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Inferring Strategy Using

Miss Nelson is Missing

Objective: The third grade learners will use a graphic organizer to help enhance their ability to
use inferencing as an effective strategy to aid in understanding the text.
Reading Standard:
CC.1.2.3.B: Ask and answer questions about the text and make inferences from text;
refer to text to support responses.
Materials:
- Book: Allard, H. & Marshall, J. (1977) Miss Nelson is Missing! Boston, MA:
Houghton Mifflin Company.
- Book: Schaffer, F. (2012) Spotlight on Reading Inferring. Greensboro, NC: Carson-
Dellosa Publishing LLC.
- Graphic organizer for examples during Guided Practice
- Graphic Organizer- Making Inferences for Miss Nelson is Missing!
- Pencils
- Smartboard
Procedure:
Anticipatory Set: When I say the words making an inference, what do you think that means?
Teacher will accept student responses. Great job! I love all of those answers. When we make an
inference, we listen carefully to all of the clues in the story, and use those clues and the
information we already know to make an inference, or try to figure something out from the text,
something that the author didnt tell you. Making inferences is a reading comprehension strategy
that will help us to become great readers. Has anyone ever heard of or read the story, Miss
Nelson is Missing!? This is a story about a teacher who disappears and her students wonder
where she has gone. I am going to read this to you today and we are going to use our thinking
caps to make inferences about where Miss Nelson may be!
Activity:
Introduction: Today you are going to learn all about making inferences, or review what making
inferences means for those of you who have had some exposure to the strategy. You are going to
learn how to use text or evidence to trigger that switch in your brain to make inferences.
Remember, when we make inferences we need to listen carefully to all of the clues in the story
and combine them with the information we already know. Today we will use what we know about
making inferences to try to figure out where Miss Nelson could have gone.
Modeling: We are going to complete an activity to become familiar with making inferences
without reading a book. I am going to say and write different clues on the board for you, and I
need you to make an inference about what Im describing. Are we ready?! I think you all will get
this one, and remember to raise your hand if you think you know the answer. Im zipping up my
boots. I am putting on my scarf. I have my favorite pair of pink mittens on. I just buttoned my
jacket and put my hood up. What can you infer about what the weather is like? Teacher will
allow student responses. Who can tell me what season it might be? Teacher will accept student
responses. Who can tell me what month it could be? Teacher will allow student responses. Great
job! I am so proud of how you made inferences from the clues I gave you. I am now going to put
a little story on the Smartboard. I want you to make an inference about what may be happening,
and raise your hand when you have an answer.
We are always moving in a circle. We dont move at the same pace, but we are always
close to each other. One of us is short, and the other is long. One of us moves to show hours. One
of us moves 60 times. Sometimes we have a third friend who joins us, but not all the time. Our
friend moves once every second! What are we?
I love how mouths are quiet and hands are raised. Who thinks they know what they are? Teacher
will call on different students. Great job! You are some great thinkers; they are the hands on a
clock.
Guided Practice: Now its your turn. Im going to give you each a graphic organizer with two
columns, one that says The text says and one that says I can infer. Teacher will pass
out organizers as she is explaining. Using the smartboard, we are going to go through a few
more examples that we are going to use to make inferences. I will help you to pull out different
pieces of text to put on the left column of your organizer, and then we will all make inferences
together. Passages chosen are from the Spotlight on Reading Inferring book.
1. My dog chewed it before I got to class! I hope my teacher will give me a pass.
The teacher says, No, my story is not right, but my mom threw the paper out
last night. The teacher says, No, that cannot be true, why didnt you finish the
work that was due? Ive got more excuses to put to the test, but telling the truth
is probably the best.
The teacher will read the passage twice. In the left column of our organizer, we are going to
write Why didnt you finish the work that was due? After you write your answer, I want you to
take a minute to think about what the speaker is referring to. Teacher will wait for students to
complete organizer while she is completing larger version of the same organizer on the board.
Who thinks they know what the passage is referring to? Teacher will call on students with hands
raised. I agree! I think the speaker is referring to their dog eating their homework. In the column
that says I can infer, we are going to write The speakers dog ate their homework. Teacher
will fill in a larger graphic organizer that is a larger version of the students organizer. I have
another passage for us to try, and we are going to do the same thing.
2. Come and see our awful school play- I have to be a turtle today, Tommys a bear,
and Jills a fox. Their costumes are comfy- mines a box. Martys a bobcat, and
Mikes a dog Luis gets to be a colorful frog! Turtles bite: all animals beware! Just
kidding! This snapping turtle wont scare!
The teacher will read the passage on the board twice. We are going to complete the left side of
our organizer with Come and see our awful school play- I have to be a turtle today. Teacher
will write the line in her organizer on the board as she is repeating it to the class. While you are
writing, I want you to really think about how the speaker may feel about his part in the play. I
