Do you realize that this is a masterpiece of a lesson? I forwarded it to Linda for her to read and be amazed. Zoe
On Wednesday, January 17, 2007, at 05:26 PM, ginger/rob wrote: > I've been working on inferring with my second graders. Doing many of > the > lessons I've learned to use with older kids and the kids in the library > setting last year. I thought I would resend this. > Ginger > moderator > ++++++++++ > I like to use large pictures first with kids that show everyday > situations. > I've used the Mondo flipchart from the set called "Let's Talk About > It". Great large color photos. Many work well for this lesson. (This > year I > am using the Second Step social emotional picture set from years ago. > They > are black and white pictures which lots to infer.) > > I wanted to introduce the "magic formula" for > inferring: > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > ----- > CLUES FROM THE TEXT (literal pictures/words) > > plus > > SCHEMA/BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE (what I know about it) > > equals > > INFERENCE > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > ----- > I teach it first JUST with pictures. So if you don't happen to have > large > pictures, you could use magazine pictures. Ask around. I bet someone > has > something you can borrow in your building. > > I'll try to describe the pictures I used today. The first one was a > girl > with huge excited wide eyes, an open smiling mouth and hands up on each > cheek. I told the kids they were going to be making inferences using > the > clues from the text and their schema. > > I flipped open to that picture. I asked them to turn and talk with > their > thinking partner about what they THINK the girl is feeling. (answer: > She's > surprised!!!). On chart paper I drew the "magic formula" with an > empty box > for each part of the equation. Labeling the boxes. I pointed to the > boxes > as we were "doing" that part of the lesson. So....... I asked them to > turn > and talk with their thinking partner and say what they THINK she is > feeling. > I had a few share back and we agreed that the inference is that the > girl is > surprised. (I pointed to the INFERENCE box). I talked about how we > make > inferences all the time when we really don't even realize it. But in > order > to make an inference we are doing two things. We are using the clues > from > the text, the words or pictures, and in this case we JUST have a > picture, (I > pointed to the CLUES FROM THE TEXT box) and we are adding the clues > to our > schema/what we know about it ourselves in our mental folders (I > pointed to > the SCHEMA box). > > I then had them turn and talk about what CLUES they SEE in the > picture. Then > I had them share back whole group. This is what they said: (You need > to > help them be VERY LITERAL here!) Her eyes are wide open. Happy eyes > (we > all made a startled face that would NOT be a happy surprised face to > show > the contrast). Her mouth is saying AHHHHH!!! Her hands are up on her > face. > I pointed to the CLUES box and repeated these. What we see. Everyone > can > see these. > > Next I had them activate their schema and think of a time they felt > like the > girl. A time when THEY could have made that face. Then I had them > turn and > talk and share that with their thinking partner. Then we shared a few > whole > group. I pointed to the SCHEMA box and talked about how each of us has > different schema. Some of our particular experiences don't have to be > same > for us to INFER what she is feeling as long as we have had some sort of > experience that surprised us. > > I repeated the formula. We can see her eyes, her mouth, her hands.... > all > showing a reaction to something. These are the CLUES we can see. We > then > put that together with our own schema for that "face".. thinking of > something that WE would make that face in response to. That brings us > to > the inference that she is surprised. > > (Gosh it's really hard to write this all down like it happened. I > hope you > are following me????) > > I used a second picture that showed a paramedic in his uniform > standing at > the back of the ambulance with one hand on the gurney and a concerned > look > on his face as he stares out toward ??????? In the background you can > see > the second paramedic grabbing the medical kit. The license plate says > "Emergency Vehicle". The paramedic has a hat on with the medical > symbol. > There are lights flashing on the ambulance. > > So here's how that one went. > 1. Turn and talk with your thinking partner about what you can INFER > about > this picture. (Share back) > ------he's a paramedic who is at a scene of an emergency about to go > help > someone (our inference) > 2. Turn and talk about what clues you can SEE. (Share back) > -----his uniform, hat, serious/concerned eyes, hand reaching to grab > and > pull out the gurney, license plate, flashing lights, other paramedic > with > medical kit in his hands (CLUES) > 3. Activate your SCHEMA about what you know about ambulances, > paramedics, > accidents, hurt people needing help, flashing lights. Now turn and > talk. > (Share back) > -----I've had to go in an ambulance when I was in a car accident, an > ambulance sped by our car, my neighbor is a paramedic, I've seen an > ambulance on the news when there was a fire, my doctor's office has