LessonPlan:InteractiveReadAloud/MiniLesson

Ms.Andreini
CommonCoreStateStandard:
RL4.1
Refertodetailsandexamplesinatextwhenexplainingwhatthetextsaysexplicitlyandwhen
drawinginferencesfromthetext.
Grade:
4th
Objective:
Thestudentswillcreateinferencesbyusingclosereadingskillstoanalyzethetext,
answerquestionsandmakepredictions.

Materials:
TheWretchedStonebyChrisVanAllsburg

BeforeReading:
HelloreaderstodayIamgoingtoreadstorybyaveryfamousauthorChrisVanAllsburg.He
haswrittenmanyfamouschildrensstoriesthatyoumayknowsuchasthe:ThePolarExpress,
JumajiandTwoBadAnts.ChrisVanAllsburgisknownforaspecialtoolheusescalled
inferencing.Inferencingiswhentheauthorimpliesadeepermeaningofwhatthewordssay
withoutevertellingusdirectly.Soasreadersweneedtotakeacloselookatthewordsbecause
theyprovideuscluesforthedeepermeaning.
Nowwearegoingtolookatthecoverofthestory.Whatcanwepredictaboutwhatwillhappen
inthebook?IwouldlikeforyoutoshareonepredictionwhenIcallonyou.
Promptingquestionsforpredictions.BasedonwhattheysayImayalterthequestionsto
helpthemanalyzethecoverinadeepermanner?

Whattypeofpersonisthisman?

Whatdoesthebackgroundscenerytellus?

Thosearesomegreatpredictions.Nowwhilewereadalongifourpredictionsareconfirmedwe
canraiseathumbsup,iftheyneedtorevisethemduringthestorywecangiveasideways
thumb.
DuringReading
:

 Prediction
Basedonthecoverofthebookandwhatwehavereadsofarwhatdowethink
themenarebringingaboardtheship?

Turnandtalkwithyourpartner

chooseafewstudentstovolunteertheirpredictionswiththeentireclass
basedonlisteninginduringturnandtalk

Nowthatwehavereadthispagewehaveseenifourpredictionshave
beenconfirmedjusttakeaminutetoreflectonthatandjotitdowninyour
notebook

ModelThinking
IknowthatasareaderIamlookingforcluestotryandfigureoutwhatthetextissaying
inadeepermeaning.HearisanexampleofsomecluesIhavenoticed:
Theyrarelyspeak,andthoughtheyswingthroughtheriggingmorequicklythan
ever,theywalkthedecksinaclumsystoopedoverfashion.
Ibelievethattheyhavecontractedsometypeoffeverthatcameonboardwith
thestone.

Iamthinkingthisdescriptivetextistellingusdetailsaboutwhathas
happenedtothesailors

Letsfindout
Prediction
Willthecrewhelpwiththestorm?
Thumbsupifyoupredictyesandthumbsdownifyouthinkno
purposefullydonotshowthenextpage
Prediction

 Readtheline:butitwasnotamanwhoopenedthedoor,itwas
Whatdoyouthinkitis?turnandtalkwithyourpartner
gobackandrereadthelinefromthebeginning
ModelThinking
IknowthatwearelookingforinferencingcluesreaderssoIamgoingtogobacktothe
partabouttheglowingrock,andrereadit.
Theyarestillbeasts,butseemsadandlostwithouttheglowingrock.
Thismakesmethinkthatsincetherockglowedthatmustmeanitisimportantforitto
glow.
Modelthinking

Itsaysthatwhoknewhowtoreadrecoveredmostquickly,thismustmeantherewasa
relationshipbetweenthestoneandreading.

Afterreading

Readersthereissomethingspecialaboutthewretchedstonenowwearegoingtofigure
outwhatthewretchedstoneis.

IfyoualreadyknowthatisgreatIwouldlikeforyoutokeepittoyourselfsoeveryonein
theclasscanunderstandwhatitis.

WhenyouknowwhatitisIwouldlikeforyoutowriteitdowninyourreader's
notebookandthenflipitoversoIknowyouaredone.

Iwillmodelthisforthem.

Readersinorderforustofigureoutwhattheauthoristryingtoinferencewearegoingtomake
aTBKIcharttogetherasaclass.

Textclues,backgroundknowledgeandinferencecanhelpusdiscovertheinference
implied.

Readerswhattextclueshastheauthorgivenusaboutthesailorswerelikebeforethey
discoveredthewretchedstone?
Sampleanswers:

Read

Music

Dance

Performedtheirjobswell

Whatwerethemenlikeaftertheycameincontactwiththestone
Someexamples:

Hunchedover

Didnotread

Quiet

Howisthestonedescribed
Someexamples:

2feetby2feet

Heavy

Glowed

Becamedull

BackgroundKnowledge:

Electronicsglow

Diesbecomesdull

GuidedPractice
:

NowIwouldlikeforustoanalyzeanotherpieceoftexttogetherandwithyourpartnerusethe
cluesofthetexttodiscovertheinferences.

Handouttheworksheettoeveryoneandhavethemlookatthefirstexample.

Havethemindependentlyreadthestoryoncetheyaredonelookatme.

OncethemajorityofthegroupislookingatmeIwillmodelforthemhowtomakethe
chartintheirnotebook.

Togetherintheirpairtheywillcreate1charttosharebetweenthem.

Atthistimegivethem35minutestoworkonthechart,dependingonhowtheyare
doing.

Oncetheyaredoneaskforastudenttovolunteertheanswerandthenusethumbsup
andthumbsdowntoconfirmordenytheinference.

IndependentPractice
:
Thentheywilleachlookatthenexttwostoriesindependentlyandmakecharts.Readersifyou
findyourselfstartingtomakethechartandrealizingyoualreadyknowtheinferencebeforeyou
startwritinginthechartstayontherug.
Studentsontherug

Readerssinceyouhavealreadymasteredtheskillofinferencewithouttheuseofachart
Iwouldlikeforyoutocomeupwith1storytowriteusinginferenceskills.

Firstcomeupwithwhatyouwanttoinferenceandthencluesthatgivehintsbut
don'tdirectlysayit.

Onceyouhavethatyoucancreateyourinferenceshortstory,itshouldonlybe
aboutaparagraphlong.

Assessment:

IfstudentsareabletoindependentlyfindtheinferencebycreatingtheTCBKIchartthenthey
arebeginningtodevelopanunderstandingofinference.Iftheyareabletomakeaninference
withoutatextcantheycreateanefficientstory,thathasinference.Icancheckbothofthese
thingsbasedontheassignmentduringtheirindependentpractice.
WrapUpFinalThought
:
ReadersIjustwanttostresstheimportancetoyouofclosereading.Asreadersitisour
responsibilitytoanalyzethetexttoourhighestcapability.Thatmeansbeonthelookoutfor
cluestoseeistheauthorisinferencingsomethingwithoutdirectlytellingus.Whenyouread
yourindependentbooksbeonthelookoutforinferenceclues!