Learning Activity

Images and Inferences: An Introductory Activity for Cream of the Crop Comprehension

Subject Area

English Language Arts

Grade(s)

6

Overview

Students will complete this activity using Google Jamboard. In this activity, students will make inferences about four related images. Students will use technology and visual literacy to make inferences throughout the completion of this assignment. This activity is intended as a formative assessment of students' knowledge and to build background knowledge for the ReadWorks passage "Top Crops."  

This resource was written as part of the ALEX 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.

Phase

Before/Engage
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

The student will:

  • be able to use visual literacy skills to make inferences about an image. 
  • make inferences about the tone of a sentence by using vocabulary and sentence structure. 

I Can Statements:

  • I can use the details in an image to make inferences about the image. 
  • I can use vocabulary in a sentence to make inferences about the sentence. 
  • I can use vocabulary to infer the author's tone in a sentence. 

Activity Details

This activity can be completed as a whole group or can be completed individually through the Google Classroom or any other online classroom platform. The teacher will share the Jamboard link with the students. This Jamboard can be shared via Google Classroom as an assignment. When sharing as an assignment, teachers can choose to click "Make a Copy for Each Student" on Google Classroom to prevent students from tampering with others' work. To provide a more collaborative experience, the teacher can share the link in the online platform of their choice and students will add their ideas to each slide. If the collaborative approach is used, teachers may opt to facilitate the completion of the final slide by leading the class in the sentence sort and moving the sticky notes herself. Students will view four different pictures and describe what they see in each picture. Tell students they are making an “inference” based on the image. On the last slide, students will sort sentences into “positive” and “negative” by using their knowledge of vocabulary and tone. 

Assessment Strategies

Assessment Strategies

The final slide of the Jamboard may be used as a formative assessment if the activity is being completed individually. Sentences included on this slide are taken from the passage "Top Crops" found on Readworks. The vocabulary and sentence structure should lead the students to infer if the author is using a positive or negative tone. Comprehension of the sentence level of the passage can be assessed through this activity. Comprehension of the sentence level will ensure that students are able to make inferences about the passage as a whole. Remediation may be given to students struggling with slide 5 of the Jamboard. 

Variation Tips

  • If one-to-one devices are not available, the Jamboard can be downloaded as a PDF, printed, and copied for the students. 
  • This lesson can be used as part of a cross-curricular activity. Human impact on the environment is a 6th-grade science standard. 
  • If you are interested in other parts of the lesson, I have included links for the During and After activities.

Background and Preparation

Background / Preparation

  • Teachers should share the Jamboard with the students prior to beginning the activity. 
  • Teachers may want to view the images and change them to fit the informational passage that will be used if not using ReadWorks "Top Crops." 

Digital Tools / Resources

https://jamboard.google.com/d/1dovl2VguMhG1LkTHxCQzI5pVo32n9eYUhXMAJf4Xvno/edit…

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

amyrsmith
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