The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood
Standard to be met:
NJSLSA.R1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences and relevant connections from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
Strategy/Skill Focus:
Making Inferences
The Connection:
Tell the students, “When I read books, I look for clues in the text to tell me what is happening and what the author is trying to say. I call this reading between the lines.”
Teaching:
Begin by introducing the text to students. Read the title of the book to students and then show them the cover of the book. Open to the first page of the book and read the words. Say aloud to students, “Right now I am wondering what the Mouse is doing. I see a clue! I think the Mouse is holding a ladder because he is trying to get somewhere he cannot reach. Maybe he is going to try and climb the tree!” Continue reading the next two pages. On page four, say aloud to students, “I think the narrator is telling the Mouse about the big, hungry Bear because the narrator thinks that the big, hungry Bear is going to steal the strawberry from the Mouse!”
Active Engagement:
At this point in the text, rather than the teacher answering the inferencing questions for students, the teacher will place that responsibility on students so that they can begin practicing inferencing themselves. On page seven, the teacher will ask, “Why do you think the Mouse is running away?” On page nine, the teacher will ask, “Why do you think the Mouse has chained up the strawberry?” On page twelve, the teacher will ask, “Why do you think the Mouse cuts the strawberry in two?” The students will answer these questions by talking to the student seated next to them.
Linking:
Review with students the strategy employed. Tell students, “We used clues in the text to figure out what was happening in the story.” Give students ideas about what they can infer from a text. Create a sentence starter chart that the students can use to guide them when inferencing. The sentence starter chart will include the following sentences: “The story said _________ which made me think…”, “When I read _________ it made me realize…”, “I can tell _________ is _________ because…”, “How the characters act tells me…”, “How the character feels tells me…”, “What the character says tells me…” The sentence starter chart will be displayed in a part of the classroom visible to every student. The sentence starter chart idea was gathered from www.teachthought.com.
Independent Work Time:
Students will pick a text of their own and be asked to write three inferences they made while reading. Students will use the sentence starter chart mentioned above to formulate their sentences. The teacher will walk around the classroom and approach students as they read and either aid them in inferencing or test their inferencing abilities by asking them to share one of the inferences they have made.
Share:
At this time, each student will share the three inferences he or she made with the class and explain the reasoning behind his or her inferences.
Standard to be met:
NJSLSA.R1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences and relevant connections from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
Strategy/Skill Focus:
Making Inferences
The Connection:
Tell the students, “When I read books, I look for clues in the text to tell me what is happening and what the author is trying to say. I call this reading between the lines.”
Teaching:
Begin by introducing the text to students. Read the title of the book to students and then show them the cover of the book. Open to the first page of the book and read the words. Say aloud to students, “Right now I am wondering what the Mouse is doing. I see a clue! I think the Mouse is holding a ladder because he is trying to get somewhere he cannot reach. Maybe he is going to try and climb the tree!” Continue reading the next two pages. On page four, say aloud to students, “I think the narrator is telling the Mouse about the big, hungry Bear because the narrator thinks that the big, hungry Bear is going to steal the strawberry from the Mouse!”
Active Engagement:
At this point in the text, rather than the teacher answering the inferencing questions for students, the teacher will place that responsibility on students so that they can begin practicing inferencing themselves. On page seven, the teacher will ask, “Why do you think the Mouse is running away?” On page nine, the teacher will ask, “Why do you think the Mouse has chained up the strawberry?” On page twelve, the teacher will ask, “Why do you think the Mouse cuts the strawberry in two?” The students will answer these questions by talking to the student seated next to them.
Linking:
Review with students the strategy employed. Tell students, “We used clues in the text to figure out what was happening in the story.” Give students ideas about what they can infer from a text. Create a sentence starter chart that the students can use to guide them when inferencing. The sentence starter chart will include the following sentences: “The story said _________ which made me think…”, “When I read _________ it made me realize…”, “I can tell _________ is _________ because…”, “How the characters act tells me…”, “How the character feels tells me…”, “What the character says tells me…” The sentence starter chart will be displayed in a part of the classroom visible to every student. The sentence starter chart idea was gathered from www.teachthought.com.
Independent Work Time:
Students will pick a text of their own and be asked to write three inferences they made while reading. Students will use the sentence starter chart mentioned above to formulate their sentences. The teacher will walk around the classroom and approach students as they read and either aid them in inferencing or test their inferencing abilities by asking them to share one of the inferences they have made.
Share:
At this time, each student will share the three inferences he or she made with the class and explain the reasoning behind his or her inferences.