Learning Activity

Cream of the Crop Comprehension: Invitation to Infer

Subject Area

English Language Arts

Grade(s)

6

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.  

English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 6

ELA21.6.2

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.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.6.2

Vocabulary

  • Inferences
  • Logical conclusions
  • Content
  • Structures
  • Informational text
  • Comparison and contrast
  • Problem and solution
  • Claims and evidence
  • Cause and effect
  • Description
  • Sequencing

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Explicit information in a text, like its content and structure, can be used to draw conclusions and support inferences.
  • Text can be structured in different ways, depending on the type of information that is being communicated.
  • A text that follows a comparison and contrast structure will describe how two or more things are alike or different.
  • Problem and solution text structure describes a problem and how the problem was solved or could be solved.
  • Claim and evidence structure proposes a particular claim, then provides evidence to support the claim.
  • Cause and effect text structure describes an event (the cause) and the consequence or result of the event (the effect).
  • A description text structure describes a topic by listing characteristics, features, attributes, and examples.
  • Sequencing text structure presents ideas or events in the order in which they happen.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify the structure of informational texts, including comparison and contrast, problem and solution, claims and evidence, cause and effect, description, and sequencing.
  • Make inferences and draw conclusions from the content and structure of informational texts.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Informational text provides explicit information in its content and structure that can be used to draw conclusions and support inferences.
  • Informational text generally follows a particular structure, and identifying this structure can help them better comprehend and analyze the text.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 6

ELA21.6.25

Quote, paraphrase, and summarize information from sources and present findings, following an appropriate citation style, with guidance and support.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.6.25

Vocabulary

  • Quote
  • Paraphrase
  • Summarize
  • Citation styles
  • Guidance
  • Support

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Strategies to quote, paraphrase, and summarize information from research sources.
  • Writing skills to present research findings.
  • Citation styles, such as MLA and APA.

Skills

Students are able to:
With guidance and support,
  • Quote, paraphrase, and summarize information from research sources.
  • Present research findings through writing.
  • Appropriate use citation styles.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • When writing about their research findings, they should follow appropriate citation styles to avoid plagiarism and ethically use content sources.

Phase

After/Explain/Elaborate
Learning Objectives

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. 

Activity Details

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

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. 

Variation Tips

  • 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.

Background and Preparation

Background / Preparation

The teacher will need to share the Google Slide presentation with the students via an online classroom platform. 

Digital Tools / Resources

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1YeVCKaqWJzzX_vcQkuqLiDKNJrT2Macy5NYzocW…

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

amyrsmith
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