Inferences

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Inferences
Created by George Pitlik Assessment Department
Georgetown ISD For the Texas Center for Academic
Excellence TEK Reading 5.10H
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Lets Play Detective!
Sometimes you will hear or read the term
drawing inferences as part of a reading test or
assignment. That means you have to figure
something out from clues. The story you read will
only give you clues, and you will have to play
detective. It can be fun. Click to the next
slide and well start to play detective.
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Playing Detective Without Words
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Seeing Clues Around Us
We use clues every day. Here in Texas we have
all seen a flock of vultures sitting in a tree.
Even though we can not see what they are looking
at behind the rocks, we can probably conclude it
is a __________. If we got close enough, our nose
would give us another clue.
Who brought the ketchup?
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Clues At Recess
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Pets Draw Conclusions
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Using Clues

• You smell smoke.
• You see smoke coming out of a house.
• You hear the siren on a fire truck.
• The three clues above suggest that the house is
  on fire, and someone has already called the fire
  department.

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Some Useful Tips and Tricks

• Read the question before reading the story.
• Read the story twice.
• Find key words in the question, and scan the
  story for the words.

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Finding Clues In A Story.
Tommy and Sarah just got off the school bus.
Sarah said, I smell smoke. Tommy pointed and
yelled, Sarah, look at the smoke coming out of
that house! In a moment they both heard what
sounded like a fire engine siren.

• The passage suggests that
• The house is on fire, and someone called to
  report it.
• The house is on fire, and no one called to report
  it.
• Someone was burning leaves in the back yard.
• This was a fire drill.

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Drawing Conclusions
Pretend you are at Wal Mart. As you are walking
down the candy aisle, you notice a little boy
crying and pulling on his moms skirt as she
pushes her cart towards the front of the store.
The closer she gets towards the front of the
store, the louder the little boy screams. Lots
of things could be wrong with the little boy, BUT
we can probably conclude that What do you
conclude? Click on the speaker below to hear what
I think. Of course, I could be wrong.
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Another Crying Little Boy
Pretend you are at the doctors office to get a
shot. That same little boy you saw at Wal Mart is
sitting there screaming his head off just like he
did in the candy aisle. What can you conclude
this time? F. He is still angry about not getting
the candy. G. He has an ear ache. H. He is
scared because he is there for a shot. J. He
just cries a lot.
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More Clues
Pretend you are at the doctors office to get a
shot. That same little boy you saw at Wal Mart is
sitting there screaming his head off just like he
did in the candy aisle. His mom is rocking him in
her arms. He keeps pulling at his right
ear What can you conclude this time? F. He is
still angry about not getting the candy. G. He
has an ear ache. H. He is scared because he is
there for a shot. J. He just cries a lot.
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Half Way Through
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Finding Clues In A Story.
Maria was on the flag squad that performed at
half time during football games. It was the first
game that her grandparents and uncle Luigi
attended. Maria waved her flag while looking for
her family in the large crowd. Just as she
spotted her grandmother, her greatest fear came
true. She lost her grip on the flag, and it
started to fall. Even though she caught it
quickly, Marias face became red. She felt as if
she had made a horrible mistake and everyone were
staring at her.
The passage suggests that Maria almost dropped
her flag partly because she --
A was thinking about the football game B wasnt
strong enough C was looking for her family D
was frightened by a loud noise
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Finding Clues In A Story.
Maria was on the flag squad that performed at
half time during football games. It was the first
game that her grandparents and uncle Luigi
attended. Maria waved her flag while looking for
her family in the large crowd. Just as she
spotted her grandmother, her greatest fear came
true. She lost her grip on the flag, and it
started to fall. Even though she caught it
quickly, Marias face became red. She felt as if
she had made a horrible mistake and everyone were
staring at her.
The passage suggests that Maria almost dropped
her flag partly because she --
A was thinking about the football game B wasnt
strong enough C was looking for her family D
was frightened by a loud noise
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A Famous Texan
Claudia Taylor was born in Texas in 1912. As a
young child she was given the name Lady Bird.
When she grew up, she married Lyndon Johnson who
became president of the United States. Lady Bird
wanted to do something to make the country more
beautiful. In 1965 she set up a Committee for a
More Beautiful Capitol. They met once a month and
discussed ideas and made plans. Flowers and
bushes were planted all around the city. Everyone
was encouraged to plant flowers on their
property. School yards and playgrounds were
improved.
Based on information in the passage, the reader
can tell that Lady Birds work helped make the
country F friendlier G prettier H louder J
bigger
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Oak Schools New Band Program
HELP OUR SCHOOL Oak school is starting a new
band program. We need all kinds of instruments.
They can be in any condition. Sams music shop
has volunteered to fix any broken or damaged
instruments. Please check your closets and
garage. You might have an old instrument that is
just taking up space. The new band program will
put it to good use. Thank you.
The passage suggests that musical instruments
that are just taking up space in closets and
garages A are heavy B can be useful C are
new D can be harmful
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The Tasmanian Devil
One of the rarest animals in the world is the
Tasmanian Devil. Im not talking about the one
you see in cartoons, but the real wolf-like
animal that lives on the island of Tasmania.
Every few years someone claims to see one, but
they never have proof. A few years ago, some
scientists who were studying plants found a
skeleton, teeth and some skin in a remote area of
Tasmania. They were excited as they believed they
had found the remains of the rare Tasmanian
Devil. They drew a picture of what they thought
the animal may have looked like when it was
alive. The scientists then sent the picture along
with the skeleton, teeth and skin to Washington
D.C.
What did the scientists probably do with the
skeleton, teeth and bones? F Sent them to a
country with more experienced scientists. G Made
clothing, jewelry, and other ornaments out of
them H Studied them carefully and compared them
to other animals J Sold them to museums that
displayed them
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A Quick Review
When people talk, they dont always say exactly
what they mean. The listener must figure out what
the speaker really means. Inference in reading
is when you need to use the clues written in a
story to draw a conclusion. In other words, you
need to be a word detective. You will not
always be right when you draw a conclusion from a
story, but the more you try, the more skilled you
will become. Being a good reader and word
detective is a good thing!
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Congratulations, You Made It!
My brain hurts!