ALEX Learning Activity

Cream of the Crop Comprehension: Invitation to Infer

A Learning Activity is a strategy a teacher chooses to actively engage students in learning a concept or skill using a digital tool/resource.

  This learning activity provided by:  
Author: Amy Smith
System:Gadsden City
School:W. E. Striplin Elementary School
  General Activity Information  
Activity ID: 2790
Title:
Cream of the Crop Comprehension: Invitation to Infer
Digital Tool/Resource:
Google Slides: Invitation to Infer
Web Address – URL:
Overview:

This activity is a Google Slides presentation. It is intended to be completed independently. Each slide contains an excerpt from a Readworks passage. Each passage has a different text structure. The students will read each passage. Students will then respond to a text-dependent writing prompt that focuses on making inferences.

This resource was written as part of the ALEX ELA Resource Development Summit.  
  Associated Standards and Objectives  
Content Standard(s):
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 6
2. Make inferences and draw logical conclusions from the content and structures of informational texts, including comparison and contrast, problem and solution, claims and evidence, cause and effect, description, and sequencing.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 6
25. Quote, paraphrase, and summarize information from sources and present findings, following an appropriate citation style, with guidance and support.

Example: MLA, APA
Learning Objectives:

The student will: 

  • make an inference by using textual evidence and background knowledge while answering a text-dependent writing prompt. 

  • quote information from sources to support an inference. 

I can: 

  • make an inference by using textual evidence and my background knowledge while answering a text-dependent writing prompt. 

  • quote information from a source to support my inference. 
  Strategies, Preparations and Variations  
Phase:
After/Explain/Elaborate
Activity:

The teacher will share the Google Slide presentation with the students via any online classroom platform. The teacher will remind students to combine the textual evidence with the background knowledge that they already have to make an inference. The teacher will refer to the second slide and review the RACES acronym with the students. The teacher will address the importance of quoting from the text when supporting their inferences. The students will read each passage and the prompt. The students will add their text-dependent writing responses to the provided text box. 
Assessment Strategies:

This activity can be used as a formative or summative assessment. The teacher will read each answer and make sure that the student's inference is supported by the textual evidence and their background knowledge. Each student's background knowledge will be evident through the explanation provided in their writing. 
Advanced Preparation:

The teacher will need to share the Google Slide presentation with the students via an online classroom platform. 
Variation Tips (optional):

  • If one-on-one devices are not available, the teacher can download the Google Slide presentation as a PDF. The activity can then be printed and copied to distribute to the students. 

  • The teacher could instruct the students to highlight each part of their answer with a different color. For example, restate would be red, the answer would be blue, cite would be green, explain would be yellow, and sum it up would be pink. 

  • If you are interested in other parts of the lesson, I have included links for the Before and During activities.
Notes or Recommendations (optional):
 
  Keywords and Search Tags  
Keywords and Search Tags: claim and evidence, compare and contrast, inference, inferring, informational text, problem and solution, quote