Template by Bryson Michael

Subject: 4th Grade English Language Arts

Essential Standard/Common Core Objective:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.1
Refer to details and examples in a text when
explaining what the text says explicitly and when
drawing inferences from the text.

Central Focus:
Inferences can be used to explain what the text is not
saying directly.

Date submitted:

Date taught:

Daily Lesson Objective:

Performance- Students will be able to use evidence and personal experience to draw inferences from the text.
Conditions- Students will work independently.
Criteria- Students will need to achieve 5 out of 6 points (83%) to be considered proficient.
Students can earn points by:
3 points for a valid inference
2 points for coherent explanation of reason
1 point for listing a benefit of using inferences.
21st Century Skills:
Creativity and Innovation: Students must think and
work creatively with others to form inferences
based on evidence presented within the text and
personal experience existing outside the text.
Communication and Collaboration: Students must
communicate their thoughts clearly and collaborate
their ideas with others to form valid inferences.

Academic Language Demand (Language Function and

Vocabulary):
Explain: Students will be using inferences to explain
what the text is not saying directly.

Vocabulary: Inference
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: Students
must make judgements and decisions by
synthesizing information and making connections
between information.
Prior Knowledge: The students need to have an understanding of text structures, how to annotate text for
evidence and experience, and exposure to inferences prior to the lesson.

Activity
1. Focus and Review

Description
Hello Class! Today we are going to continue to work with inferences.
I know we worked with inferences earlier in the week so I would like
if someone could give me the definition. What are some important
steps we take to making inferences? What are two pieces of
information we need before making an inference?
(Evidence/Experience) Can anyone give me an example of an

inference? Today we are going to continue our practice by making

inferences while reading the book Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young.
2. Statement of Objective
for Student

3. Teacher Input

4. Guided Practice

Today you will be able to use evidence from the text and personal
experience to make inferences.
The class will gather at the carpet for a reading of the first thirteen
pages of Seven Blind Mice. To begin, the teacher will remind students
that an inference is a reasonable guess based on what a reader already
knows and evidence provided by the text. The teacher will then
introduce the story and begin reading. The following book is about
seven blind mice and their attempt to uncover the identity of a
mysterious object. I am going to read the first part of the story and
attempt to use evidence and experience to make inferences about the
objects identity. The teacher will have a graphic organizer under the
doc cam that will be filled out during the first portion of the reading.
While reading, the teacher will highlight evidence found from the
illustrations and text within the book. Okay, on this page it says that
the Yellow Mouse believes it is a spear and the illustration shows him
running up a very long object. I can write this down in my evidence
column. From personal experience, I know that spears are typically
sharp and narrow but one of the illustrations shows the object to be
bigger than what I would expect. Maybe it isnt a spear. I can infer
from personal experience and what I see in the text that it is not a
spear. This process can be carried out with all evidence presented in
the first part. Once the teacher has read through the first part of the
book they will go over the evidence they collected. So far the book
has said the object shares similarities to a pillar, a snake, and a spear.
Hmmm, how can I relate my personal experience to each of these
objects? What do I know about each of these objects? Is there any one
object that contains all of these features? The teacher will fill out the
personal experience portion of the graphic organizer and then
challenge the students to work on their own.
The teacher will ask the students to find a partner and collect the
materials for the next activity. The teacher will provide students with a
graphic organizer and paper copy of pages 15-26 of Seven Blind Mice.
The students will continue to read while collecting evidence and
relating to personal experience.
During this portion of the lesson, the teacher will walk around and
monitor the students while they work. The teacher will gauge
understanding through visual observation and posing of specific
questions related to the objective.
Once the majority of the class has finished reading the teacher will
call them back to the carpet. The teacher will hold a discussion about
the book by asking students what evidence they found, what personal
experience they connected to, and any inferences they may have
formed. The teacher will ask questions similar to the following: What
evidence did you collect? Did you connect this evidence to any

personal experiences? Why? What inferences did you form based on

your findings? Why did you form this particular inference? The
teacher will ask these questions for a couple difference groups. Once
this is done the teacher will ask the following: Did you notice any
differences between each group personal experiences? Did one group
have more or less connections than another?

5. Independent Practice

The teacher will have already passed out an independent activity

during the guided practice discussion. The teacher will continue to
read the story until page 33. At this point, the teacher will read the
following text, Ah, said White Mouse. Now, I see. The Something is
as sturdy as a pillar, supple as a snake, wide as a cliff, sharp as a spear,
breezy as a fan, stringy as a rope, but altogether the Something is
The teacher will then prompt the students to use their graphic
organizers to complete the independent activity. The students will be
required to use the passage, the evidence they have collected, and
personal experience to make a final inference on what they believe the
mystery object is. They will then write a short paragraph explaining
their reasoning. Finally, they will list one benefit of using inferences.