will know you have made an inference about how he feels when I see your hands raised and your
mouths quiet. Teacher will wait, then call on students with hands raised. I am so proud of you!
Youre doing a wonderful job making inferences. I also think the boy does not like his part in the
play. Please fill in the other side of your organizer with the boy does not like his part in the
play. Give students time to write. We are going practice one more time before you are going to
make inferences on your own. Teacher will put new passage on the board.
3. Rake those leaves and bag them all, or there will be no basketball! Mom sure
knows how to ruin a day and I was all geared up to play. I know just what Ill do
instead- Ill pretend those leaves are my own bed. Ill lie down underneath that
pile, stay very still, and wait awhile. Ive changed the game cuz Im unique. I
love playing Hide-and-Seek!
Teacher will ask two students to read the passage on the board. This time, we are going to write
Mom sure knows how to ruin a day, and I was all geared up to play. Teacher will complete
her organizer as students are filling in their own. As we are writing, I want you to think about
what the speaker was determined to do today. I will give you a few minutes to talk to your table
groups about what you think the speaker wanted to do. Teacher will allow students to discuss in
table groups. Which table can share what they think the speaker was determined to do? Teacher
will call on one table group. Thank you! If you agree with their inference, quietly put your hand
on your head. We have some major brain matches today; you are all doing an amazing job! We
are going to write the speaker was determined to play basketball with his friends in the I can
infer column. Teacher will complete organizer as children are filling in their own.
Independent Practice: Now that we have practiced making inferences together, I think you are all
ready to make inferences on your own. Before we get started, I would like you to look at your
graphic organizer for Miss Nelson is Missing! After we read the story, I will give you a sentence
for you to put in your graphic organizer. Sentence will also be on the smartboard. Next, I would
like you to find two more examples of an inference. You do not need to have the exact sentence or
phrase from the book when you are filling in the left hand column of the organizer, but you really
need to pay attention while I am reading the book so you can choose the best sentences to help
you make meaningful inferences. We will review your graphic organizers in our small groups.
The teacher will read Miss Nelson is Missing! aloud. As the book is being read, the teacher will
stop intermittently to ask questions to ensure students are engaged in the story. The teacher will
stop at the following point in the story:
They were even rude during story hour. And they always refused to do their lessons.
Something will have to be done, said Miss Nelson.
The teacher will then ask students what they can infer may happen next based upon the
information that was read to them. After students discuss the question, the teacher will continue
reading.
After reading the story, the teacher will send students back to their desk to independently
complete the graphic organizers. As students are working, the teacher will visit each small
group and help students as needed.
Differentiation: During the modeling section of the lesson, the teacher will ask a variety of
questions to engage students of all levels (what can you infer about what the weather may be
like- students who are struggling, gifted students are given a more challenging question when
asked about the season and month). When completing their independent work, students who are
struggling will be provided with a copy of the book Miss Nelson is Missing! to use when trying
to locate parts of the text to make inferences. Struggling students will be visited first by the
teacher to help guide making inferences using the provided graphic organizers. Students who are
gifted will be encouraged to create sentences about the inferences they made on the back of the
graphic organizer.
Closure: After students have completed their graphic organizers, they will be called back to the
rug to review what they have learned. The teacher will prompt conversation by asking the
following questions:
Who can tell me what it means to make an inference?
What did you like best about making inferences?
Did you find making inferences to be difficult or easy? Why?
How can we use making inferences as we read in the future?
Most importantly, where do you think Miss Nelson went?!
The teacher will listen and discuss student responses. I have a brain match with a lot of you! I
think Miss Nelson dressed up as someone else, Miss Swamp, to help teach her students to listen
her and to behave in class. I think it did the trick! I hope you all feel comfortable with making
inferences when youre reading, and will think hard about the information you know and the
information you have read to make inferences in the future. Remember, we can make inferences
in things other than text, just like our weather example.

Assessment:
Formative: The teacher will assess students through observation and whole group discussion
questions. Do students answers show that they are understanding what it means to make
inferences, or do they need more support and examples to make appropriate inferences?
Summative: The teacher will evaluate the students ability to make appropriate inferences when
collecting their Miss Nelson is Missing! graphic organizers at the end of the lesson. The teacher
will also use the answers to the closure questions to evaluate if students understand the concept.
After using those evaluations, the teacher will address what needs to be done to further
understanding of making inferences in future lessons.

Reflection:
Name: l

Making Inferences
The text says I can infer
Name: l

Making Inferences

Miss Nelson is Missing


The text says I can infer

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