a > rug > with that medical symbol on it just like what is on his hat, etc. > (SCHEMA) > 4. Recap: You can infer what is going on in the picture because you > used > the CLUES FROM THE TEXT and added it to your SCHEMA. > > Other pictures I used today were: > 1. Three boys standing behind the backstop fence at a little league > game > cheering on a teammate. > 2. A girl dumping out all the money from her piggybank. > 3. A boy at the doctor's office with his shirt off and the doctor is > listening to his breathing with a stethoscope. > Pictures from the Second Step set: > 1. A boy holding the pieces of a broken mug looking back with a sly > face. > 2. A girl holding a sandwich up to her mouth with a very disgusted > face. > 3. A girl holding a bag of candy pleading with her eyes to her mom > standing > with the grocery cart. > 4. A boy on the couch with a bandaged foot reaching out to a friend > bringing > him a book. > ------------------------ > > At first it seems like this is backwards. They are making the inference > first. But to have to defend your thinking is where the power is in > this > activity. Do this often and by the time you move to text they will be > able > to notice the clues from the text that activated their schema and > resulted > in an inference. > > ++++++ > Magazine picture lesson and more: > > Here are some suggestions for inference: > > Make an "equation" like this: clues from the text (words/pictures) > (what > you literally see in the book) + your schema (what you already > know/your > background knowledge) = Inference > > I've also heard it put this way: > Questions you have + what you already know (Schema) = inference. > > I make a poster of the first "equation" and teach it that way. > > I also had trouble teaching this to my third graders as they were > confusing > it with predicting. (and YES I know I read all different > interpretations > about what exactly is an inference. Some say predicting is an > inference. I > just couldn't do it without having a more clear explanation for my > class) > Jan, who I co-teach the graduate courses with really helped me out a > lot on > the difference. > > See if this helps: > > A PREDICTION is when you read to a certain point and stop and think > "what > will come NEXT". Based on what you have JUST read. The unknown coming > ahead in the story. A prediction is looking FORWARD. Predictions can be > substantiated (found to be correct by evidence in the text) or not as > you > read on. > > An INFERENCE is when you read to a certain point and STOP and think > "what > did the author just mean?". Based on what you have JUST read. LOOKING > BACK. When the words are not literal. > > For example if in the story the boy just yelled into the phone with a > mean > voice and slammed down the phone. You can infer that he is angry. > You read > that he slammed down the phone. It already happened. The author > COULD have > written "He was angry." But instead leads us to INFER that by his > actions. > Combined with our own experiences of slamming down the phone. > > When I teach inferring I stop whenever I can at these obvious moments > and > ask, "Using the clues of what we just read and what you already know > (your > schema), what does that part mean????" Because of Winn Dixie is > PERFECT for > inferring. The beautiful language the author uses is FULL of > inferences. > And the kids GET IT!!!!!!!! > > Another great idea that a teacher shared in class once was this: Take > advertisement pictures from magazines. For example, I have an ad with > Sammy > Sosa sitting down reading. Next to him is a baseball bat. In the > background is the field and other players warming up. I cut out the > baseball bat and mounted a piece of purple construction paper behind > it so > when looking at the ad you just see the shape of a bat in purple. I > tell > the kids their job is to infer what the missing piece is. We use the > first > "equation" above and do it together. We can infer that it is a > baseball > bat. Our clues would be just what we see there: the shape (always a > BIG > CLUE), there is a baseball player next to the bat, he is wearing a > baseball > uniform, there is a baseball field in the background, there are other > baseball players. Our schema would be: I know Sammy Sosa is a baseball > player, I have a baseball bat, I've played baseball, I've watched > baseball > games on T.V., I've been to a baseball game. I tell the kids that if I > lived in a country that didn't know about baseball or play it as we > know it > they would NOT have schema for baseball and would not have such an > easy time > "inferring" what the missing piece is. Help them see that we all > could have > different schema depending on our life experiences and our "mental > files". > > Another example was a picture was of a soccer player with the ball in > the > air above his head. Cut out the ball and from the back glue on a red > piece > of paper. The kids had to use the clues that they see (net in the > background, shin guards on his legs, soccer shoes, soccer > shirt/uniform) + > their schema for soccer (I have a soccer shirt, I've played soccer and > use > that gear, sometimes soccer players hit the ball in the air with their > heads, I've seen people play soccer) to determine it was a soccer > ball. You > can say, "How do you know it is not a volley ball or a