Alternate Expression- Reading Grade 3-9

learning skilLS

instructional strategy
Alternate Expression

Allow students to either share aloud or write down their questions and contributions to the class.

academic skill

Reading Comprehension Grade 3 – 9

Making local and global inferences, using explicit and implicit evidence

Lesson Objective, Goal and Success Criteria

  1. Learn the meaning of inference and key questions to consider when making inferences.
  2. Make inferences using familiar images and paragraphs relating to everyday events.
  • Be able to make local and global inferences, using explicit and implicit evidence, to explain and support their interpretations about various complex texts.
  • Be able to understand and apply inferencing strategies through multiple visual mediums including pictures, text and short videos.
  1. Make local and global inferences with images and text independently and in small group settings.
  2. Explain the reasoning for making specific inferences.

UDL Instruction

Ask the class what they think inferring or inferencing is to see what the class already knows. Then confirm that it is the skill of making educated guesses on available information. Introducing the concept of inferencing:  Grade 3- 7:
Grades 6-9:
Divide students into small groups of 3 or 4 and each group will have 5 minutes to discuss and orally answer questions to an image or text (supplementary materials) relating to their grade levels as follows: Grade 3-5- picture inference  Grade 6-7- reading text inference Grade 8-9- text messages inferences (one of 2 text messages)

  1. All groups return to the full class and briefly discuss their answers and why they inferred what they did.
  2. Resume the applicable videos to hear the formal analysis of each inference as follows:
Grade 3-7 analysis video– resume at 2:04 minutes
-Resume the video and analyze the picture inference (2:04- 3:00 minutes)
-Continue the video to analyze reading inference (3:00-4:25 minutes)
Grade 6-9 analysis of video– resume at 6:20 minutes
Resume the video and analyze the 2 text message inferences (6:20-8:35 minutes)

Differentiated Instruction

Differentiation of Content, Process and Product
  • same concept with different ability levels
  • option to use alternative format to practice concept and demonstrate understanding
Individual Activity:  Each student looks at a picture, paragraph or text message and is asked to answer one question about it depending on their grade level ability levels. The questions are distributed by the teacher using the squares in the supplementary resources to minimize any stigma. Only the teacher knows who has which question to reduce fear of any student getting wrong answers in front of their peers.

All students will use a tablet, chromebook or other computer device to use Google Docs for this activity. The student reviews the item and question they are asked to answer and records their answer on the Google Doc. They can type their answer or use speech to text to record their answer.

If the student has difficulty with the question, the student can either ask the teacher for help or clarification or the student can choose not to participate in the activity and wait for the responses to be reviewed by the class. If the student chooses not to answer the question, the student should mark their name at the back of the question square and discreetly return it to the teacher. 
Teacher Tip: Teacher walks around to check in on anyone who may require extra assistance and discreetly collect questions squares for students who may not wish to participate in the activity.

Measurement of Success

Gather the whole class and display the Google Docs collaboratively  prepared by the students. Students discuss the inference responses for each picture, paragraph or text message and teachers provide feedback.

Teachers will spend a little extra time on any inference pictures, paragraphs or text messages that were difficult for some students to make inferences about.  These were the question squares that were discreetly returned to the teacher with the student’s name on it.

Materials, References and Resources

Laptop and presentation screen- $0 (if already in the classroom) Tablet, chromebook or other device – $0 (if already in the classroom)
Elbro, C., & Buch-Iversen, I. (2013). Activation of background knowledge for inference making: Effects on reading comprehension. Scientific studies of reading, 17(6), 435-452.

Lucas, R., & Norbury, C. F. (2015). Making inferences from text: It’s vocabulary that matters. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 58(4), 1224-1232.

O’Halloran, K.L, Tan, Sl & Marissa K.L. E (2017) Multimodal analysis for critical thinking, Learning, Media and Technology, 42:2, 147-170, DOI: 10.1080/17439884.2016.1101003


Tolentino Teaching. (2021). Introduction to Inferences  
Making Inferences. Becca Aakar

Inferring Example:

A recorded example of the lesson: How to infer or make an inference when reading (Reading Comprehension Strategy)

Inference Graphic Organizers

https://www.readingrockets.org/sites/default/files/migrated/InferenceGraphicOrganizers.pdf

Small Group Discussion- Grade 3-7

  • The first groups discuss and answer questions to the picture inference
  • The second groups discuss and answer the questions to the reading inference

Small Group Discussion- Grade 8-9

  • The first groups discuss and answer questions to the first text message inference
  • The second groups discuss and answer the questions to the second text message inference
Find information from the text that will help you answer the question.Think about what you know about the information.Combine what the text says with what you know to come up with the answer.
IT SAYS:
What do you see?
I SAY:
What does that mean?
AND SO:
What is really going on?

Find information from the text that will help you answer the question.Think about what you know about the information.Combine what the text says with what you know to come up with the answer.
IT SAYS:
What do you see?
I SAY:
What does that mean?
AND SO:
What is really going on?

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY- GRADE 3-7

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY- GRADE 6-9

Study Smart