Making Inferences

Name: Stephanie Willmarth

Date: Monday, April 7, 2014
Subject of Lesson: Reading: Making Inferences
Time Estimate: 20 minutes
Grade Level: Fifth Grade

SELF-EVALUATION OF LESSON
A. Evaluation of Student Learning (description and interpretation of student behaviors)
How did the students become involved in the lesson?
- The lesson opened with the students working with a partner to interpret facial expressions and body
language. By interacting with a partner for an activity, the students are automatically involved in
learning and interacting with peers. Also, the students were asked to model an expression and infer
an expression, allowing the students to actively practice two different skills. By combining hands-on
practice and peer interactions, the students were immediately involved in the lesson.
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Prior knowledge of inferences was activated by asking students the definition of inference. Students
were asked to converse about what they already knew about inferences prior to the body of the
lesson.

With picture flashcards, students inferred about events in a picture with a caption. Students were
asked to examine the picture, consider the text evidence provided, and supplement the evidence with
prior knowledge to infer the events occurring in the scene. Conversation about three different picture
flashcards was had, comparing and contrasting various inferences made among the group of
students.

Although writing was not the focus of the lesson, students remained involved in the lesson by
recording inferences in writing on the Making Inferences worksheet. Students actively participated in
the lesson by recording their prior knowledge, writing the text evidence provided, and recording one
inference in a specific sentence format.

Questioning was used throughout the lesson to engage all students in learning and maintain active
participation in the lesson material.
How do you know if all of the students reached the objective(s)? Cite assessment data.
By the end of the lesson, all students wrote one sentence that recorded an inference about a picture
flashcard. This sentence was written by each student on their own copy of the Making Inferences
worksheet. The sentence was in the format, I thinkbecause All students connected an
inference with a combination of text evidence and prior knowledge.

All students reviewed the reading in Caddie Woodlawn, by Carol Ryrie Brink, that was assigned for
homework the night before the lesson. Each student reflected upon the chapter and made an
inference about a person or event within the reading. This inference was recorded by each student
on the Making Inferences worksheet in the format of I thinkbecause By writing a sentence that
connects prior knowledge, text evidence, and an inference, the students each proved their learning
objective of writing one sentence that draws a logical inference from a provided example.

Any students who seemed to be struggling throughout the lesson were immediately conferenced with
and supported. Students that seemed to be posing some difficulty with drawing inferences from a
text were given individualized support, additional models, and more reinforcement related to
inferencing.
How did the students practice or test their newly acquired understanding or skills?
At the start of the lesson, students practiced the skill of inferencing by identifying the emotion
displayed by a partner. Using the given evidence of body language and facial expressions, in

addition to prior knowledge about emotions, each student practiced making inferences about a peers
emotions using specific clues.
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As a guided practice, the students brainstormed potential inferences that could be drawn from a
given situation, depicted through an illustration and caption. The students conversed about the
possibilities of the depicted situation and compared one anothers inferences.

Each student received independent practice in making an inference from an illustration and caption.
A picture flashcard was shown to the group of students to interpret the situation. Each student wrote
a sentence on the Making Inferences worksheet, in the format of I thinkbecause describing the
situation on the flashcard. The sentence allowed the student to use text evidence and prior
knowledge to draw an inference from the given situation.

The students received additional practice in making inferences by applying the skill of inferencing to
the fictional text that is currently being read. On the Making Inferences worksheet, the students
practiced drawing inferences about a character or a situation in a fictional text using the book Caddie
Woodlawn, by Carol Ryrie Brink. Each student wrote one sentence summarizing an inference from a
chapter in Caddie Woodlawn, practicing their newly acquired skill in inferencing.
B. Evaluation of Teaching Processes (description and interpretation of teaching process)
How did the teaching procedures and strategies facilitate achievement of the
objective(s) and deepen student learning?
- The primary structure of the lesson was, I do, we do, you do. This structure outlines the concept of
scaffolding, providing the students with steps for the process of making inferences from a text. By
modeling, facilitating guided practice, and allowing for independent practice of making inferences in a
variety of situations, the students were eased into the new process of recording inferences in writing.
-

An anticipatory set at the start of the lesson was utilized to engage students in learning right from the
start. All students were asked to work with a partner to act out an emotion, using body language and
facial expressions. Then, each student took turns interpreting the emotion being displayed by their
partner, making inferences about the emotion being shown. This interactive, engaging anticipatory
set served as an active anticipatory set that introduced students to the concept of making inferences.

