Drawing Conclusions Grade Level: 3 4 Teacher Guidelines pages 1 2 Instructional Pages pages 3 5 Activity Pages page 6 7 Practice Page page 8 Homework Page page 9 Answer Key pages 10 11
Classroom Procedure: 1. Ask: What is a conclusion? 2. Allow for responses and discussion. Many students will say the end or a similar response. 3. Ask: What is drawing? Most students will say something related to art, etc. 4. Allow for responses and discussion once you tell them it is not related to art. 5. Ask: What does drawing conclusions mean to you? 6. Allow for responses and discussion. 7. If there is a window in the classroom, pick something outdoors for students to draw conclusions, such as a tree without leaves, a budding tree, people walking, the sky, etc. 8. Introduce drawing conclusions as it relates to reading comprehension. 9. Distribute the Drawing Conclusions content pages. Read and review the information with the students, emphasizing the steps to drawing conclusions. 10. Use additional examples to increase the students understanding of the concept. 11. Distribute the Activity pages. Pair students. 12. Allow each pair time to complete the reading and to fill out the chart. Using the chart, the students should be able to easily answer the questions on Page 2 of the activity. 13. Review the chart and the questions with the class, allowing students to share their responses. 14. Distribute the Practice page and a passage from a novel or other reading content to the class. They will complete another chart as in the Activity page, except it should be a longer passage, and from currently assigned reading. (continued) Approximate Grade Level: 3-4 Objectives: The students will be able to draw conclusions after reading a story, paragraph or other passage of text. The students will be able to explain the steps in drawing conclusions. Common Core State Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.1 Class Sessions (45 minutes): 1-2 class sessions Teaching Materials/Worksheets: Drawing Conclusions content pages (2), Activity pages (2), Practice page, Homework page Student Supplies: handouts Prepare Ahead of Time: Prepare passages for students to use for the Practice page. Copy handouts. Additional Resources: http://www.readingrockets.org/article/making-inferencesand-drawing-conclusions (Content) http://www.readworks.org/lessons/concepts/drawingconclusions (Content) http://www.woodland.k12.mo.us/faculty/rgarner/reading/dra wing_conclusions.htm (Content and more) http://www.roomrecess.com/pages/readinggames.html (Interactive games) http://www.k12reader.com/subject/reading-skills/drawingconclusions/ (Worksheets) VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mthxw6cgssm (4 min.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mplz_hsnjti (2 min.- Song) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_s1pkkn81s (4 min.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uq7nwbgqmw (3 min.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_mlgijsnu4 (1 min.) Options for Lesson: Students may work alone for the activity, or part of the activity. Allow students to do the second page of the activity alone. Use additional reading content to practice the steps in drawing conclusions. Assign each student a different passage to read from the same novel; they create several questions for another student to draw conclusions from their passage. Switch Practice/Homework pages. 1
Classroom Procedure (continued): 15. Review the Practice page allowing students to share responses. 16. Distribute the Homework page. Review the instructions. 17. Review and check the homework the next day, allowing students to share responses. 18. In closing the lesson, share a one or two sentence scenario with the class, and ask students to draw conclusions verbally. Teacher Notes Drawing conclusions is a skill which is very helpful for students and their reading comprehension. Often, drawing conclusions may also be paired with making inferences, which is closely related. Most students have a wide range of prior information at their disposal, but it is possible some students do not have a varied range of experiences to use for prior information. This must be considered when teaching any of the reading comprehension skills. 2
Drawing Conclusions Review the picture. What may have caused the tree to fall onto the car? What do you think may have happened? Do you think anyone was hurt? How do you think the people feel who live in the house? What time of the year might it be? Is it in the city, suburbs, or country? When you answer each of the questions you are drawing conclusions. Drawing conclusions means using prior information, knowledge you already have, adding it to what you read or see, and then joining it all together to make an educated guess. Here is information that can be combined to draw a conclusion about the picture: FACTS: Tree on car roof, see other houses nearby, no people can be seen. PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: Wind, storms, lightning has knocked over trees before, storms occur in summer or spring usually, it could be any temperature. Some people are scared during a storm. OTHER: Car does not seem to be damaged badly, part of tree knocked over. Combine all of the information to answer the above questions: The tree fell on the car most likely during a storm, and not a tornado because there seems to be no damage to the home. Since the car is not badly damaged and sitting in a driveway, no one may have been hurt. The people may have been scared. It might be spring or fall because there are no leaves on the tree. Finally, it may be in the suburbs because a house is nearby, plus there is a sidewalk. 3
