Metacogitive Reading Strategies: Part 2

Drawing Inferences…

and Supporting them!

What Good Readers Do to Build Meaning From Text

Drawing Inferences!• “Reading between the lines”

– Huh?!• Understanding what’s implied, yet unstated.

– Cause and effect relationships– Character motivations– Predictions– Answers to open-ended questions

• Drawn from schema and textual evidence– Not everyone’s inferences will be the same since

not everyone’s schema is the same, but all inferences must be supported by the text!Schema Text

Inference!

How does drawing inferences help our

comprehension?• We make the text our own!

– Each student can offer their own meaningful inferences to add richness to discussion.

– Creates your own textual fingerprint!• Predictions drive us to read for

meaning!– We want to discover if we were correct!

• We achieve a more complex, sophisticated understanding of the text!– College (and the ACT) rarely ask factual

questions. They want students to go BEYOND the text!

How to Infer!“I predict…”

“Using the text, I’m inferring that…”

“I made an inference that….”

“Reading between the lines, I discovered that…”

Supporting our Inferences

• Although drawing inferences is great, inferences are meaningless without evidence from the text to prove them.

• We MUST not only use our schema, but the TEXT as well!

Schema Text

Inference!

Supporting our Inferences

• In literary analysis writing, evidence for our inferences can be provided in the form of…

direct quotations!!!!!!

Textual

Using Quotation Marks• There are three common situations

when quotation marks should be used:1) When writing the title of a short text, i.e. short story, article, or poem (ex: “The Necklace”)2) When people are speaking in a story (dialogue)3) When you’re borrowing someone else’s words (direct quotations) to use within our own writing

•We’re dealing with this one

Formatting Direct Quotations• There are two rules when writing a direct

quotation:1) Words within quotation marks must be verbatim2) Quotes must be cited

• Citation: Gives credit to the source– Includes author’s last name and the page number on

which the quote occurred.

• Example: “When I started sixth grade, the other kids made fun of Brian and me because we were

so skinny” (Walls 173). NOTICE THE PERIOD FALLS AFTER THE CITATION, NOT AFTER THE QUOTE!

Formatting Direct Quotations

• A quote ending in a period:“When I started sixth grade, the other kids made fun of Brian and me because we were so skinny” (Walls 173).

• A quote ending in a question mark (special):

“Are you chewing something?” (Walls 174).• A quote ending in an exclamation point (special):

“Feast time!” (Walls 172).What if you only want to borrow

part of a sentence…?

Formatting Direct Quotations

• Use of an ellipsis (…)– Indicates something has been removed– Original Quote: “When I started sixth grade,

the other kids made fun of Brian and me because we were so skinny” (Walls 173).

– Ellipses can be used:•At the beginning: “…we were so skinny”

(Walls 173).•In the middle: “When I started sixth grade,

…we were so skinny” (Walls 173).•At the end: “When I started sixth grade,

the other kids made fun of Brian and me…” (Walls 173).

•Can also use combinations of the three!

Formatting Direct Quotations• Rules of ellipses:

1) Even though words have been removed, the quote must still make sense.Bad: “When I…the other kids…we…so skinny” (Walls 173).

Good: “When I started sixth grade…we were so skinny” (Walls 173).

2) You may not change or manipulate the meaning of the original text.Original: “Mom, weirdly, was getting heavier. One evening when Dad was away and we had nothing to eat…” (Walls 173). Bad: “Mom...had nothing to eat” (Walls 173). Good: “Mom…was getting heavier” (Walls 173).

Formatting Direct Quotations• Use of brackets [ ]

– Indicates something has been added• Can help to provide context for ambiguous pronouns and

anything else unclear• Also cannot be used to manipulate meaning!

– Original Quote: “They took patches of skin from my upper thigh…” (Walls 10).

– Good: “They [doctors and nurses] took patches of skin from my upper thigh…” (Walls 10).

– Bad: “They [alien life forms] took patches of skin from my upper thigh…” (Walls 10).

Formatting Direct Quotations• If quoting multiple pages, you must indicate

that in your citation.

Dash: “Dad had taken to disappearing for days at a time…Brian and I became expert foragers…When other girls came in and threw away their lunch bags in garbage pails, I’d go retrieve them” (Walls 171-173).

-A dash indicates “through” (171, 172, 173)

Comma: “Dad had taken to disappearing for days at a time…When other girls came in and threw away their lunch bags in garbage pails, I’d go retrieve them” (Walls 171, 173).

-A comma indicates “and” (171 and 173)

Formatting Direct Quotations• When quoting dialogue, there will be multiple sets of

quotation marks (one of you indicating you’ve borrowed words, and another for the characters speaking).

• When this happens, remember these two guidelines:1) My quotes (start/stop borrowing): Two bunny ears Book’s quotes (start/stop talking): One bunny ear2) You must close the same number of bunny ears

as you open.• Examples:

–“At one point Brian looked over. ‘Are you chewing something?’ he asked” (Walls 174).

– Now give it a try!

My teeth hurt, Mom said, but she was getting all shifty-eyed…It’s

my bad gums Walls 174

Let’s Practice!What are some examples of inferences?

Inference: Using the text, I inferred that the narrator’s mother cares more for herself than her children.

Textual Evidence: “…the other kids made fun of Brian and me because we were so skinny…One evening…Lying on the mattress next to Mom was one of those huge family-sized Hershey chocolate bars, the shiny silver wrapper pulled back and torn away. She’d already eaten half of it” (Walls 173-174).

Let’s Practice!What are some examples of inferences?

Inference: The parents’ actions do not demonstrate that they value their children. Because of this, the children often do not value themselves.

Textual Evidence: “As they left, I heard him telling her that it was very serious…I could tell I was causing a big fuss, and I stayed quiet. One of them squeezed my hand and told me I was going to be okay. ‘I know,’ I said. ‘but if I’m not , that’s okay too’” (Walls 10).

Why Does it Matter?

• Drawing inferences helps students– Put their fingerprints on the text to make it their

own!– Achieve a deeper understanding of the text!– Read for meaning!– Understand text in EVERY class!

• College professors DO NOT TEACH these things.– They expect you to walk in having perfected them.– You use these skills in every paper you write.

•Become rock star readers!

WHITE BOARDS

OUT! (Level 0) 5…4…

3…2…1

Review!• What is schema?• What is one benefit of making schema

connections during reading?• What is inferring?• What are the two necessary components of

drawing an inference? • What information is included in a citation?• What are the three uses of quotation marks?• What does an ellipses indicate? Brackets?• What are the two rules of ellipses?

Review!• Format the following quotes:

I asked Anna, Why is the sky blue Smith 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80

I’m so excited for learning said the students Beck 24, 26, 27, 28

The End!(or is it…?)