Visuals were provided throughout the lesson, primarily on flashcards and on the Making Inferences
worksheet. To scaffold the students into the process of making inferences from a given text, the
students were provided with an illustration and a caption to draw an inference from. The Making
Inferences worksheet served as an organizer of thoughts prior knowledge coming into the situation,
text evidence, and a specifically formatted inference. This worksheet provided an organization of
thoughts while drawing inferences from a text, in addition to a sentence format that effectively states
an inference that is drawn from a text.

Cooperative learning is a researched-based learning strategy that facilitates student learning. All
students worked with a partner throughout the lesson to draw inferences based on emotions, share
inferences about a situation, and compare inferences made from Caddie Woodlawn.

Activating prior knowledge is key to reaching out to learners. All students have been reading Caddie
Woodlawn, making it a great example for literary techniques and elements. Because all students
were familiar with the text, Caddie Woodlawn served as a primary example for drawing inferences
using textual evidence and prior knowledge.
What did you learn about yourself and your teaching practice?
One of my strengths as a teacher is personality. I believe that if I incorporate my warmth, energy,
and excitement, my lessons will have the highest possible potential. Reading can be difficult for

many students to comprehend. I love being able to utilize my enthusiasm to inspire a click moment
for struggling students. Engagement is key throughout any lesson, and personality is my gateway to
student engagement.
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I have the ability to be flexible. Sometimes change makes me nervous, especially when it is a
change that could affect student learning. Throughout the lesson, I made tiny changes that were
initiated by a gut feeling. For example, when reviewing Caddie Woodlawn as an example for drawing
inferences, two students had not completed the reading homework assignment. This caught me by
surprise, forcing me to be flexible in order to best meet the learning needs of all students. By
allowing my instinctual teacher feelings guide my decisions in the classroom, I seem to take-on
teaching moments and support my students to the best of my ability.

I realized that both I and my students operate best in an engaging learning environment. Although
planning interactive activities throughout a lesson requires much planning and thought, it enhances
the flow of the lesson and the learning of the students. I enjoy teaching lessons that have activities
built-in to the lesson, enhancing the level of engagement for the students. When students are highly
engaged in a lesson, the success of the lesson, measured by the number of students who meet the
learning objective, increases as well. Not only am I a more effective teacher when I incorporate high
levels of engagement in a lesson, but I also feel better about teaching the lesson to students who are
enjoying the activities.

Just as I operate well with a plan of action that is visually represented, the students perform best
when there is a visual that coincides with the lesson. The Making Inferences worksheet provided a
visual guideline for the students, organizing their thoughts about a text. The graphic organizer and
format for writing an inference provided students with the visuals needed to be successful in
generating inferences about a text. Inferences are no longer a foreign, vague concept there is a
clear flow from prior knowledge, to text evidence, to making inferences.
C. Evaluation of Materials and Resources
How effective were the materials and resources in helping the students reach the
objective(s)?
- Picture flashcards, representing a situation in which students needed to draw inferences from, were
useful visual aids for scaffolding learning. The picture flashcards provided an intermediate step of
making inferences the students had both a picture and a piece of text to refer to while making
inferences. Therefore, the visual and textual aids provided on the flashcard gave students two
sources of information and modes of delivery while drawing inferences.
-

The Making Inferences worksheet served as more than just an assessment of learning. At the top of
the worksheet was a visual aid representing how inferences can be made from a text. In a pictorial
format, the students see that text evidence plus prior knowledge leads to an inference. By providing a
visual aid for the process of making inferences, students had a point of reference throughout the
lesson. Also, the worksheet acted as a graphic organizer for sorting thoughts while drawing
inferences. For each example of making an inference, students needed to record textual evidence
and prior knowledge related to the evidence. Then, an inference needed to be written in a specific
format of I thinkbecause

Caddie Woodlawn, by Carol Ryrie Brink, was used as a primary resource throughout the lesson.
Students have been reading the fictional text for homework and to discuss in-class. By referring to
the novel that all students are familiar with, I strategically facilitated an activation of prior knowledge.
All students could easily draw inferences from characters and situations that they were familiar with,
eliminating the element of comprehension of a given situation. This allowed students to focus on the
skill of inferencing, rather than also attempting to comprehend a given situation.

