Download Drawing Inferences With Informational Text

LESSON 7
Drawing Inferences With
Informational Text
GOAL •
Help students understand how drawing
inferences during and after reading
can enhance comprehension of
informational text
I Can Statement
I can draw inferences by using the QAR Author & Me Inference Chart.
Reading Cycle & QARs
Reading Cycle: During and After Reading
QAR: Author & Me: Using author’s clues to identify useful background knowledge and experiences
for understanding informational text
Materials
C
“Plants of the Desert” (informational passage), p. 63 (one copy for each student)
C
I Can Statement written on a chart or sentence strip
C
The Core QARs Poster and QAR and the Reading Cycle Poster (display copy of each)
(Display posters throughout lesson for review and reference.)
Name ________________________________________________ Date _____________________
6&7&ZYMTW2J.SKJWJSHJ(MFWY
QAR Author & Me Inference Chart (display copy, one copy
for each student)
C
highlighter
C
chart paper and marker
QAR Comprehension Lessons, Grades 2–3s3CHOLASTIC4EACHING2ESOURCES
56
C
AUTHOR
QAR Comprehension Lessons: Grades 2–3 © Kathryn H. Au & Taffy E. Raphael • Scholastic Teaching Resources
ME
INFERENCE
DURING
AND AFTER
READING DURING READING
BEFORE
READING
Step
AFTER READING
1 EXPLICIT EXPLANATION
Begin by explaining the purpose of this lesson.
Today I will be teaching you about an important comprehension strategy
to use during and after reading (refer to the QAR and the Reading Cycle
Poster): drawing inferences. Authors cannot put every single detail into a text
because that would make the text too long and too boring. Sometimes I have to
use what the author has included and what I already know to make guesses,
or inferences, about what the author did not tell me. An inference might be
about a place, a time, or even what a single word means. The author gives
me information that I can use as clues. I use these clues to think about what I
know that will help me make sense of the text.
Good readers draw inferences using clues from the author and their own
ideas (refer to The Core QARs Poster).
You use the Author & Me QAR to draw inferences about a text.
Display the following sentences and read them aloud: Most park pigeons stay close to
home. But they are very good travelers if they have to move.
The text says that park pigeons stay close to home and are good at
traveling. But the author did not tell us why park pigeons stay close to home,
what makes them good travelers, or why they might need to move. Thinking
about the pigeons that I see in the park helps me use what I know about park
pigeons to comprehend these sentences. For example, I know that park pigeons
are birds, even though the author doesn’t state that. I can infer that staying
close to home means staying in the park, since that is where park pigeons most
likely live. I’ve seen pigeons fly fast when someone gets too close to them, so
that may be a reason they are good at traveling. They might need to move if
they think they are in danger.
Sometimes we have to fill in information that makes sense in the text we
are reading, based on what we know and what the author tells us. When we do
that, we are drawing an inference. Only certain information In My Head will
be useful for drawing inferences. I will show you how I use the QAR Author &
Me Inference Chart to keep track of information In the Book, information from
In My Head, and the inferences I draw.
QAR Comprehension Lessons: Grades 2–3 © Kathryn H. Au & Taffy E. Raphael • Scholastic Teaching Resources
57
Step
2 MODELING
Display the QAR Author & Me Inference Chart.
Note: If students have participated in Lessons 5 and 6 and are familiar with the QAR
Author & Me Prediction Chart, make the connection to today’s lesson, as indicated
below. If not, skip the sentence.
The QAR Author & Me Inference Chart looks like the QAR Author & Me
Prediction Chart that you learned to use in Lesson 5. The Author column
reminds me to start with clues from the Author. The Me column tells me to
think about what I have in my head. The Inference column is where I take
what the Author told me, In the Book, to think about useful information In My
Head. Using this information in my head, I can understand what is happening
in the text, even if the author didn’t write everything down.
Once students have grasped the connections to QAR language, introduce the “Plants
of the Desert” passage and enter key ideas in the chart as you read (suggestions for
key ideas are underlined in the script below).
The author gives me information in the title “Plants of the Desert.” I think
that the title could be useful for drawing an inference, and that “plants” and
“desert” are both important clues from the author. I’ll write those words in
the Author column. They help me picture the plants that grow in pots on my
window ledge and also in the park near my house. These plants grow in black
soil, and they need water pretty often. When I picture a desert, I see a hot, dry
place with lots of sand and sun. I’ll write this down in the Me column. Using
the Author & Me information helps me make my first inference: Desert plants
grow in different conditions than my plants, maybe in sand instead of soil.
