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Teaching the Skill Teaching the Skill of Inference of Inference Rebecca Binks University of St. Francis [email protected]

Transcript of TTeeachingaching thethe SkSkiillll ooff...

Teaching the SkillTeaching the Skillof Inferenceof InferenceRebecca Binks

University of St. Francis

[email protected]

Teaching InferenceTeaching Inference

Inference is a complex skill and is included inmany other types of reading strategies.

Good readers need to be able to coordinatemany strategies at once.

It is important to remember that this strategy It is important to remember that this strategyshould not be taught in isolation. NationalReading Panel report (2000), states that learninga variety of reading strategies together is mosteffective.

Inference v.Inference v. ObseravtionObseravtion

Observation is what you see

Inference is what you figure out

Beers’ Types of InferencesBeers’ Types of Inferences

1. Recognize the antecedents for pronouns

2. Figure out the meaning of unknownwords from context clues

3. Figure out the grammatical function of an3. Figure out the grammatical function of anunknown word

4. Understand intonation of characters’words

Beers’ Types of InferencesBeers’ Types of Inferences

5. Identify characters’ beliefs, personalities,and motivations

6. Understand characters’ relationships toone anotherone another

7. Provide details about the setting

8. Provide explanations for events or ideasthat are presented in the text

Beers’ Types of InferencesBeers’ Types of Inferences

9. Offer details for events or their ownexplanations of the events presented inthe text

10. Understand the author’s view of theworldworld

11. Recognize the author’s biases

12. Relate what is happening in the text totheir own knowledge of the world

13. Offer conclusions from facts presentedin the text

Another Way to Describe InferenceAnother Way to Describe Inference

Basic◦ Inferences draw text and background knowledge

together

Anaphoric Relations◦ Inferences based on two parts of the text—more

complex:Inferences based on two parts of the text—morecomplex:

Antecedent or referent/substitution◦ Associations between words where one word or

group of words is used in place of another wordof group of words. We just got a new puppy.That ball of energy is taking

over our lives

Inferential ThinkingInferential Thinking

Inferring requires higher order thinkingskills, which makes it a difficult skill for

many students.

Inferential thinking skill: when a reader Inferential thinking skill: when a readercombines clues from the text with theirown background knowledge or fromother parts of the text in order to drawconclusions.

What We Know About InferencesWhat We Know About Inferences

We need to find clues to get someanswers.

We need to add those clues to what wealready know or have read.already know or have read.

There can be more than one correctanswer.

We need to be able to supportinferences.

Ways to Teach InferenceWays to Teach Inference

Trash Bags

◦ Put items in a bag and tell the students youfound it on your way to school.

◦ Take the articles on one by one and make alist of them on the board or on chart paperTake the articles on one by one and make alist of them on the board or on chart paper

◦ Ask the students to make a case about theowner of the items in the bags

Example: Axe spray, a Hollister clothestag, church flyer, magazine

Variation on Trash BagsVariation on Trash Bags

Be a Historian

◦ Same process as trash bags, but the itemscould be put in a purse or a suitcase

◦ Ask the students to act like historians andusing the historical method describe theAsk the students to act like historians andusing the historical method describe theowner of the items

Example: a pink bootie, a paperback, a post cardfrom Paris

Aesop’s FablesAesop’s Fables

Have the student's read one (or more) ofAesop’s Fables.

Have the students use their own wordsto write the moral of the fable.to write the moral of the fable.

You can find the fables online—just cutand paste!

The Fox and the GrapesThe Fox and the Grapes

One afternoon a fox was walking through theforest and spotted a bunch of grapes hangingfrom over a lofty branch.

"Just the thing to quench my thirst," said he.

Taking a few steps back, the fox jumped and justTaking a few steps back, the fox jumped and justmissed the hanging grapes. Again the fox took afew paces back and tried to reach them but stillfailed.

Finally, giving up, the fox turned up his nose andsaid,"They're probably sour anyway," andproceeded to walk away.

Four Oxen and the LionFour Oxen and the Lion

A lion used to prowl about a field inwhich four oxen used to dwell. Many a timehe tried to attack them; but whenever hecame near they turned their tails to oneanother, so that whichever way heapproached them he was met by the hornsapproached them he was met by the hornsof one of them.

At last, however, they fell a-quarrellingamong themselves, and each went off topasture alone in a separate corner of thefield. Then the lion attacked them one byone and soon made an end of all four.

Visual PunsVisual Puns

Use as sponge activities

Visual PunsVisual Puns

DOCTOR

DOCTOR ParadoxDOCTOR Paradox

Visual PunsVisual Puns

MCE

MCE

3 Blind Mice

MCE

MCE (No Letter i)

Visual PunsVisual Puns

Crying Shame

SHCRYAME(Cry in“Shame”)

PoetryPoetry

A silver-scaled dragon with jaws flamingredSits at my elbow and toasts my bread.I hand him fat slices, and then, one by one,He hands them back when he sees theyHe hands them back when he sees theyare done.

