1. Reading Skills: Inferences and Main Idea May 9/10

2. Do Now Make an inference by answering the question and writing the key words that prove your answer is correct: 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 – A.The house is on fire, and someone called to report it. B.The house is on fire, and no one called to report it. C.Someone was burning leaves in the back yard. D.This was a fire drill.

3. Debrief 1.You smell smoke. 2.You see smoke coming out of a house. 3.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.

4. Today’s Focus Reading Skills: Making Inferences Finding the Main Idea

5. Making Inferences When people talk, they don ’ t 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. ”

6. Inferences = 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 mom ’ s 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. Based on this information – what can we INFER is the reason the boy is crying?

7. Another Crying Little Boy ? Later today, your are at the doctor ’ s 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.

8. More Clues Pretend you are at the doctor ’ s 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.

9. Some Useful Tips and Tricks 1.Read the question before reading the story. 2.Read the story twice. 3.Find key words in the question, and scan the story for the words.

10. Practice 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, Maria ’ s 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 wasn ’ t strong enough C was looking for her family D was frightened by a loud noise

11. 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, Maria ’ s 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 wasn ’ t strong enough C was looking for her family D was frightened by a loud noise

12. 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 Bird ’ s work helped make the country – F friendlier G prettier H louder J bigger

13. Oak School ’ s 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. Sam ’ s 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

14. The Tasmanian Devil One of the rarest animals in the world is the Tasmanian Devil. I ’ m 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

15. Finding Main Idea The main idea is the big point that the writer is communicating to the reader. Often the reader can approach the main idea just by looking at the title. For example, a passage titled: “ Why Doctors Deserve More Dollars ” will include reasons for that idea.

16. General Versus Specific The main idea is a general one. The supporting ideas in the passage are specific ones. Which word is the most general: Potato or Vegetable?

17. What about the topic? The topic is the general subject of a reading passage. To find the topic, just ask yourself: “ Who or what is this passage about? ” The topic can be expressed in a word or a phrase. WHO?

18. The Topic Sentence Many paragraphs have topic sentences that indicate what their about. Find the topic sentence in this paragraph: Homeless people have many problems. In winter, it ’ s hard to stay warm and it gets too hot in summer. It ’ s also hard to keep things safe without a home. Worst is the lack of privacy.

19. Supporting Details Supporting details prove the value of the main idea. What are they here? Homeless people have many problems. In winter, it ’ s hard to stay warm and it gets too hot in summer. It ’ s also hard to keep things safe without a home. Worst is the lack of privacy.

20. Practice Americans love to send greeting cards. For instance, over 4 million birthday cards are sent out in this country every day. Around Valentine’s Day last year, over 900 million cards were mailed. And close to 3 billion holiday greeting cards were sent out during the Christmas season. What is the subject? What is the main idea? What are some supporting details?

21. Practice Sea Otters collect large hard-shelled abalones in their teeth during dives to the sea bottom, then each picks up a stone with its forepaws. Surfacing, the otters roll onto their backs, place the abalones on their bellies, and clasping a stone in both front feet, smash the shells open. Therefore, Sea Otters use these stones as hammers. What is the subject? What is the main idea? What are some supporting details?

22. Practice In high school, I tried writing my own novels and short stories. After high school, I married a woman who was a fine poet and who became an editorial assistant at a publishing company. As a private joke for her, I began to write a science fiction novel. When I showed it to her, she suggested I submit it to her boss. I did and it was accepted. What is the main idea? The speaker wrote Science Fiction as a joke for his wife but it ended up being published.

23. On Your Own Complete the Practice Passages “Eleanor Roosevelt” “Walt Disney Goes to War”

24. Homework Complete Practice Passages