Read aloud the introduction and the “Desert Plants Adapt” section and continue
modeling how to use the chart to draw inferences about the passage.
The author is talking about a cactus—that it doesn’t need water even when
it looks thirsty, and that it has adapted to live without rain for a long time. I’m
not sure what the word “adapted” means, and the author doesn’t tell me, but I
think I can draw inferences to help me understand this section. One inference
is that a cactus must be a desert plant. I think that makes sense because I
know from the title that this passage is about plants in the desert, and the
author is talking about a cactus plant. Since the cactus is a desert plant and
can live for many months without rain, and my plants need a lot of rain, I am
going to infer that “adapted” means the plants changed so they wouldn’t need
as much water. Adapting helped them survive.
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QAR Comprehension Lessons: Grades 2–3 © Kathryn H. Au & Taffy E. Raphael • Scholastic Teaching Resources
As you model, point out that you are writing notes in the chart, rather than copying
the complete text. Samples appear in the chart below. Emphasize that active readers
use the author’s clues and their own background knowledge to draw inferences so
they can make sense of the text they are reading.
QAR Author & Me Inference Chart
AUTHOR
ME
INFERENCE
Plants
Plants grow in pots and in
the park.
Need water and black soil
Desert plants grow in
different conditions.
Desert
Desert: hot, dry, sand, sun
Cactus is a desert plant.
Cactus doesn’t need
much water.
Adapted = changed
Adapted to live
without rain
Step
3 GUIDED PRACTICE
Distribute a copy of the passage and a blank copy of the QAR Author & Me Inference
Chart to each student.
Now I want you to practice using the QAR Author & Me Inference Chart
to draw inferences following the same steps I just modeled for you. As I read,
think about the Author information you can add to our chart. Think about
words that are useful clues to enter into the Author column of our QAR Author
& Me Inference Chart. Underline those words.
Read aloud the “Leaves of Desert Plants” section. Then tell students to turn to a
partner and share the ideas they underlined. Have students add the ideas they think
will help them draw inferences to their own individual chart. Ask two or three pairs to
share their information with the rest of the class, eliciting concepts illustrated in the
chart below as necessary. Add their information on the class chart. Next ask pairs to
create two or three Me ideas to add to their own QAR Author & Me Inference Chart.
Have a few pairs share their ideas with the class and record them on the class chart.
Ask pairs to use the Author & Me information to draw a reasonable inference—
something that they think makes sense even though the author did not include it in
the passage. Ask several pairs to share their inferences and discuss with the class why
the inferences make sense. See the sample that follows.
QAR Comprehension Lessons: Grades 2–3 © Kathryn H. Au & Taffy E. Raphael • Scholastic Teaching Resources
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AUTHOR
ME
INFERENCE
Roots soak up rain.
Roots are under the ground.
Roots get the water
from the ground and
then deliver the water to
the leaves.
Cactus have waxy leaves.
My plants don’t have
waxy leaves.
The waxy leaves can
store water for the
plant for a long time in
between rains.
After it rains
Deserts are very dry.
It must rain in the
desert, just not
that much.
Note: Emphasize the process of logical thinking rather than of getting the right answer.
Praise students who use sound logic even if they come up with unexpected ideas.
Step
4 COACHING
Ask pairs to take turns reading the next section of the text, “Roots of Desert Trees,” to
each other and then work together to add at least two inferences about this section to
their QAR Author & Me Inference Chart.
First, start by looking at the clues you wrote in the Author column of your
chart. Then, think about how well those clues go with what you wrote in the
Me column. If they go together well, use both columns to make an inference
and write it in the Inference column. If the author’s clues and your ideas do not
go together well, talk about additional ideas to add to the Me column before
making your inference.
Provide coaching to students who are experiencing difficulty. Help them think about
the author’s clues and the match or mismatch with their own background knowledge.
Call on several partners to share the inferences they made. Add their ideas to the
class chart, remembering to praise students who show logical thinking. A sample for
this section of the text follows.
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QAR Comprehension Lessons: Grades 2–3 © Kathryn H. Au & Taffy E. Raphael • Scholastic Teaching Resources
AUTHOR
ME
INFERENCE
Tap root is very long to
get water deep in the
ground.
A tree needs a lot of water
to grow.
There must be large
amounts of water
deep in the ground, like
underground lakes.
Long root—short root
Roots go into ground, trees
have really big roots.
