Shoe Detectives

Today we did an activity to introduce the class to the idea of making inferences.  Inferences are another of the thinking strategies that we will use throughout the year.  An inference to me is when you figure something out that is not clear by using evidence.  To show this idea I told the students that I had picked up a pair of shoes from a garage sale.  We made a T-Chart and the class told me things that they thought they knew about the person just from looking at the shoes.  On the right side of the T-Chart the class told me what evidence they used to make their inferences.

The class was able to figure out that the person who wore the shoes did not tie and untie his shoes when he took them off and put them on.  The evidence they used to make this inference was the shoes were permanently folded over in the back.  Another inference was that the person who wore the shoes mowed the grass wearing the shoes.  This time the evidence was the grass stains on the toe of the shoe. The class went on and on figuring things out about the shoes and supplying evidence for their inferences.

Then when it was time for read aloud and Charlotte's Web the class practiced making their own inferences.  When we were reading The One and Only Ivan the class was able to make an inference that gave us all a good laugh.  Inferences are a challenge but they also unlock parts of the book that are so important.  They can unlock funny jokes or important parts of the book that may go unnoticed if the reader is not inferring.  We will continue to work on inferences this week and into next week and then use them throughout the year.

Speaking of The One and Only Ivan I found this wonderful non-review of the book and thought I would share the link http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2013/09/14/the-one-and-only-ivan-by-katherine-applegate-absolutely-not-reviewed-by-donalyn-miller/  The non-review comes from the Nerdy Book Club blog.  This is a great place to find books.  If you are looking for another place to find amazing books, you should check out the blog Heavy Medal.  This is my favorite blog over the next few months they will be reviewing and sharing and talking about books that they think will win the Newbery Medal.  http://blogs.slj.com/heavymedal/

Hope you are all having a quick week.  I cannot believe that it is already Wednesday.