RUNNING HEAD: Strategy Demonstration

Strategy Demonstration Reflection: Inferring Caitlin Foster University of New England September 13, 2012

RUNNING HEAD: Strategy Demonstration Link to strategy demonstration: http://prezi.com/9dsho5bfov3t/strategy-demonstration-1/

My strategy demonstration is presented in Prezi, a interactive, zooming alternative to powerpoint. The prezi presentation helps educators introduce the comprehensions strategy of inferring in a hands on, concrete way. The three lessons discussed are specifically geared toward more primary students in grades K, 1, and 2, but could be expanded for any elementary grade. All three lessons help students see how we make inferences in our everyday lives in hopes of transferring this idea into their reading. They should be used to simplify what can be seen as a very complex comprehension strategy. How will this strategy be taught? The described lessons should be presented to students as introductory lessons about inferring during reading workshop. They should follow a study of the comprehension strategy of visualizing and be taught later in the year in the primary grades. In our district specifically, inferring is a strategy introduced in first grade and reinforced in second grade. It is taught toward the end of the April and throughout May. While students may be a bit familiar with the language, these lessons will serve as a refresher and also give students something more solid to hold on to when thinking about inferring. These lessons should be taught over the course of three consecutive days if possible. Lesson one includes an introduction to what infer means, teaches students the Infer Song, and gives students a chance to practice inferring through emotions. This lesson should be taught on day one. As stated in the prezi, explain to students that inferring is what good readers do to try to figure out what the author is saying, even when the author hasnt written it down. Explain that

RUNNING HEAD: Strategy Demonstration good readers infer by looking for clues in both pictures and words to help them figure out what

the book is about. Following a brief overview of the definition, teach students the infer song and end the days lesson with a short inferring game. Choose one student to come to the front of the class. Tape a card with an emotion written on the back. The class will give clues to help students determine what emotion it is. They should phrase their clues like this, I felt that way one time when.... The student in the front needs to listen to at least three clues before inferring the emotion. Lesson two, taking place the next day, asking students to examine several items from a mystery purse and to use inferring thinking stems to infer whos purse was found in the parking lot. With each inference made, students my share the evidence that supports the inference. This lesson gives students a chance to turn and talk to partners about inferences and evidence and also helps set a the foundation that an inference relies on both schema and evidence. It also helps students get used to using thinking stems such as, My guess is..., Maybe..., or This could mean.... Lesson three, Who wears this slipper?, is the last lesson described in the prezi. It gives students a final concrete experience with the comprehension strategy inferring. Students examine and collect evidence from an old, beat up slipper (or show of any type of old shoe). They share inferences about what kind of person would wear this slipper while citing evidence for these inferences along the way. This lesson gives students one more chance to make the connection that all inferences must be based on evidence of some kind. It also provides a visual representation for students as we connect inferences to evidence, also noting how schema has helped along the way.

RUNNING HEAD: Strategy Demonstration Resources Needed These lessons requires several resources. First, it would be very helpful to have two important professional texts on hand. The first, Reading Power, by Adrienne Gear and the second, Comprehension Connections, by Tanny McGregor. These texts provide the backbone to all three lessons. Lesson one requires the Inferring Song written on chart paper and several note cards with emotions written on one side. The second lesson requires a small bag or tote filled with several items that will help infer the owner such as a computer, i-pod, apple, granola bar, receipt from gym membership, airline tickets, and childs toy. For the final lesson you will need an old slipper or shoe of some type, chart paper, and markers. How does this promote active reading engagement? Student engagement is required in each mini-lesson. These lessons can be used as an informal pre-assessment to see which students are comfortable with inferring. Students are

encouraged to verbally share inferences and evidence with the class in lessons two and three and will each get a chance to explore the evidence of the bag and the shoe. They will be given opportunities to turn and talk with elbow partners to share questions, comments, inferences, and evidence. The slipper and purse activity are both sharing information about me as their teacher which is always fascinating to younger students. They enjoy the mystery of who you are outside of the classroom. These lessons give students the important role of detective which is engaging for curious young minds. They will be excited to start being book detectives when they have made the real life connection. Finally, this activity gives students a chance to collaborate and

