Inferring

Recently in first grade we've been inferring. To teach the students how to infer, I tell them that more goes on in a book than the things that we read in the words on the page. There are other conversations that can occur between characters, there are feelings to perceive, and there are hidden clues to figure out. Then I find that what it really comes down to is practicing inferring and using the word "infer" in its real context. Two great books for inferring are:

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith. This book was so fun to infer with that we read it through 2 times so that we could get a grasp as to the story that it was trying to tell. What a beautiful tribute to a Grandpa! The students absolutely loved this story!

The Gardener by Sarah Stewart. This book was such a beautiful story about a little girl during the Great Depression. The illustrations by David Small were profound and loaded! It opened up the opportunity to explain to students what went on in many American homes after the stock market crashed. I think it is so important to tell these kinds of stories because it is easy to forget that there is a world outside of our own or that life in America wasn't always everything it is now. Be careful with this story. It just may bring a tear to your eye.