--William Jay Smith

The Toaster

“The old law of ‘an eye for an eye’ leaves“The old law of ‘an eye for an eye’ leaveseverybody blind.”everybody blind.” ——Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr.

A.Violence is a necessary evil.

B. Responding to violence with violenceleads to destruction.

C. Old laws are the best laws.C. Old laws are the best laws.

D.There are better ways of responding toinjustice than with violence.

Source:Townsend Press:Ten Steps

“A hero is a man who does what he can.”“A hero is a man who does what he can.”——Romain RollandRomain Rolland

A. Heroism doesn’t always consist ofnoticeable actions.

B. Many people do not do all they can tohelp others.help others.

C. It is easy to be a hero.

D. People don’t have to be outstandinglybrave to be heroic.

Source:Townsend Press:Ten Steps

“Help your brother’s boat across, and your“Help your brother’s boat across, and yourown will reach the shore.”own will reach the shore.” ——Hindu proverbHindu proverb

A. We need each other to help us reachour goals.

B. Helping someone benefits the helper aswell as the receiver of help.

C. People should sacrifice their well-beingC. People should sacrifice their well-beingfor the sake of others.

D. Boats tend to reach shore no matterwho pilots them.

KIS StrategyKIS Strategy

KeyWords, Infer, Support.

◦ This mnemonic strategy helps students rememberthe three steps in making and supportinginferences.

Students need to underline key words and Students need to underline key words andfacts from the text.

Next students make inferences using the keywords or facts to answer the question.

Lastly, the students list backgroundknowledge used to support their answers.

Marking Texts with Sticky NotesMarking Texts with Sticky Notes

Sticky notes help students focus theirreading on specific goals such as findinginferences.

Sticky notes are one way to help studentskeep track of their thinking while reading.keep track of their thinking while reading.

Teachers can have the students jot downquestions or thoughts during reading.

Students then can refer to the sticky notesduring class discussions, conferences, orwriting assignments.

Graphic OrganizerGraphic Organizer

Quote from Text

Page

Number I Infer…

PerplexorsPerplexors mindware.commindware.com

See back of handout

Minute MysteriesMinute Mysteries

Rex is surprised when the phone rings. Heanswers it and writes down a message. Hedoesn’t know the person who called or theperson being called. He will never meet them.person being called. He will never meet them.What is going on?

Clue: Rex was working

Clue: He was in a public place

Clue: It wasn’t his personal phone

AnswerAnswer

Rex works for the phone company. He’d justfinished repairing a pay phone and it rang.The caller explained her friend was supposedto be there. Rex wrote down the messageto be there. Rex wrote down the messageand left it for the friend to find.

PICTURE BOOKSPICTURE BOOKS

Wordless Picture BooksWordless Picture Books

The Stinky Cheese ManThe Stinky Cheese Man

CARTOONSCARTOONS

Things Parents Can DoThings Parents Can Do

Ask her,“What do you think,” and “What struckyou here?”

Explain that we make inferences all day long, notjust when he’s reading. Encourage a conversationabout this. (Dad looks tired tonight — how canwe tell? Jennifer knows not to reach for a toy atabout this. (Dad looks tired tonight — how canwe tell? Jennifer knows not to reach for a toy atthe checkout counter –it’s the expression onMom’s face, of course!)

Model your own behind-the-scenes thinking: thistechnique is called a “think-aloud.” Say,“Hm; I wasgetting worried when Clifford started to play withthe electrical cords because I know that…”

Things Parents Can DoThings Parents Can Do

Build inference skills with quick word gameslike twenty questions: children try to guessthe identity of a mystery person or thing byasking questions – if they can’t guess, theasker gets a point!.

Wonder out loud, for example,“Where are Wonder out loud, for example,“Where arethe ants hiding?” When the child replies, ask“What clues helped you figure thatout? Show me the words!”

Similarly, when they have used context topuzzle out the meaning of an unknown word,inquire,“What helped you figure that out?”

Things Parents Can DoThings Parents Can Do

Let your child develop and retain or dismissconclusions; help him to talk about theprocess he’s using.

Predict what the next page will hold; explainwhy you think so. Let the child agree or notand defend his position.why you think so. Let the child agree or notand defend his position.

Get at a “big picture” or a possible lifelesson intended by the author (if there isone) by talking about the title, or aboutcertain things that happen over andover. Show how understanding evolves, bitby bit, depending on the turn of events.

Questions?Questions?

Becky Binks

[email protected]