If a tree has a tap root,
it may not need as much
rain as other trees.
Step
5 INDEPENDENT APPLICATION
Ask students to read the last section, “Flowers of Desert Plants,” independently.
Remind them to underline words in the text to add to their individual charts.
As you read, remember to start with the author’s clues. Then think about
what you know that can help you draw an inference to understand the text.
Add at least one new idea under each column in your chart: Author, Me,
and Inference.
Encourage students who finish early to add more entries to their chart. Call the whole
group back together and have several students share the entries. Invite a few students
to add their entries to the class chart. A sample chart entry for the final section of the
text appears below.
Remind students that the author’s clues sometimes help us realize that our
background knowledge is inaccurate or incomplete. This is the case with an
informational text such as “Plants of the Desert” where the author wants readers to
learn new ideas.
AUTHOR
ME
INFERENCE
seeds sprout, lots of
colorful flowers
When plants grow from seeds,
they often have flowers.
Sprout means “grow”
because the color means
there are flowers.
Seeds lie underground.
Seeds need light and water to
turn into plants.
Seeds in the desert have
to live a long time while
they wait for rain before
they grow.
Die very quickly/
just one day
Flowers in park by my house
are there all spring.
Visitors to a desert
would be very lucky to
see flowers!
QAR Comprehension Lessons: Grades 2–3 © Kathryn H. Au & Taffy E. Raphael • Scholastic Teaching Resources
61
Step
6 SELF-ASSESSMENT & GOAL SETTING
Display the I Can Statement and read it aloud with students.
I would like to see how well you understand how to draw inferences during
and after reading to improve your comprehension of the text.
Introduce students to the every-pupil-response format called Speedometer. Have them
think of a speedometer going from very slow to very fast.
Here’s a new way to show me how well you understood this lesson. Pretend
that your right arm is the needle on a speedometer, like in a car. (Fold your arms
in front of you with your right forearm resting on top of your left forearm.)
If you can draw an inference, but you would like a lot more help, keep the
needle of your speedometer at the starting point. (Model leaving your right
forearm folded over your left forearm.)
If you can draw inferences, but you could use a little more help, move the
needle of your speedometer about halfway. (Model holding your right forearm
perpendicular to your left forearm.)
If you know how to draw an inference—and could even teach others to
draw an inference—move the needle on your speedometer all the way to the
side. (Model moving your right forearm to the right.)
Think about what to show me so I can see how well you understood the
lesson. Get ready! Please show me your speedometer.
Provide appropriate feedback and encouragement to students, based on the degree of
understanding they have demonstrated.
Now I will give you a chance to discuss what you learned today with a
partner. We will be using the form of sharing called Same or Different. The
first partner shares an idea he or she learned from today’s lesson. The second
partner says, “I have the same idea” and explains why, or says, “I have a
different idea” and explains why. Then switch roles. The second partner will
share an idea he or she learned.
Allot two or three minutes for the Same or Different activity. Then call on a few pairs
to share the Same or Different ideas they discussed from today’s lesson. Record their
responses and new understandings on chart paper. (Examples: I use clues from the
author, In the Book, to think about what I already know In My Head to make good
inferences; the QAR Author & Me Inference Chart is a good tool to use to keep
track of my inferences; making inferences helps me add information the author
didn’t include.)
Praise students for their good thinking, and conclude the lesson by collecting their
completed charts.
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QAR Comprehension Lessons: Grades 2–3 © Kathryn H. Au & Taffy E. Raphael • Scholastic Teaching Resources
For use with
Step 2: Modeling
title,
introduction, and
“Desert Plants
Adapt” section
Plants of the Desert
A cactus may look very thirsty, but you don’t need to give it water!
All desert plants have ways to get water, even in their dry habitat.
Desert Plants Adapt
Like all plants, desert plants need water. They have adapted to live in
their environment for many months without rain.
For use with
Step 3: Guided
Practice
“Leaves of
Desert Plants”
section
For use with
Step 4: Coaching
“Roots of Desert
Trees” section
For use
with Step 5:
Independent
Application
“Flowers of
Desert Plants”
section
Leaves of Desert Plants
The century plant’s roots soak up water after it rains. Then, the plant
keeps the water inside its leaves. The plant will use the water when the
weather is dry.
The leaves are very waxy on the outside. Water cannot get out of the
leaves because of the wax. Many other desert plants have waxy skin and
leaves, such as cactuses and aloe plants.