D. Summative Reflection
What were the strengths of this lesson?
- The lesson was extremely well-planned and strong in structure. Time was divided evenly and in an
engaging way to meet the attention needs of all learners and to remain engaging.
-

Students were engaged and actively working throughout the lesson. The format of the lesson
included many opportunities for high-levels of student engagement. The students worked with peers,
acted-out facial expressions, participated in discussions, recorded thoughts, and reflected upon
flashcards. With high engagement in the lesson material came high levels of success with the
learning objective.

Prior knowledge was reengaged from the start of the lesson. At first, students were asked to recall
any information that was previously learned about the topic of making inferences. By establishing
that the lesson would elaborate on inferences, the students were prepared for the objective of the
lesson. The lesson sought to clarify information known about making inferences, leading to a
successful recording of an inference in one sentence. Students also used prior knowledge
throughout the lesson to connect text evidence with familiar feelings and situation. Caddie
Woodlawn, a book that the class has been reading together, was used as an example for making
inferences, allowing the students to tune-in to learned information about the text, its characters, and
common events.

Classroom management is a key area to address to ensure the success of a lesson. With a
transition time allotted at the start of the lesson, students were prepared with needed materials and
prior knowledge throughout the remainder of instruction. Students also followed procedures and
cues for answering questions by the teacher, leaving no question as to what my expectations of the
students were. The students always were prepared to grasp new material because the extraneous
distractions of materials, paper shuffling, behavior problems, and the methods to answer question
were made clear from the start.

Hands-on learning is key to incorporate into a classroom setting. The lesson that was taught focused
on providing a variety of opportunities to practice making inferences about a text. Students worked
with a peer to act-out emotions and draw inferences, they studied picture flashcards to draw
inferences about a situation, and they explored Caddie Woodlawn to make inferences about
characters and situations. With several activities that divided the lesson timeline and scaffolded the
material, the students remained engaged throughout the learning segment.

Cooperative learning is a research-based learning strategy that can be utilized in many ways.
Throughout this lesson, the primary purpose for cooperative learning was to have conversation
regarding inferences. During conversations, it was emphasized that inferences could be different
from one student to the next, as everyone brings a little different prior knowledge to the situation.
What were the problem areas? Why were they problematic?
.I have a tendency to speak too quickly while delivering a lesson. This pacing of instruction tends to
be amplified when I am under pressure and when I have time restraints. Although I was speaking
faster than usual, due to being observed and to having limited time, I need to remember to slow down
while delivering information. Especially when I work with students who have special needs,
information needs to be delivered slowly, in depth, and at the pace of the students.

One piece that the students seemed to pass over while making inferences is activating prior
knowledge. The students are relatively strong at studying text evidence and drawing a basic
inference from the given information. However, the students seem to have a difficult time with
explaining how they connected the text evidence with the made inference. Each student is able to

use prior knowledge to make an inference, but the students were not skilled at describing how prior
knowledge was used to lead to an inference being made.
What changes would you make if you were to teach this or a similar lesson again?
If given the opportunity, I would create a large visual to accompany the Making Inferences worksheet.
I would use the poster to display information regarding how to make an inference. Essentially, the
poster would be a larger version of the worksheet for the students to follow the procedure of making
inferences.

I need to work on speaking more slowly. Especially when working in a special education
environment, I need to consider the processing and comprehension speeds of the students that I am
working with. If I speak slower, I will hopefully be able to better the understanding of a topic among
my students.

I may choose to stretch this lesson over two instructional periods. I would love to allot extra time to
breaking down the exact steps that lead to making an inference, specifically focus on connecting a
text with prior knowledge. Instead of jumping from the text evidence to the inference, I would force
the students to slow their thinking and describe the prior knowledge that is being activated to make
an inference.

In general, I want to improve upon the way that I phrase instruction. In future Reading lessons, I will
be more conscious of the language I am using to describe steps, call for student attention, and
instruct on a topic. The more thoughtful I am in instruction and phrasing, the better the student
understanding will be.

One thing that matches my style of teaching is music. At the start of the lesson, I may use songs
about inferencing to activate prior knowledge, rather than a simple directional warm-up that I chose to
provide for the students.