6. Assessment Methods of
all objectives/skills:

For assessment, students will be given an independent practice

activity that requires them to use evidence and personal experience
collected on a graphic organize to make a final inference about the
identity of the mystery object in Seven Blind Mice. The students will
be asked to write a paragraph explaining how they formed this
inference using the information they collected on the graphic
organizer. Finally, the students will list one benefit of making
inferences. They will receive 3 points for making a valid inference, 2
points for coherently explaining their reasoning, and 1 point for listing
a benefit of using inferences. Students are expected to score 5 out of 6
points to show mastery of the concept.

7. Closure

After the students, have finished the independent practice the teacher
will collect the materials and finish the story. The teacher will
conclude the lesson with a series of questions relating to inferences.
Did anyone correctly guess the mystery object? Did anyone guess
something else? Do you think making inferences as you read helped?
Why do you think it was important to collect evidence and related it to
personal experience? Overall, do you believe that making inferences
is an important reading strategy? Why?

Most the class showed mastery of the lesson based on completion of

the independent practice activity. After assessing the results, it was
8. Assessment Results of
found that 16 of the 19 students achieved mastery based on the daily
all objectives/skills:
lesson objective. Students proved their ability to form inferences,
explain their reasoning, and discuss why inferences are important.
However, some students struggled with listing a benefit of using
inferences and one student struggled with the entire lesson.
Targeted Students Modifications/Accommodations
Student/Small Group
Modifications/Accommodations
Students who are hearing or visually impaired will

be placed at the front of the class during the teacher

input sections. They will also receive more hands-on
instruction during the guided practice portion of the
lesson. Students that are English language learners
can have an English to native language dictionary to
help look up unfamiliar words.

If students are having a hard time during the guided

practice the teacher can provide more examples of
how the strategy should be used. The teacher will
provide more hands-on instruction to help guide
students through the activity until ensure they will
succeed on the independent practice. If students are
still struggling during the independent practice then
the teacher will pull out those students for additional
small group instruction. If all else fails, the teacher
can conduct a personalized mini lesson the following
day and reassess student comprehension through a
shorter independent assessment.

Materials/Technology: A copy of Seven Blind Mice, Supporting Inferences graphic organizer, Independent
Practice activity, pencil, doc cam.
References:
CT signature: ________________________ Date: ______ US signature: ___________________Date: ____

Independent Practice Activity: Making Inferences

Directions: Use the Supporting Inferences graphic organizer to make a final inference about the mystery
object in Seven Blind Mice. Afterward, explain your reasoning and list one benefit of using inferences.

Final Inference:

Explanation of Reason:

Benefit of Using Inferences:

Reflection
The following lesson was taught with the intention of providing students with additional instruction
about inferences and their importance. I collaborated with my cooperating teacher to provide students with a
structured lesson containing material the students were use too. However, I challenged the students to express
their understanding of the lesson through analysis of a book and written explanation. The lesson provided
students with scaffolded instruction in a heavily monitored environment. Materials needed for the lesson
included one graphic organizer asking students to list their evidence and experience with inferences, the book
Seven Blind Mice, and an independent practice activity relating to inferences.
During the lesson, it was my intention to provide the students with scaffolded instruction that allowed
for close monitoring of their progression. I kept the students on a carpet at the front of the classroom during all
portions of the lesson thus enabling them to ask questions when needed and work with students surrounding
them to gain a better understanding of the material. I found this was beneficial for student comprehension and
understanding as it challenged them to collaborate and communicate their ideas with one another. I believe the
graphic organizer they used to consolidate their thoughts during the lesson was beneficially to their success
during the lesson. The students could look back on evidence they collected during the lesson and use this
information to form valid inferences. However, some students struggled with the layout of the graphic organizer
provided for the following lesson. Independently, the students proved their ability to thrive when working with
inferences. Of the 19 students present during the lesson, 16 achieved mastery based on the assessment methods
used for the daily lesson objective. The only struggled evident during the lesson stemmed from a few of the
students misunderstanding of the instructional content. Of the 3 students who failed to achieve mastery, each
student lost points attempting the explain their reasoning and benefits of using inferences; only one student
failed to form a proper inference.
Upon reflecting, I concluded that the following lesson was a success because it provided students with
information about inferences and challenged them to use their knowledge of text and ability to write to explain
their overall understanding. Accommodations for future lessons should include extra time for explanation of
materials used during the lesson and a more structured guided practice. I believe the students required more
explanation on how to use the graphic organizer to consolidate their thought as some struggled with the process.
This may relate to why some students struggled with forming inferences while others struggled with explaining
their importance. However, I believe the lesson was a success and I would use it for future instruction.