Drawing Inferences and Conclusions

Presentation

Drawing Inferences and Conclusions

What will our lesson look like?

Language Objective

I will be able to use academic vocabulary related to drawing inferences and conclusions in discussions and written responses.

Learning Intention

Today, we will focus on honing our ability to make inferences and draw conclusions when reading texts. We will learn to differentiate between the two concepts and apply them to various scenarios.

Success Criteria

• Students will accurately distinguish between inferences and conclusions.
• Students will make logical and supported inferences and conclusions based on textual evidence.
• Students will evaluate the validity and credibility of their inferences and conclusions.

Do Now:

• How did the animal end up in its current position?
• What happened to the animal after the picture?
• If the animal could paint an image, what would it paint?
• Who gave the animal the canvas and easel? For what purpose?

Define

Making inferences means connecting your experiences with what you read. Authors do not always tell readers directly everything that takes place in a story or text. You need to use clues to infer, or make a guess, about what is happening. To make an inference, first find facts, details, and examples in the text. Then think about what you already know. Combine the text evidence with your prior knowledge to draw a conclusion about what the author is trying to communicate. Making inferences and drawing conclusions can help you better understand what you are reading. It may also help you search for and find the author’s message in the text. *Watch Concept Definition Video

Vocabulary

conclusion

inference

prior knowledge

text evidence

noun a final opinion or decision based on facts

noun an idea formed by combining text evidence and one’s own reasoning and background knowledge

noun information a person has gained through reading and experience

noun details from the text that a reader can use to support his or her ideas and opinions about the text

Model

Checklist for Drawing Inferences and Conclusions:

In order to make inferences and draw conclusions, do the following:

• Look for information that is missing from the text or that is not directly stated.
• Ask yourself: What is confusing? What is missing?
• Think about what you already know about the topic.
• Ask yourself: Have I had a similar experience in my life? Have I learned about this subject in another class?
• Combine clues from the text with prior knowledge to make an inference and draw a conclusion.
• Think: I can conclude ______ because the text says ____ and I know that _____ .
• Use text evidence to support your inference and make sure that it is valid.

The word a suggests one of many.

Skill Model

• Let’s look at how one student makes inferences and draws conclusions about a topic in the poem, “The Visitor.”
• While reading, the student realizes that she does not know if this visitor is the first and only or one of many suitors. The student understands that she will have to make inferences based on clues in the text and draw her own conclusions about the characters in this poem.
• First, the student looks for clues in the text.

The narrator uses the word a again.

Skill Model

• In the second stanza, the student notices that the narrator uses the phrase “a husband.”
• “I think if this visitor was the husband that her parents chose, the narrator would use the word the instead of the word a. ”
• The student continues to read and look for context clues.

I can look up the details of this culture’s tradition.

Skill Model

• The student notices another use of the phrase “a husband” instead of “the husband”
• “The author’s use of repetition makes me think the word choice was intentional.”
• While reading the next stanza, the student realizes that she can make a better inference if she learns about this subject further.

Skill Model

The student does a search on the internet to learn more about cultures that practice arranged marriages. Then she draws the following conclusion:

• I can conclude that this visitor is not the first potential husband that the narrator has met.
• The text says “a husband” not “the husband” to suggest this is one of several.
• I know that some people who practice arranged marriages may meet several suitors.

The text does not directly state the details of this culture’s tradition. So, the student makes inferences and draws conclusions about the characters in the poem.

Thank You!