Making Inferences - Creative Teaching Packet

This 46 page packet is filled with everything you need to teach your students about the art of making inferences. The activities are fun to do and will have your students actively involved. Each activity taps into the learning styles of all your student. It can be used at ANY TIME DURING THE YEAR! It's awesome to use around Halloween, as the story is suspenseful....and the inference activities are great mysteries!

The packet includes:

-The Widow's Broom Readers' Theater Script (2 characters in the story are Ima Inference and Ima Strategy) It is a compelling, suspenseful story that will have your students making inferring, predicting, and thinking about what they are reading.

-Investigating The Widow's Broom Printable- focuses on character traits and text evidence

-Reading Detectives Infer overhead transparency- (all transparencies can be used as printables or blown up as anchor charts, of course)

-Schema Transparency- You can't teach your students how to make inferences without going over schema!

-Inferences Transparency (A Quick Look- Reminds the students what it is, after you've taught it. I put it up the day after I teach about inferences.)

-Reading Detectives Infer Worksheet 1 (double-sided)- Your students will be given clues about an item and must make an inference and use their schema to discover what the item is. This worksheet is geared more toward lower grades and those learners who really need to be able to achieve success before being challenged more.

-Reading Detectives Infer Worksheet 2 (double-sided)- This worksheet is more challenging. Once your students really understand what you're asking them to do when you tell them to infer, they will be up for solving the information on this worksheet.

-Inference Cards 1-6 Activity- You will cut these apart, laminate them, and put them on a ring. Give each group a set of these cards and have them make inferences to answer the questions being asked of them. You can do this as an activity in class, or set it up as a learning center.

-I've Got Inferences in the Bag! Activity- This is a hands-on inference game that your students will love to do! You'll have the kids make their own bags, but I did include a set of pictures for you to place in a bag to use.

-Clues From the Trash- This is so much fun! You'll show your students the overhead transparency which includes garbage from the Smith family. They'll have to "go through the trash" to make inferences about the family.

-"The Stranger" Literature Connection double-sided worksheet- After reading Chris Van Allsburg's "The Stranger," your students will work to complete this worksheet making inferences based on the story. It's a great story for this skill!

-Chris Van Allsburg Author Background Transparency- Whenever I read a story with my class, we first pay our respects to the writer by learning a little bit about him/her. This transparency focuses on tidbits about Chris.

-"Feet" Transparency- In this transparency, you'll show your students someone's feet. They'll have to make inferences about that person based on his feet alone.

-Teacher Notes Page- This will give you all the answers to the worksheets. It was also explain each activity, in detail. In addition, it will give you ON-LINE links for inference games and videos that will help bring some technology into your reading lesson.

I've found great success with these materials. I hope you do as well! Enjoy!