Summary
Students will practice the skill of inferencing both collaboratively and independently by using images and Chapter 1 of Fredrick Douglass's narrative. Then, students will tie the skill of noticing and understanding unstated details to the big picture of comprehension. While this lesson is currently aligned only to 11th-grade standards, it would be appropriate to teach in grades 11 through 12, adjusting standards as needed.
Essential Question(s)
How can a reader get the full picture by reading between the lines?
Snapshot
Engage
Students use the Give Me Five strategy in groups to respond to a photograph.
Explore
In small groups, students analyze historical political cartoons to write C.E.R. paragraphs.
Explain
Following the listening of Chapter 1 of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, student pairs analyze paragraph excerpts and answer essential questions.
Extend
Students reflect on their understanding of the inferencing skill using an A-E-I-O-U chart.
Evaluate
Students explain inferences made from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass excerpt.
Materials
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave books or copies of Chapter 1
Lesson Slides (attached)
Image displayed from attached Lesson Slides or printed image with sentence stems
Political Cartoons (attached)
Butcher paper or easel pad posters
Markers
Tape
Sticky notes or recycled paper
Lined paper
Clock or timer
Engage
To begin this lesson, students will participate in the Give Me Five strategy using an image (attached and linked here) to introduce inferencing. Here's how the Give Me Five strategy works in this lesson:
Display the image on slide 2 from the attached Lesson Slides in the front of the class. If projection is not possible, slide 2 can be printed (five copies) and taped around the classroom (see teacher's note below for a management strategy for grouping students for the displayed copies if needed).
Pass out a regular sized sticky note or piece of recycled paper to each student.
Explain that the students have 2 minutes to silently look closely at the image and write down things they notice about the photo.
Call time at the end of 2 minutes and number the students to five. (If posters were used, this step will be skipped because the students will already be in groups of five.)
Instruct students to move into their corresponding group numbers.
Tell each group that they have 2 minutes to share their observations with one another and select the one observation that the group believes is the best observation to share with the whole class.
Each group will select a spokesperson to share the groups' best observation. As each spokesperson shares their group's observations, write each of the observations around the projected image or on one of the copied images on the wall for the students to see.
Based on the 5 listed observations, lead the students in a discussion of who they believe is in the picture, why the children are dressed the way they are, and what the possible time period of the photo is.
End with a summary statement of how all of the observations helped to infer a bigger picture rather than just a first impression.
Explore
Students will remain in the five groups for the Explore group activity.
Give each group a different political cartoon to imitate the same process that was used for the whole class of noting observations and making an inference of the meaning.
Explain that the students will have 5 minutes to observe the political cartoon and discuss the possible inferred meaning.
After the 5 minutes, display and explain the directions to writing a C.E.R. (Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning) paragraph on slide 3.
Groups will now write a C.E.R. paragraph based on their claim, evidence, and reasoning from the group's political cartoon.
Once all groups have completed their paragraphs, both the political cartoons and C.E.R. paragraphs will be taped up around the room for students to participate in a Gallery Walk to see and respond to the other cartoons and C.E.R. paragraphs.
Explain
First, the class will begin with a 2-minute quick write on lined paper in response to the question on slide 4: How did you understand the meaning of the political cartoon without a written explanation? Once time is called, ask for a couple of volunteers to share their response. After the sharing, tie responses into the fact that all of their observations, the unstated information, is vital to understanding the big picture of an author's meaning.
Display slide 5 with the Webster definition of inference. Have one student read it aloud to the class. Instruct students to write the definition of inference in their own words on their paper beneath their quick write. Use the Give Me Five strategy for the students to share. Tie all of the definitions to the skill of inferencing which is reading between the lines/understanding things that are not exactly written down in text helps the reader to see the big picture.
Pass out the books of The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass or text of chapter 1. While passing out the books, ask the students if they have heard of Frederick Douglass. Allow students to respond aloud with any prior knowledge of Frederick Douglass to spur interest and link background knowledge.
Instruct the students to follow along as they listen to the audio of chapter 1 of the Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass. (If audio equipment is not available, you may read the chapter aloud or have student volunteers read it.)
Once the chapter is finished, pass out the attached Chapter 1 Excerpt for Partners from chapter 1 of The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass (attached). Have students read the excerpts as elbow partners discuss and answer the essential questions on lined paper.
As the students are working in pairs, if they are struggling, walk around and assist partners by asking questions to spur thinking.
Once students are finished, display the excerpts up on the slides 6 & 7 (or if projection is not an option, write student feedback on the board). Ask for partners to share their answers to the essential questions. Once the sharing is finished, lead the students in a discussion that ties all of the responses into how they, as readers, were able to get a full picture of the text by understanding what was written between the lines/not stated in written form. Have each partnership put both names on the paper to pick up for a formative assessment of skill progress.
Extend
Students will complete a self evaluation on the attached A-E-I-O-U Chart.
Provide students with ample time to complete the chart independently. Float the room and encourage students who may have questions with assistance.
Evaluate
The observations of group activities, the partner essential questions of the paragraphs, the completion of each student's A-E-I-O-U Chart, and an independent explanation of inferences from a paragraph excerpt assessment from Chapter 1 all serve as evaluations.
Resources
Education Prohibited. (2011, March 4). U.S. Slave. http://usslave.blogspot.com/2011/03/education-prohibited.html
Douglas, F. Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave. Project Gutenberg, 1845. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/23
K20 Center. (n.d.). Claim, evidence, reasoning (CER). Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/156
K20 Center. (n.d.). Gallery walk/carousel. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/118
K20 Center. (n.d.). Give me five. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/150
English Audio Books. (2016, Dec. 11). Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass [Full Audiobook]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2mU0IpYYaw