Materials and Aids-
Mystery House trash bag
Jake's Surprise Worksheet
 
6. Procedures/Methods-

A. Introduction-

I am going to explain to the class at their desks that before we continue our lesson on inference from yesterday that I need to tell them about this mystery house on my street. I will explain that I have lived in my house for over 5 years, and there is this house two houses down that I call the mystery house. I call it the mystery house because I have never seen anyone come in or out of the house. I have never seen any kids playing outside, any animal running around, or anyone doing any yard work. I know someone is living there cause there are always two cars parked in their driveway. I also always see the mailman stop and put mail in their mailbox. This morning as I was driving by coming here to work, I realized they have they trash bin out because it was trash day. It then hit me on what I could do to help me gain some insight or information about the mystery house and they people inside it.

I will ask the class what they think I did then. I will take a few answers.

I will tell them if it was not guessed that I embarrassingly stopped and took their one bag of trash and brought it with me to work. I will show them the trash bag. I will tell them that it is not illegal or anything because it is just trash and I will be putting it in the trash after we look in it.
 

B. Development-

I will model the items in the trash bag for the students. I will explain to them what each item is that is in there. I will ask them what they notice about the items. Are they a male or females items? What color do all items seem to be? Do they old or new? And any other things they can 'infer' from the items.
 

C. Practice-

For guided practice students will continue to make inferences about the items in the trash bag and then explain what evidence they used to make that inference. As a class we will make a chart on the smart board in which the students will help me list the inference and the evidence about the objects from the trash bag. We will discuss it all as a class.
 

D. Independent Practice-

After that for guided practice, they will be handing a worksheet titled, "Jake's Surprise." I will tell them that we will read the paragraph together. I will choose a student to read. After we read the paragraph, I will then tell them I want them to independently fill in the graphic organizer. It is just like what we did as a class. The left is the evidence and the right is the inference. They will work on just the first boxes and then we will go over it as a class. Then they will do the second and third one and I will collect it to check for understanding.
 

E. Accommodations (Differentiated Instruction)-

The graphic organizer handed out for Jake's Surprise is differentiated. There will be one that has the section "This probably means.." Filled in. That is the easiest version. It is easier to find the inference in the text when given the clues. The one with "What the text says" filled in is the harder or middle version. Then the hardest version or most challenging version, the entire graphic organizer would be blank.
 

F. Checking for understanding-

They are handing in the worksheet, and the last two inferences and evidence boxes on the graphic organizer will be checked for understanding when they hand it in when class is over.
 

G. Closure-

We will review what inference means, and why you need it when reading a story.
 

This Lesson Plan is available at (www.teacherjet.com)