Roots of Desert Trees
The acacia (uh-kay-shuh) tree has a long root called a tap root. It
grows deep into the earth. It is long enough to get water that is very deep
in the ground.
Other desert trees get water in another way. They have short roots
that are close to the surface. The roots get rainwater as soon as it hits the
ground. With long roots or short
roots, all trees get a drink!
Flowers of Desert Plants
Flower seeds lie underground.
For many months, rain does not
fall. When rain finally comes, the
seeds sprout. Flowers bloom and fill
the desert with color.
During this time, the flowers
spread new seeds onto the ground.
They sink into the soil. They
wait underground until the rain
falls again.
The life cycle of desert flowers
is very short. They bloom, spread
their seeds, and die very quickly.
Sometimes it all happens in just
one day! That’s because it may not
rain again for many months.
QAR Comprehension Lessons: Grades 2–3 © Kathryn H. Au & Taffy E. Raphael • Scholastic Teaching Resources
63
Plants of the Desert
QAR Comprehension Lessons: Grades 2–3 © Kathryn H. Au & Taffy E. Raphael, Scholastic Teaching Resources
!CACTUSMAYLOOKVERYTHIRSTYBUTYOUDONTNEEDTOGIVEITWATER
!LLDESERTPLANTSHAVEWAYSTOGETWATEREVENINTHEIRDRYHABITAT
Desert Plants Adapt
,IKEALLPLANTSDESERTPLANTSNEEDWATER4HEYHAVEADAPTEDTOLIVEIN
THEIRENVIRONMENTFORMANYMONTHSWITHOUTRAIN
Leaves of Desert Plants
4HECENTURYPLANTSROOTSSOAKUPWATERAFTERITRAINS4HENTHEPLANT
KEEPSTHEWATERINSIDEITSLEAVES4HEPLANTWILLUSETHEWATERWHENTHE
WEATHERISDRY
4HELEAVESAREVERYWAXYONTHEOUTSIDE7ATERCANNOTGETOUTOFTHE
LEAVESBECAUSEOFTHEWAX-ANYOTHERDESERTPLANTSHAVEWAXYSKINAND
LEAVESSUCHASCACTUSESANDALOEPLANTS
Roots of Desert Trees
4HEACACIAUHkaySHUHTREEHASALONGROOTCALLEDATAPROOT)T
GROWSDEEPINTOTHEEARTH)TISLONGENOUGHTOGETWATERTHATISVERYDEEP
INTHEGROUND
/THERDESERTTREESGETWATERINANOTHERWAY4HEYHAVESHORTROOTS
THATARECLOSETOTHESURFACE4HEROOTSGETRAINWATERASSOONASITHITSTHE
GROUND7ITHLONGROOTSORSHORT
ROOTSALLTREESGETADRINK
Flowers of Desert Plants
&LOWERSEEDSLIEUNDERGROUND
&ORMANYMONTHSRAINDOESNOT
FALL7HENRAINlNALLYCOMESTHE
SEEDSSPROUT&LOWERSBLOOMANDlLL
THEDESERTWITHCOLOR
$URINGTHISTIMETHEmOWERS
SPREADNEWSEEDSONTOTHEGROUND
4HEYSINKINTOTHESOIL4HEY
WAITUNDERGROUNDUNTILTHERAIN
FALLSAGAIN
4HELIFECYCLEOFDESERTmOWERS
ISVERYSHORT4HEYBLOOMSPREAD
THEIRSEEDSANDDIEVERYQUICKLY
3OMETIMESITALLHAPPENSINJUST
ONEDAY4HATSBECAUSEITMAYNOT
RAINAGAINFORMANYMONTHS
QAR Comprehension Lessons: Grades 2–3 © Kathryn H. Au & Taffy E. Raphael, Scholastic Teaching Resources
The Core QARs
In the Book
Right There
Think & Search
In My Head
Author & Me
On My Own
QAR Comprehension Lessons: Grades 2–3 © Kathryn H. Au & Taffy E. Raphael, Scholastic Teaching Resources
QAR and the Reading Cycle
Before
During
On My Own
Author & Me (without opening text)
Right There
Think & Search
Author & Me
Author & Me
After
Meaning-Making
Name ________________________________________________ Date _____________________
6&7&ZYMTW2J.SKJWJSHJ(MFWY
QAR Comprehension Lessons: Grades 2–3 © Kathryn H. Au & Taffy E. Raphael, Scholastic Teaching Resources
AUTHOR
ME
INFERENCE