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| It is what the reader already knows about a subject and they combine it with what the author says in the text
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| It is reading between the lines
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| It is creating personal meaning from text
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| It can be a conclusion drawn after considering what is read in relation to one’s beliefs, knowledge, and experience (prior knowledge)
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| It is not necessarily stated explicitly in the text
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| It implies that readers actively search for, or are aware of, implicit meaning
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| Personal inferences are revised based on the inferences and interpretations of other readers
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| Put up Inference PP on InFocus click through to slide 2
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| For the first three bullets teacher models inferencing using the think aloud strategy. For example- for the first sentence, Sue blew out the candles and got presents, the teacher would think aloud pointing out how the author words mention presents and candles. The teacher’s prior knowledge is that candles and presents are a part of birthday parties; therefore, Sue must be at birthday party- that is the teacher’s inference. Use the chart/ho “Types of Inference Skills Readers Make” –The teacher will reference the inferences to these types of inferential skills; Teacher also needs to look at HO “Comments Teachers Can Make To Help Students Make Certain Types Of Inferences”
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| Continue the think aloud for two more sentences. Then on the fourth bullet, John went running into the street without looking, have the students join in and help the teacher make inferences.
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| HO this ditto (“Types of Inference Skills Readers make”) to students and show PP slide3 at the same time. Show how you used these to help make inferences in the first few sentences.
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| Pull up slide 4 and have students in pairs share inferences with each other for each sentence on the slide, make sure they are basing their inferences on evidence from the sentence. Have them use the HO “Types of Inferences Readers Make”
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| Have a few students share out with the class their inferences on a couple of the sentences
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| page 165 “When Kids Can’t Read” Beers: It Say-I Say strategy
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| Put the list of “Types of Inferences Skilled Readers Make” on a large poster or chart paper and hang in room as an artifact. Also, have each student have a copy of this poster and the questions teachers can ask for their notebooks (artifact). Refer to these lists often.
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| At least once a day while directly teaching inference (then perhaps once a week), read aloud a short passage and use the Think Aloud strategy to make inferences. Have students decide type(s) of inferences you are making (they use the poster or their list in their notebook). Passages can be the first couple of paragraphs from a selection in your lit. book, novel, science or ss textbook, or a magazine. Two Minute Mysteries by Donald Sobol and Five Minute Mysteries by Ken Weber are also good sources. Seven minutes is suggested for these activities.
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| Remind students that author’s do not expect readers to create inferences out of nothing. Authors provide information (AW); readers use that information in a variety of ways to create their own internal text. READERS INFER and AUTHORS IMPLY. For example: Sam ate the food on her plate without slowing down between bites. The literal information we have is that someone named Sam ate all the food on her plate and did not slow down between bites. The author implied that Sam is a female by using the pronoun her. The reader inferred that she was hungry because she did not slow down while she ate. Now add the following sentence: Her bus would be arriving in about two minutes. The reader revised his/her original inference based on the new information. Perhaps instead of being hungry, she was in a hurry. (formulating and revising inferences)
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| Cut out some cartoons from the newspaper and put them onto a transparency or use your Infocus. Read them aloud and then “Think Aloud” the inferences you make that allow you to find the cartoon funny. Now let the students cut out cartoons and follow the same procedure above with them. This activity allows the teacher to connect the concept of “PRIOR KNOLWLEDGE” being a necessary skill to draw upon in order to understand the cartoons.
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| Show students signs (or bumper stickers) and have them write down their inferences that come from reading these captions. Have students refer to the list of “Types of Inferences Skilled Readers Use” and identify the types of inferences they are making. Below are some examples to use with your students:
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