basketball?" > You see > they can prove it based on their schema. But I have NO SCHEMA for > soccer and > I pointed that out. > > If you then give a small group 4 different pictures they can work > together > to complete the "formula" four times. Then one person can share the > groups > favorite with the class. I've used the EXACT same pictures with first > through 5th grade and each group of kids LOVES THIS ACTIVITY. I feel > like > after this, inferring will be easier since this "anchor lesson" can be > referred back to as we do our work in our stories. > > Just get some magazines and flip through them and you will see you can > cut > out crucial parts to block out. I think this is a great way to > tangibly > teach inferring. > > I find that inferring slides right in after studying ANSWERED and > UNANSWERED > questions. You can take some of the UNANSWERED questions and infer the > answers based on what you already know and the clues from the text. > ++++++++++++ > 1/17/07 > For me, the best work I've done on inferring happens after these anchor > lessons with just pictures. Then I move to wordless pictures books > where > you totally have to use inferring to make the meaning. On our TOOLS > page(www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm ) there is a list of > the > wordless pictures books I use in the "Other" category at the bottom. > Most of > this is done first in shared and then in partner groups but shared back > whole group so the stronger verbal models can enlighten those still in > process. > > Then I move to a great read aloud. Something with a lot of inferring. > I've > used Petey with the older kids and Because of Winn Dixie with my 3-4th > graders. Haven't gotten to the point of the read aloud with my second > graders so I don't know what it will be this year yet. Every chance I > get > where there is implied meaning I stop and say "Let me reread that part > and > you tell me what the author means here." Some can do it easier than > others. > But then I fill in the gaps. I then restate the written clues that > lead us > to know that meaning. Plus I ask them what schema they have for that > situation. It starts to be almost obsessive to find these perfect > points to > infer. I love interactive think alouds where both the students and I > do the > thinking. Turn and talk is great after they've had the scaffolded > support. > They can turn and talk and infer what the author means and then share > back > and the wealth you will hear is breathtaking!!! > > Let me share a story about Rudi's Pond (Eve Bunting) that happens > EVERY time > I use that book. If you don't know it you have GOT to read it!! It's > in the > voice of a young girl who has a friend in the neighborhood/school with > a > heart condition. (Yes, he dies and I know many can't read this without > crying but CRY!!! It shows the power of words and believe me the kids > connect MORE and THINK MORE when the text is emotional!!!) It's a very > tastefully written book. They build a pond for Rudi and she brings the > hummingbird feeder to the nearby tree since Rudi made it with her. > Well..... the very next day a hummingbird comes to the window near > where she > sits. Stares right at her and then flies to the feeder. After > several days > of this she senses something is special about the hummingbird. She > begins to > wonder could it be??? Well, Eve Bunting outdoes herself in this > one..., she > transposes a sketch of Rudi with the hummingbird and EACH AND EVERY > TIME I > show that page and have the kids turn and talk (you should see how > fast they > whip their little heads around to share their thinking in this book, > too!!!) > someone says in the share back: "I think Rudi's soul is in the > hummingbird." > I am NOT KIDDING. Last year I used this book with 7 classes and I did > it > this year with my own second graders and EVERY TIME some bright > sensitive > child will have that thinking. Once the kids hear that you just say, > "Oh my > gosh.... turn and talk about what Emily just said!!". Now not all > kids "get > it" and it's o.k. if they don't but the talk that you hear and the > threads > that run off of it are so powerful. We then always infer the theme at > the > end by answering this question: "Why do you think the author wrote this > book?" They come up with things like: "To remind us that even when > people > die they are still in our heart." "Their spirit can watch over you." > "Friends are with you forever." "You can always remember your > friends." > "You will never be alone." > > Getting them to infer independently is hard. First of all- how do you > know > they are doing it unless, like was already mentioned earlier today you > see > it in their writing. For me, I need to hear their talk. And > struggling > readers are often the best "inferrers". Especially if you take away > the > print challenges they face. So do it in shared and small groups and > you be > the reader and you will be amazed. If they know the "formula"!! > > Inferring is what takes us deeper. And even the little ones can do it. > > Gosh it's been so long since I've written and as usual I am long > winded. > Ginger > moderator > grade 2 > > > > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > [email protected] > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/ > mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