Prior Knowledge Notice how you add information from the picture to other information you already know to arrive at an accurate observation. This same skill is used when there are no pictures and you are reading a story or other content. You will draw conclusions based on the facts you read plus prior knowledge. Here is a super short story: A worm crawled along the path singing a happy song. He came near a sidewalk and wondered how he would get across. A little boy playing nearby picked up the worm and moved it to the other side. DRAW CONCLUSIONS TO ANSWER EACH QUESTION 1. How does the worm feel? 2. What kind of path was the worm crawling on? 3. Where was the worm going? 4. What was the sidewalk made out of? 5. Where did the little boy come from? Is this taking place in the city? Were you able to draw conclusions to answer the questions? Here are some possible conclusions: The worm is happy since he is singing a happy song. Worms usually crawl on dirt paths. It may have been seeking food or water. Sidewalks are usually made of concrete. Since the little boy was playing nearby, he probably was in his yard at his house. Finally, worms are usually not found in the city. 4
Simple Steps to Drawing Conclusions 1 IDENTIFY THE FACTS FROM THE PASSAGE OR STORY YOU ARE READING 2 RECOGNIZE OTHER INFORMATION FROM THE SENTENCE AND NEARBY SENTENCES 3 USE YOUR PRIOR INFORMATION OR THE KNOWLEDGE YOU ALREADY HAVE 4 ADD EVERYTHING TOGETHER AND DRAW A CONCLUSION RELATED TO THE QUESTION 5 ARE YOUR CONCLUSIONS LOGICAL? DO THEY MAKE SENSE? CAN THEY BE SUPPORTED? You must be able to support your conclusion. For example, in the super short story you could not conclude the boy s age. There is no evidence to guess his age, so NO conclusion could be made about his age. There must be evidence to draw a conclusion. In summary, drawing conclusions is another skill for successful reading comprehension. When you follow the simple steps you can learn about the characters of a story, the setting, the action, and much more to help you understand what you are reading. 5
Activity Name Date The Frazier family was eating dinner while watching television when they heard a loud sound outside their home. The youngest, Daniel left his seat and ran to the door first. In the middle of the street, the only thing he saw was a hubcap spinning on its side. Daniel s older sister, Maria, took one final bite of a hamburger and followed him out the door. Mr. and Mrs. Frazier yelled for the children to come back inside, but they did not listen. The oldest child, Ken, decided to head outside as well, but he went out the backdoor. He had a different view of the street and saw a neighbor changing a tire. The children s mom and dad decided to join the kids, so they left the table too. The entire family was now outside standing on the front lawn. Daniel, Maria, and their parents had no idea what had caused the sound. Ken, however, said nothing to anyone, but he knew exactly what had happened. The entire family walked back into the house and discovered food scattered throughout the room. Standing in the room was their dog, Sparky, happily wagging his tail and licking his lips. 1 IDENTIFY THE FACTS FROM THE PASSAGE OR STORY YOU ARE READING Using the story above, use the 5 steps to draw conclusions. Write some facts from the story: 2 3 RECOGNIZE OTHER INFORMATION FROM THE SENTENCE AND NEARBY SENTENCES USE YOUR PRIOR INFORMATION OR THE KNOWLEDGE YOU ALREADY HAVE List some helpful information from the story that will help you answer questions: What knowledge do you already have related to the story that might help you? 4 5 ADD EVERYTHING TOGETHER AND DRAW A CONCLUSION RELATED TO THE QUESTION ARE YOUR CONCLUSIONS LOGICAL? DO THEY MAKE SENSE? CAN THEY BE SUPPORTED? Summarize the story, and draw conclusions that are not stated in the story: Are your conclusions logical? Do they make sense? Can they be supported? 6
Answer each of the questions based on the Activity Story: 1. How many people are in the Frazier family? 2. What room of the house do you think the family was eating their dinner? 3. Who is the oldest child? Youngest child? Middle child? 4. What was hubcap made out of, and do you think Daniel can hear the sound? 5. Which member of the family had most likely finished eating? 6. How do you think the mom was feeling when the kids did not come back inside? 7. Why do you think Ken went out the backdoor instead of the front door? 8. Do you think the Frazier house is on the corner of a street? Why or why not? 9. Why do you think the mom and dad decided to join the kids? 10. Why do you think Ken would not tell them what he thought made the sound? 11. What most likely caused the loud sound in front of the Frazier s home? 12. Who is Sparky? 13. What kind of dog is Sparky? 14. What may have happened causing the food to be scattered throughout the room? 15. How was Sparky feeling? 16. What might happen next if the story was continued? 7
Practice Name Date Using the story, passages, or paragraphs your teacher assigns, complete the chart below following the steps for Drawing Conclusions. Be prepared to answer questions about the characters, events, settings, and other information related to the story or passage. 1 IDENTIFY THE FACTS FROM THE PASSAGE OR STORY YOU ARE READING Using the story above, use the 5 steps to draw conclusions. Write some facts from the story: 2 3 RECOGNIZE OTHER INFORMATION FROM THE SENTENCE AND NEARBY SENTENCES USE YOUR PRIOR INFORMATION OR THE KNOWLEDGE YOU ALREADY HAVE List some helpful information from the story that will help you answer questions: What knowledge do you already have related to the story that might help you? 4 5 ADD EVERYTHING TOGETHER AND DRAW A CONCLUSION RELATED TO THE QUESTION ARE YOUR CONCLUSIONS LOGICAL? DO THEY MAKE SENSE? CAN THEY BE SUPPORTED? Summarize the story, and draw conclusions that are not stated in the story: Are your conclusions logical? Do they make sense? Can they be supported? 8
