Chloe Rakos

ELD 308
Reading Mini-Lesson
February 17, 2015
Reading Mini-Lesson Drawing Inferences from Text
Grade: 5th
Standard(s): CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.1 - Quote accurately from a text when explaining
what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
Objective: Students will be able to draw inferences from Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
using text clues and background knowledge. They will be able to explain their thinking behind
the inferences they have made.
Materials:
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
Index cards
Procedure
Lesson Introduction:
o I hope you all have been enjoying reading Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper. Before
we continue reading today, I would like to teach you a great strategy for helping to
understand what something means in the text when the author does not clearly state it.
This is called making an inference or reading between the lines of a text.

Teach and Model:

o As I read this passage, I want you to think about how we are using clues from the text
and what we know already to make a conclusion about what the author is saying.
Page 11 - Your life is not going to be easy, little Melody, hed say quietly. If I
could switch places with you, Id do it in a heartbeat. You know that dont you? I
just blinked, but I got what he meant. Sometimes his face would be wet with
tears.
o When I read this, I think about how Melodys father is feeling when he says this. Even
though the author does not say exactly how Melodys father feels, I come to the
conclusion that he must be feeling sad and sorry for his daughter. I came to the
conclusion because in the text, it says he sometimes cries when he talks to her. I know
that crying usually means someone is either sad or happy and to me, this does not seem
like a happy moment because he is talking about how Melodys life isnt going to be easy.
Its important to remember that to come to this conclusion, I used clues from the text and
background knowledge.

Guided Practice:
o Extensive Teacher Help:
This time, I want your help determining what the author is trying to say between the
lines.
Page 17 - Mom got to the door of the store, yanked me out of the cart and left it

with all of her selections sitting there. She was almost in tears when she got to the
car. As she buckled me in my seat, she almost screamed at me, What is wrong
with you?
How do you think Melodys mother is feeling during this passage? Some feelings
that I was thinking were embarrassed and frustrated. What words does the author use
that makes you think that? Some words that stood out to me were yanked, tears, and
screamed. I also observed the hastiness that Melodys mother exhibits when trying to
get out of the store and to the car.
o Less Teacher Help:
Now I will read another passage to you and I would like you to make your own
inference. After I have given you a moment to infer about how Melodys mother is
feeling, I would like you to turn and talk with a partner. I want you to tell them one
emotion you concluded that she is feeling and at least one piece of evidence from the
text that made you think that.
*Use same passage from Extensive Teacher Help

Independent Practice:
o I am hearing some really great inferences coming from you guys! Now I would like you
to all take an index card. On the top of the index card, I would like you to write your
name and the page number and line numbers of a piece of text from either chapter 4 or 5
that you can make an inference about. Then on that same side, I would like you to list the
text clues that made you come to that conclusion. On the other side, I would like you to
write about the background knowledge that made you come to that conclusion. When you
are all done, I would like 3 volunteers that each used different passages to share their
inferences. If you agree with what your classmate is saying, please put make a thumbs
up with your hand.

Assessment:
o Students will be assessed on their contributions to class discussion as well as what they
wrote on their index cards.