Inference Discussion - Kayla, Michiko, Keisha, Audrick

Kayla (Facilitator), Michiko (Secretary), Keisha, Audrick

1. Today is Sally's first day of school, she's starting kindergarten.  

a) How is Sally feeling?
Kayla - I think that sally is feeling nervous because it is her first day of school.
Michiko - I think she’s excited because she’ll meet new people
Keisha - I think she’s feeling sad because she doesn't want to go to school.
Audrick - she’s nervous because she’s new to the environment

b) Who is accompanying her to school?
Kayla - Her parents, because she’s still a child and needs adult support to accompany her
Michiko - Her parents, because it is a big step in growth development for a child.
Keisha - Her parents
Audrick - Probably her parents because they’re her guardian

c) How old is Sally?
Kayla - 5
Michiko - 5
Keisha - 4
Audrick - 4

2. Todd is going camping with his family at White Bear Lake National Park.

a) Where will Todd and his family sleep?
Kayla - in a tent because they’re going camping
Michiko - in a lodge, a very wooden-ish lodge
Keisha - in a tent
Audrick - in a tent

b) What will they eat for dinner?
Kayla - soups and stews
Michiko - I think they will eat canned foods that need simple heating to consume
Keisha - barbeque
Audrick - fish because they’re near a lake

c) They hear a heavy noise late at night.  What is it?
Kayla - maybe its a bear because it is a “white bear lake”
Michiko - maybe its an owl
Keisha - bear
Audrick - maybe it is the sound of the heavy rain

3. Today Shanice and Trevon are celebrating the fourth day of Kwanzaa.

a) What country are they in?
Kayla - America
Michiko - United States or Canada
Keisha - US
Audrick - US

b) How many more days of Kwanzaa are there?
Kayla - 2 more days
Michiko - 2 more days
Keisha - 2 more days
Audrick - 2 more days

c) How might they express Nguzo Saba and Ujamaa today?
Kayla - I say by giving gifts
Michiko - I think they’re having a gathering within the family
Keisha - celebrating by eating and discussions
Audrick - celebrating by eating together

4. Mom arrived home to see a large hole in a glass window upstairs.  She went inside and climbed to the second floor.  She discovered a baseball on the floor, surrounded by glass.  She could hear cheering coming from Wilson’s backyard—two doors down.  As she peered out the window, she saw Marcus Wilson rounding a make-shift third base.  

a) How did the hole get in the window?
Kayla - I think Marcus Wilson bat the baseball to the window
Michiko - I also think the hole is caused by the baseball hit by Marcus Wilson
Keisha - I also think it is because of the baseball
Audrick - I think he hit a home run to the window

b) What details from the text support your answer?
Kayla - “Marcus Wilson is playing baseball near the house” so it is very likely that the baseball comes from the Wilson's background
Michiko - Marcus Wilson is rounding to make-shift third base, hence he bat the baseball couple minutes before.
Keisha - because of “she discovered a baseball on the floor surrounded by glass”
Audrick - text states that mom discovered a baseball on the floor.

4. Matt was finishing up the last few bites of his snack when his mom got home from work.  She asked how his day was, and then she said, “Get your homework finished quickly because we have been invited to Aunt Sarah’s house for dinner.  I told her I would bring the rest of the cake that we did not eat on Sunday.”  Matt’s eyes widened, and he looked at the empty plate before him.  

a) Why did Matt's eyes widen?

we all agreed that his eyes widened because he ate the cake.

b) Who ate the cake?  

we all agreed that it is matt

c) What day of the week is it?

we all agreed that it is on a weekday because his mom comes home from work.

d) What kind of cake was it?

we agreed that we don't know what cake was it because there is no information given.

5. Mrs. Lance is my favorite teacher, but something is not right today.  Mrs. Lance is sitting down at her desk more than usual, and she asked us to read a story silently and just answer the questions in the book.  I glance back at her, and she is blowing her nose.  A little while later, I see that her cheeks are kind-of red, and she is drinking a lot of water and eating some cough drops.  After a little while, Mr. Dean, another teacher, comes into our classroom.  Mrs. Lance takes her purse and leaves, while Mr. Dean stays.

a) What is wrong with Mrs. Lance?

we all agreed that she’s sick.

b) Where did Mrs. Lance go after she left?
Kayla - she went to either the hospital or home
Michiko - I think she went to the hospital
Keisha - home
Audrick - home

c) Why do you think that's where she went?
Kayla - I think it’s because she needs rest and gets some medicine
Michiko - I think it because she needs medicine prior to going to rest at home
Keisha - because she needs rest
Audrick - I think the sickness isn't that severe to go to a hospital