RUNNING HEAD: Strategy Demonstration work as a team to infer meaning. They rely on each other to share evidence to support the inferences along the way. Relationship to Research on Proficient Readers Good readers are metacognitive--they pay attention to their comprehension (Clarke, 2012). These three inferring lessons require students to pay attention to their comprehension by

asking for evidence for each inference made. Although they are not inferring from a text, they are still encouraged to be metacognitive in their thinking about the emotions, purse, and slipper. Clarke (2012) also discussed the importance of the teachers role in comprehension strategy instruction. Good reading teachers must model reading strategies, explicitly teach the reading strategies, and think about the reading process before, during, and after reading (Clarke, 2012). Lesson one, two, and three all involve positive teacher modeling before asking the class to share inferences they have drawn. Research shows that proficient readers use background knowledge as they read and also know a purpose for reading (Irvin, 1990). All three lessons described reinforce that in order to make an inference, readers must combine their background knowledge or schema with evidence. Also, before completing each activity, a purpose is set--to infer meaning by citing evidence. Finally, research clearly shows that proficient readers understand that reading is a process to make meaning vs. thinking of reading only as decoding--one word at a time (Irvin, 1990). The nature of these concrete introductory lessons encourages students to see inferring as a process to make meaning rather than focusing strictly on knowing how to read each word.

RUNNING HEAD: Strategy Demonstration Relationship to Reading Done for Class Alvermann, Swafford, & Montero (2004), explain the importance of teaching students to infer by explaining, Inferring is a way of life for teachers and students of mathematics and science. To solve mathematical word problems, inferences are crucial (p. 28). In our world today, students must know how to use context clues to determine the meaning of a word, message of an author, hypothesis of a science experiment, etc. Although children are making

inferences everyday without knowing it, there must be explicit instruction on how inferences are used in texts and pictures. Students need to be taught how to be good book detectives and how to read between the lines. Adrienne Gear (2006) also discusses the importance of inferring by explain that inferring is not the same strategy as predicting. Predicting is certainly a part of inferring, as a reader can fill in what they think might happen next in the story, but predicting what might happen next is only part of what inferring encompasses and, while we need to include predicting in our teaching and modeling of this strategy, we need to go beyond it to the other aspects of filling in what is not directly in the text (Gear, 2006, p. 81). Finally, Alvermann et al., (2004), shares research emphasizing the importance of the comprehension strategies. Expert readers use comprehension strategies during the think aloud process setting them above more novice readers that were not using these strategies as flexibly as they should before, during, and after reading (Alverman et al., 2004, p. 21). Differentiated Instruction The lessons described satisfies the needs of a variety of learners. English Language Learners (ELL), Gifted Learners, Exceptional Learners, and students with different learning

RUNNING HEAD: Strategy Demonstration styles will all benefit from these lessons. Launching the inferring sequence with such hands on

lessons gives ELL learners a chance to adjust to the language with a universal language of touch and body language. Gifted learners will be challenged to come up with more complex inferences and be pushed to further explain each piece of evidence supports to their inference. They can also be asked to explain their inferences and evidence in writing following the lesson. Exceptional learners can be scaffolded a bit more by first discussing connections they may have with the emotion, materials, or slipper. These connections, or schema discussed can be used to draw inferences and define evidence. They can be partnered up when drawing inferences in hopes of brainstorming information with a classmate. Several multiple intelligences are supported throughout these three lessons. First and foremost, the kinesthetic learner is hooked due to the movement and hands on parts of the lessons. Visual learners benefit from the class charts created and musically motivated learners can connect with the inferring song in lesson one. Intrapersonal and interpersonal learners are both reached as the lessons allows children to understand and make meaning through interaction but also encourages them to tune into their inner feelings and rely on independence when making inferences.

RUNNING HEAD: Strategy Demonstration References

Alvermann, D., Swafford, J., & Montero, M.K. (2004). Content area literacy instruction for the elementary grades. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. Clarke, L. (2012). What do proficient readers do???. [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from http://elearn.une.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url= %2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse %26id %3D_16744_1%26url%3D. Gear, A. (2006). Reading power. Ontario, Canada: Pembroke Publishers. Irvin. (1990). Proficient readers. Retrieved from http://classroom.jc-schools.net/read/proficient.htm McGregor, T. (2007). Comprehension connections: Bridges to strategic reading. Portsmouth: Heinemann.