Be an inference

SleuthMiddle School Inference Unit

Grades 6-8

Common Core

INCLUDED IN THIS PACKAGE• Five Workshop Model Lesson

plans about inference.• Riddle and task cards • Guided Notes• Reading resources

As a special educator who primarily works with mild/moderate students, I don't necessarily have a set curriculum, so I try to create units that align with the general education classroom that "deep dive" into a concept. This allows my students to get a "double dose" of the concept without repeating what they are working on in their Language Arts class.

Teaching Inference – Special Education Unit

Visit me at: http://www.thebamboobridge.org and at my TPT Store: The Bamboo Bridge

Inference is a tricky concept to teach students and more so with literal thinkers (a lot of my SpEd students fall into this category). Therefore, you have to take a concept that is abstract and present it the most concrete way possible. To do this, I like to start lesson plans connecting a concept to students personally so they anchor themselves to a concept throughout the unit.

Teaching Inference – Special Education Unit

Visit me at: http://www.thebamboobridge.org and at my TPT Store: The Bamboo Bridge

Inference Connection: – Riddles allow students to use their personal knowledge to help “read between the lines” and answer the question. They are fun and when working in groups, everyone brings their own personal experiences to the table.

• Group activity• Gets students moving• Builds a personal connection to inferring

Teaching Inference – Special Education Unit

Visit me at: http://www.thebamboobridge.org and at my TPT Store: The Bamboo Bridge

Inference Interactive Comp Book – The “meat and potatoes” part of the unit. I provide guided notes so students are not copying word for word (SpEd students have a hard time with this). However, you might have students that are capable of copying (differentiation).

After notes are taken, there are practice paragraphs to model and work on in groups or individually. We are building up to our final task of reading a short story and making inferences.

• Guided Notes• Short paragraphs with graphic organizers to paste into comp book

Teaching Inference – Special Education Unit

Visit me at: http://www.thebamboobridge.org and at my TPT Store: The Bamboo Bridge

Task Cards – I LOVE Task Cards!!!!! Students get to collaborate and move around the room. They are building on their knowledge of inference by reading longer paragraphs and more applications of inferring.

• Apply inference • Work in groups• Movement

Teaching Inference – Special Education Unit

Visit me at: http://www.thebamboobridge.org and at my TPT Store: The Bamboo Bridge

Grade Level Reading: This is where the "rubber meets the road." Bringing a concept like inferring altogether and applying it to a short story can get tricky with various reading levels. In this unit, I use grade level texts and then differentiate using readingworks.org . This is a great resource to find short stories at various different level.

When teaching inference in middle school for special education classes, I use short stories from my Inference Sleuth unit. I provide links to mentor text as well as independent reading for 6th -8th grades with inference reading questions as well as vocabulary activities. If you have a student reading at say a 3rd grade level, simply go to readingworks.org plug-in the grade level and look for an inference story to use.

Teaching Inference – Special Education Unit

Visit me at: http://www.thebamboobridge.org and at my TPT Store: The Bamboo Bridge