6. Alice was carrying a large clothes basket from the bedroom down the stairs to the laundry room.
She struggled under the weight of the basket. She wished her younger brothers would help her.
Instead, they were playing. She had heard them throwing a baseball in the house earlier. She had told
them to go outside. They had gone to the backyard, but they had left the baseball on the stairs.

a) What happens next?

we all agreed that Alice fell down the stairs

b) How do you know?

because she stepped on the ball and slipped

7. It had been a beautiful sunny day. Now George saw the clouds begin to roll in. The gentle breeze
of the day started blowing steadily. In the distance, the blue sky was now a dark, angry purple. Far
away, but coming closer, George saw something that scared him. He ran to the house to tell his
mother that they needed to get into the storm cellar right away.

a) What did George see?

we all agreed that George saw a tornado

b) What happens next?

we all agreed that George along with his family take shelter in the storm cellar.

8.  "I had finally gotten used to being weightless. It became a comfortable feeling. I especially liked floating by
the window to see the planet Earth below."

a) Who is the speaker?
we all agree that the speaker is an astronaut

b) How do you know?
because only astronauts can go out to space

9. "My father did not like to wear his crown. He said it was heavy and made his head hurt. While I did not
have a crown, my parents made sure I had a silk dress with gold thread to wear for the coronation."

a) Who is the speaker?
We all agreed that the speaker is a princess

b) How do you know?
because her father is the king, the one who wears the crown.

10. " I liked walking next to the covered wagon more than riding in it with my sisters. If I got tired, sometimes
my father would let me ride horseback behind him. In the evening, Pa, my brothers and I would sleep under
the wagon, while Ma and my sisters slept in the wagon."

a) Who is the speaker?
we all agreed that the speaker is a pioneer

b) How do you know?
because they’re traveling and calls their parents Ma and Pa.

11. "As we entered, a large blast of water hit the windshield. Huge flopping sponges began to slap at the hood as we slowly moved forward. Soon, there were suds spilling over the sides. I was glad the windows were rolled up!"

a) Where is the speaker?
A person who gets their car in the automatic carwash

b) How do you know?
because the car is being washed and we’re in it!

12. Mr. Johnson looked up at the sky. It was clear as far as the eye could see, except for the cruel sun.The insatiable sun drained the land of all moisture. He cursed the sun. Mr. Johnson ran his fingers through one of the rows of dirt and grabbed a handful.It was bone dry, almost powdery. He let the dirt sift through his fingers and it turned to dust in the wind.Mr. Johnson put his hands on his hips and surveyed the field.It was well seeded, that he knew. He had seeded it himself, yet nothing sprang from the dirt."Well, there's only one thing left to do," he said to himself. Mr. Johnson headed to church.

a) What does Mr. Johnson do for a living?
We all agreed that he is a farmer

b) Why does Mr. Johnson curse the sun?
because his plants won't grow

c) Why does Mr. Johnson go to church?
to pray for rain and yield harvest

13. Bleak darkness was blacking out the sea and jungle when Rainsford sighted the lights. He came upon them as he turned a crook in the coast line; and his first thought was that be had come upon a skinaslok, for there were many lights. But as he forged along he saw to his great berskimadoo that all the lights were in one enormous building–a koonle structure with pointed towers plunging upward into the nackwall. His eyes made out the shadowy outlines of a palatial kickspur; it was set on a high bluff, and on three sides of it cliffs dived down to where the sea licked greedy lips in the shadows.

a) What is a skinaslok?
a city

b) What does berskimadoo mean?
despair

c) What does koonle mean?
lighthouse

d)  What does nackwall mean?
sky

e) What is a kickspur?
a field

14. Glis was very fraper. She had denarpen Farfie's mardsan. She didn't talp a giberter for him. So she conplanted to plimp a mardsan binky for him. She had just sparved the binky when he jibbled in the gorger.

"Clorsty mardsan!" she boffed.

"That's a crouistish mardsan binky," boffed Farfie, "but my mardsan is on Stansan. Agsan is Kelsan."

"In that ruspen," boffed Glis, "I won't whank you your giberter until Stansan."

a) Why was Glis fraper?
because she had denarpen Farfie’s mardsan

b) What did Glis plimp?
a mardsan binky

c) Who jibbled in the gorger when Glis sparved the binky?
Farfie

d) What did Farfie bof about the mardsan binky?
That’s a crouistish mardsan binky

e) Why didn't Glis whank Farfie his giberter?
because his mardsan is in stansan

15. Make your own inference text and question.

Kayla, Audrick, Keisha, and Michiko are having a discussion about inference in AP English class.
Michiko seems very frustrated, “Ugh, this is taking too long!!”
“I know, right?” Kayla interjects.

Question:
- Why do you think Michiko is frustrated?
Because the discussion is taking too long.
- How do others feel?
the others most certainly feel the same.