This slide deck introduces students to the literacy skill, Inferring. It is designed to be moved through slowly, scaffolding an understanding of Inferring for students who are completely unfamiliar with the term or concept, while also strengthening the implementation of the literacy skill for those who already have a solid foundation.
English Course Pack: Unit One – Literacy Skills
This assignment is part of the The Full English Course Park. This piece is part of Unit One: Literacy Skills, which focuses on creating a strong foundational understanding of literacy skills, PEE paragraph writing, and embedding quotations as textual support.
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1.06 – Inferring: Slide Deck
Step One: Beginning from the Beginning
Students should start by inferring what inferring is.
Then, they can copy down the definition, and provide some examples of how they use the skill (dressing based on weather reports, etc.) before watching the two short video clips.
Step Two: Watching Clips
The two video clips present two different approaches to inferring. The first gives an overview of the skill, while the second demonstrates that inferences don’t have to be wrong to be strong. Solid support is required for a strong demonstration, even if the end inference is proved false.
Step Three: Oral Practice
Students can practice their inferring skills by assessing what it literally shown in the image of the UC Davis pepper spraying incident (https://www.dailydemocrat.com/2021/11/18/10-years-later-uc-davis-implements-change-following-pepper-spraying-incident/) and then list what prior knowledge can help them determine what is occurring.
The red circle slide will walk through key pieces that are literally displayed.
At this point you can have communicate their inferences orally. Time permitting, you may ask them to record a brief written explanation of the text.
Step Four: Written Practice
Finally, the comic (https://pbfcomics.com/comics/bee/) is used with the quick paragraph template for students to write an inference explanation paragraph, before copying down the final exemplar.
The Impact
At this point, students should have a strong understanding of inferring to build from. This skill will find itself used time and again throughout the course.
English – Unit One: Literacy Skills
1.08 – Questioning: Slide Deck (English Lesson)
The Questioning slide deck follows the same framework that all the literacy skills slide decks do. It starts by asking students what the skill entails, … Continue reading 1.08 – Questioning: Slide Deck (English Lesson)
1.07 – Made out of Meat – Short Story Visualizing and Inferring (English Lesson)
Terry Bisson’s story, They’re Made Out of Meat, is a perfect way to put inferring into practice. After reading the story aloud, students are asked … Continue reading 1.07 – Made out of Meat – Short Story Visualizing and Inferring (English Lesson)
1.05 – The Drawbridge: Character Monologues (English Lesson)
The Drawbridge Character Monologue assignment builds upon the now-familiar text that was explored in 1.04 – The Drawbridge: PEE Paragraphs, asking students to consider the … Continue reading 1.05 – The Drawbridge: Character Monologues (English Lesson)
1.04: The Drawbridge: PEE Paragraphs (English Lesson)
The Drawbridge PEE Paragraph activity brings together all of the learning that has taken place so far. The beginning of the lesson should be run … Continue reading 1.04: The Drawbridge: PEE Paragraphs (English Lesson)
1.03: Embedding Quotations: Slide Deck (English Lesson)
Embedding Quotations is a necessary skill that students will use throughout their years in secondary and post-secondary education. This slide deck introduces the idea of … Continue reading 1.03: Embedding Quotations: Slide Deck (English Lesson)
1.02: Alligator River (English Lesson)
Alligator River is a short story that will have your class yelling at each other, screaming at each other, becoming enraged at each other. And … Continue reading 1.02: Alligator River (English Lesson)
1.01: The Nametag Project (English Lesson)
The Nametag project begins the school year with students creating a piece that visually represents who they are and presents the challenge for them to … Continue reading 1.01: The Nametag Project (English Lesson)
English Course Packs: Full Units
Unit One: Literacy Skills
Unit Two: Poetry
Unit Three: Literature Circles
Unit Four: Creative Writing & Choose Our Way Tales
Unit Five: Essay Writing
Unit Six: Culminating Tasks
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Michael Barltrop has been teaching since 2006, integrating comics, video games, and TTRPGs into his classroom. He has been the head of English, Literacy, and Universal Design. Feel free to reach out through Twitter @MrBarltrop!
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