Lesson Preparation

Teacher Candidate: Kaci Philpot

Title of Lesson: Using Detective Skills to Make Inferences
Grade Level: 3
rd
, 4
th
, 5
th
, 6
th

Subject Area: Reading Comprehension

1. Lesson Topic (What is the big idea?):
When we identify clues in the text, we can make inferences.

2. What standard(s) will it address?
3. Grade Content Area Standard Concepts and Skills EEO or Evidence
outcome
3
rd
RWC Reading for all
purposes

Strategies are
needed to make
meaning of various
types of literary
genres
Describe and
draw inferences
about the
elements of plot,
character, and
setting in literary
pieces, poems,
and plays
4
th
RWC Reading for all
purposes

Comprehension
and fluency matter
when reading
literary texts in a
fluent way.
Identify and draw
inferences about
setting,
characters (such
as motivations,
personality traits),
and plot.
5
th
RWC Reading for all
purposes

Literary texts are
understood and
interpreted using a
range of strategies
EEO: III.
Compare self to
main character
in a story

6
th
RWC Reading for all
purposes

Understanding the
meaning within
different types of
literature depends
on properly
analyzing literary
components.
Cite textual
evidence to
support analysis
of what the text
says explicitly as
well as inferences
drawn from the
text.


4. What IEP goal(s) will it address?
Drawing inferences from texts.

5. Main Objective of Instruction (What do you want the student(s) to learn?):
Students will be able to use clues from the text and illustrations to draw inferences about the
characters and plot of a story.

6. Supporting Objectives:
Students will be able to generalize detective skills learned previously using pictures to text.

7. Specific Strategies (conspicuous) to be taught/modeled:
-Using information or clues from the text to draw inferences.

8. Planning for individual differences (mediated scaffolding): What are the
accommodations/modifications you need to prepare?
-I need to be ready with yes and no questions or provide two answers to choose form for
students who have low verbal skills in order for them to demonstrate inference skills.
-I will need to be ready to include a particular student to help keep her awake and be ready with
a bag of tricks to wake her up.
-I will need to be ready to give hints to guide students to drawing certain inferences.
-What does his facial expression tell you?
-What could ____ mean?
-How would ___ make you feel?
-Preselect clues and point out to students what the whole group is stuck.
-Pause for a movement break.

9. What background knowledge do the students have? How will you assess students learning
pre, during and post?
Background Knowledge: The students have practiced using their detective clues on picture
puzzles for a couple of weeks now.
-Pre assessment: All of the students are not drawing inferences. I will begin by having the
students do a picture puzzle independently.
-During learning: Students will be asked to call out the clues they can use to answer inference
questions and the inferences they draw from the text/pictures.
-Post: students will independently answer inference questions verbally in a 1-1 setting.

10. What management/grouping issues do you need to consider?
-Students are all on different levels and have very different skills so there may be students who
can immediately answer the inferencing questions. I will need to decipher those situations and
make sure that other students have sufficient time to process and answer the question in their
mind before calling on students who already know the answer.
-Students may shut down if the concept is too hard for them.
-Certain students have to sit in certain spots and certain chairs to prevent distraction.
-If the boys sit together they might get off task more easily.

11. Materials and Resources:
-Mimio
-Mimio lesson with inferencing/detective pictures.
-Pointer
-White board and dry erase marker.
-Doc Camera
-Story

12. How/where will students be able to integrate (generalize) this learning?
When reading any literature across all genres and content areas.

13. How will you evaluate student learning from this lesson and build review into ongoing
instruction (judicious review)?
Students will be reminded to use their detective skills during reading groups and when reading
1-1 with a teacher. DRA-2 will also provide opportunities for students to make inferences and also
provide feedback for progress monitoring.


Lesson Title: Using Detective Skills to Make Inferences
Main Objective of this lesson: Students will be able to use clues from the text and
illustrations to draw inferences about the characters and plot of a story.

(CONTENT-PROCESS)

I . Opening: (SET How will you get the student(s) attention?) Relate lesson to prior
learning. Communicate the objective of the lesson.
I will present the objective of the lesson in student-friendly terms and write it on the board.
Students will be reminded of the detective skill activities we have done in past lessons and will
have the opportunity to independently make inferences about anew picture on the mimio.

I I . Procedure: (Is this an informal presentation, direct instruction, or structured discovery?)
Direct Instruction

Strategies (I Do/ how will you guide students to construct meaning for themselves):
I will explain to the class that they can use their detective skills to make inferences when
reading. They can use words in the text or pictures as their clues to make educated guesses to
inferencing questions. I will explain that inferencing questions are questions that you cannot
find the answer to in the text because you have to guess using clues and evidence from the
pictures and the text.
Next, I will answer the first inferencing question myself by identifying my clues and
writing them down, drawing my inferences, and explaining how my clues lead me to my
answer.
Guided Practice (We Do/students present):
I will ask students to draw inferences during the remainder of the story. At this point I
will prompt students to identify what their clues are first, before drawing their inference to
ensure that they are using metacognition to answer the question appropriately.
Students will be allowed to evaluate each others inferences and explain their thinking
using the clues from the text and story illustrations.
Differentiation:
-Provide yes and no questions to non-verbal students.
-Provide two options to answer higher level thinking questions.
-Pre-select a student to answer a question then give the student clues from the text and pictures
to make inferences.
-Provide frequent breaks.

I I I . Closure: Student(s) summarize, demonstrate learning of lesson. Independent Practice
(You Do).
Formally END the lesson.
I will communicate the objective of the lesson and ask students to evaluate their
understanding of inferencing.
(PRODUCT)
Students will read a story independently and answer one inferencing question using a
two-column graphic organizer where they draw or write their clues in the first column and state
what their clue tells them. For example the question could be Why is the mouse mad? so in
the first column a student may say the mouse is wearing pajamas, in the second column, the
mouse must have been sleeping, and their answer to the question would be the mouse is mad
because the cats woke him up with their music.