Abby Parrent

02/02/16
Teaching Reading: Mini Lesson Format (Calkins, 2001)
Targeted Literacy Strategy or Skill: To infer meaning of the book through observing
the illustrations in the book.
Grade level: 1 grade and above
Objective: The student will be able to use all aspects of a book to infer meaning.
Common Core State Standard/ PASS Standard:
RL. 1.1 Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical
inferences from it;
st

Prior knowledge: (What students already know)

Before teaching this lesson to my first grade class, I will plan accordingly, and make
sure that they have learned about inferring with and without pictures beforehand. They
should also be able to ask and answer questions about key details and to access their
background knowledge.
Observations/Rationale: (Before Lesson) What did you notice in your students
work that let you know this lesson was necessary? (This will be an approximation
this semester.)
I noticed that many of the students were struggling with inferring in general, and
thought that illustrations would help the students better understand.
Materials Needed
Lesson from (Name your source including page number)
Mentor Text: Tight Times by Barbara Shook Hazen
Materials: Chart Paper, Markers, two column notes, clipboards, notebook paper,
pencil
Student Groups (whole/small group/partners): class lesson/turn and talk with partners
Mini Lesson Format:
Connect (AKA~ Anticipatory Set, Engagement/Pre-reading):
Sometimes it is hard to know what the author is trying to tell us about a book or
passage. Today I am going to show you what great readers do. Great Readers make
inferences. One way we can learn to make an inference better is to look at the
illustrations that are provided for us and by the facial expressions and actions, we can
discover the point the author is trying to convey. I also made a chart to help us better
understand how to make inferences. (Chart shows that to make an inference you use
your background knowledge plus information from the text and make an inference.)
Making an inference is much like doing a math problem. We need background
knowledge, which is information that we already know and informational text to help
us discover what the author is inferring.
Teach (Model/Explain)
One way we can learn to make an inference better is to look at the illustrations that are
provided for us and by the facial expressions and actions, we can discover the point the
author is trying to convey. I also made a chart to help us better understand how to make

inferences. (Chart shows that to make an inference you use your background
knowledge plus information from the text and make an inference.) Making an inference
is much like doing a math problem. We need background knowledge, which is
information that we already know and informational text to help us discover what the
author wants us to know. Today we are going to read Tight Times by Barbara Shook
Hazen and I am going to help you understand how to use your background knowledge
to figure out what the author wants us to know or think by looking at the illustrations
and the cover of this book. Before we start reading I want each of you to think about
what the book is going to be about based on the cover and the title using your
background knowledge. (Read title and point out specific object in the picture. i.e. the
boys facial expression). I look at the title and think to myself, I wonder what Tight
Times means? Maybe his clothes are too tight? Maybe he is having a bad day because
he has a pouty face and I know that is a pouty face because that definitely is not a
smile. As I read the book, I want you to think about any inferences you might have
and when I am done reading a page, shout them out and we will discuss as a class and I
will write what we know plus what we know from the illustrations and text and make
an inference. (This is where I am explicitly modeling my thinking and continues
reading to the first and second page of the book and after I read first page I stop and
think out loud for my students.) What makes you think that he has already asked for a
dog? Maybe I know that he has asked for a dog because the text says This morning I
asked mom, why cant I have a dog? Not now, she said not again and the little boy
looks upset. Lets fill in our chart, using our equation, background knowledge plus
text clues.

Active Engagement (AKA~ Check for Understanding: students try it out,

teacher observes):
As I get closer to the end of the book I will have the students turn and talk and make
inferences with a partner, and I will continue to point out certain illustrations that stick
out to myself, so the children understand. (When a student has an inference about the
story I will reply with, How did you come to this conclusion? (Accept answers and
ask What makes you think that? so they can provide evidence for their response.) I
will also ask the students What text clues did you use? What do you already know
about that? (This can probe them to have their own understanding and I can see if they
comprehend what this lesson is about.) As I read the second to last page aloud, I will
instruct the students to make a final inference silently and have everyone write what
they infer on their piece of paper. (I will then have the class turn and talk about what
they think is going to happen with a partner by looking at the illustrations. I will then
read the final page of the book and ask the students What did you think about this
book and did you think it was easier to infer using illustrations?

Link (AKA~ Closing the Lesson [with accountability for the skill/process])
Now that we have done this lesson on inferring from the cover and illustrations as
well as the text, I hope that you can take what we have learned today and apply this
when you are reading other books. When you read other picture books, I hope that you
will jot down or sticky note your book when you have made an inference while
reading. Do not forget to use the equation we talked about, background knowledge plus
information from the text equals inference.