Homework Name Date Read each short passage and answer each question The man answered the door and saw a little girl standing there with boxes in her hands. She said to the man, Would you like to buy some, mister? The man said to the girl, Not sure if I can eat all of those, but I will buy one. I like your uniform, too. The girl responded, Thank you, sir. You are helping me to go on a camping trip. Who was the little girl? What was she selling? Which words in the passage helped you draw the conclusions? As I walked down the street, the sunshine I was used to seeing was blocked. There was noise in the air, horns honking, and people seemed to be everywhere. When I tried to cross the street, I was almost hit by a bicycle and a car. People were moving quickly, and it seemed like everyone was carrying a brown bag or some type of food in their hand. I need to head home where it is much quieter. What was blocking the sun? Where is this person walking? What time of day is it? Which words in the passage helped you draw the conclusions? The aroma in the air smelled like hot dogs, popcorn, and peanuts. The place was crowded, people were on my left, my right, in front, and behind me. I kept rubbing arms with the people next to me. There was a lot of cheering, too. All of this noise was worth it though when I heard on single sound and everyone standing up cheering. The man we were watching ran so fast, and then he slid on the ground. Where is the person in the story? Why was he rubbing arms with people? Who was running fast? Which words in the passage helped you draw the conclusions? 9
Activity ANSWER KEY Name Date Answer each of the questions based on the Activity Story: 1. How many people are in the Frazier family? Five 2. What room of the house do you think the family was eating their dinner? Livingroom because they were all watching television, maybe in the kitchen 3. Who is the oldest child? Ken Youngest child? Daniel Middle child? Maria 4. What was hubcap made out of, and do you think Daniel can hear the sound? Most hubcaps are made out of metal and it was likely making a sound. 5. Which member of the family had most likely finished eating? Maria, since the story said she took the last bite of a hamburger. 6. How do you think the mom was feeling when the kids did not come back inside? She may have been upset or frustrated, even surprised if she is used to them listening to her. 7. Why do you think Ken went out the backdoor instead of the front door? Maybe to get another view of the street. 8. Do you think the Frazier house is on the corner of a street? Why or why not? It may be a corner house since Ken went out the backdoor to get another view of, most likely, the same street Maria and Daniel is seeing. 9. Why do you think the mom and dad decided to join the kids? Since the kids were not listening they may have gone outside to get them, or to see what caused the sound as well. 10. Why do you think Ken would not tell them what he thought made the sound? He may have wanted to show off, wait until they went back inside. (Answers may vary.) 11. What most likely caused the loud sound in front of the Frazier s home? A neighbor s tire on a car may have hit a pothole and blew out causing a loud bang, and the hubcap falling off as evidenced by the neighbor changing his tire. 12. Who is Sparky? The Frazier s dog. 13. What kind of dog is Sparky? Not enough information given. 14. What may have happened causing the food to be scattered throughout the room? Sparky caused the food to be scattered around the room. It may have been able to reach the food on the table or some food may have been on the floor if the family ate on the floor in the living room. Sparky helped himself to the food. 15. How was Sparky feeling? Happy and probably full, since he ate the food off of the table as he scattered it throughout the room. 16. What might happen next if the story was continued? The family would clean the room, Sparky may be punished, Ken may tell them about the tire he saw the neighbor changing. 10
Homework ANSWER KEY Name Date Read each short passage and answer each question The man answered the door and saw a little girl standing there with boxes in her hands. She said to the man, Would you like to buy some, mister? The man said to the girl, Not sure if I can eat all of those, but I will buy one. I like your uniform, too. The girl responded, Thank you, sir. You are helping me to go on a camping trip. Who was the little girl? Girl Scout What was she selling? Girl Scout cookies Which words in the passage helped you draw the conclusions? Boxes in her hands, would you like to buy some, eat all of those, uniform, camping trip As I walked down the street, the sunshine I was used to seeing was blocked. There was noise in the air, horns honking, and people seemed to be everywhere. When I tried to cross the street, I was almost hit by a bicycle and a car. People were moving quickly, and it seemed like everyone was carrying a brown bag or some type of food in their hand. I need to head home where it is much quieter. What was blocking the sun? tall buildings in the city Where is this person walking? On the streets in the city among many other people What time of day is it? lunchtime or noon Which words in the passage helped you draw the conclusions? Sunshine blocked, noise, horns, people everywhere, street, car/bike, fast moving people, brown bags, food, quieter at home The aroma in the air smelled like hot dogs, popcorn, and peanuts. The place was crowded, people were on my left, my right, in front, and behind me. I kept rubbing arms with the people next to me. There was a lot of cheering, too. All of this noise was worth it though when I heard on single sound and everyone standing up cheering. The man we were watching ran so fast, and then he slid on the ground. Where is the person in the story? Baseball stadium, game Why was he rubbing arms with people? Sitting in the seats at a game, sharing armrests Who was running fast? Player who hit the ball, running the bases Which words in the passage helped you draw the conclusions? The aroma in the air, crowded, people on the left, right, etc., rubbing arms, cheering, single sound (crack of the bat), ran so fast, slid on the ground 11