Making an Inference Chart Build Background About the Text (5–10 minutes)
1. Preview the Text
To engage students, ask them to identify their favorite fruits or vegetables and to describe their favorite ways to eat them. Then hold up a copy of Reggie Hunts for Berries and read the title aloud.
Given the title, which character do you think Reggie is? (the wolf) Why do you think the rabbit looks surprised? (The wolf doesn’t seem interested in catching him for food.) Call on students to identify the author and illustrator (Audrey Carangelo; Lisa K. Weber). Have students read the chapter titles in the table of contents and look at the illustrations.
Is this book fiction or nonfiction? (fiction) How do you know? (The illustrations show animals dressed in clothes and talking.) Think of wolves you know from fairy tales, books, television shows, and movies. Given what you know about these wolves, what kind of wolf do you think Reggie is? Should the rabbit trust him? What will this story be about? Write students’ predictions on the board or a chart.
2. Introduce the Vocabulary
Write the vocabulary words on the board or on a chart. Read the words aloud and have students repeat after you. Point to the word siblings.
We can use context clues to figure out the meanings of words. The clues are usually in the text, but we can get clues from pictures, too. Turn to page 1. Help students find the word siblings in the second sentence. Read the sentence. Then read the first and fifth sentences aloud. Next, ask students to think about how the illustration supports the text. What does the word siblings mean? (in this case, brothers) Repeat the process using the remaining vocabulary words as time allows.
Add the following expressions and page numbers to the list of vocabulary words: jump right in (page 1), got my mouth watering (page 1), didn’t go over very well (page 2), off like lightning (page 2), the idea of the century (page 2). Explain that these are idiomatic expressions. Guide students to understand that the meanings of these expressions are different from the meanings of the individual words. Assist students to use context clues to arrive at the meaning of each expression. Ask students to think of circumstances in which they have heard or might use these expressions.
3. Introduce the Comprehension Strategy: Making Inferences
Distribute copies of the Making an Inference Chart. Explain that authors don’t always tell readers everything they need or want to know in a story. Instead, they give them clues.
Readers can combine clues from a story with what they know from previous knowledge to make inferences, or in other words, figure out what the author didn’t tell them. Use the following example to illustrate the strategy. I woke in the morning, stretched, and jumped out of bed. I peeked out the window and saw leaves and twigs scattered across the yard, bicycles and toys left in people’s front yards tipped over, and puddles on the road. I had slept so soundly that I never heard a single noise. But I can infer what happened! When I put the clues I see all around me with what I know about storms, I can infer that there was a powerful storm in the night. Help students fill out their charts using your example and explanation.
As you read Reggie Hunts for Berries, you may need to make some inferences in order to understand the story better. We will talk more about this later in our lesson.
Read the Text (20–25 minutes)
1a. Read the Text
Before reading the text aloud, introduce Reggie as the story’s narrator.
Reggie is the story’s main character. He is also the narrator of our story, meaning he speaks directly to us, the readers. He tells this story from his point of view. Read the story aloud, modeling appropriate dialogue and establishing mood. Afterward, briefly discuss if students’ predictions were correct.
1b. Apply the Comprehension Strategy and Make Text Connections
Prompt students to answer questions that ask them to refer explicitly to the text as a basis for their answers. Also include questions that help students make inferences.
Before we talk about the story, let’s review what we learned about making inferences. What two things do you need before you can make an inference? (clues from the text and what we already know, or prior knowledge) As you discuss the book, help students add information to their Making an Inference Charts.
Turn to page 1.
What makes Reggie such an important character in this story? (He has a problem to solve.) What makes Hidalgo an important character? (He helps Reggie solve his problem.) How do Reggie’s brothers feel about Reggie being a vegetarian? (They don’t care. It means more meat for them.) What can you infer about the brothers from this information? (They are greedy.)
Turn to page 2.
What problem does Reggie have? (He ate all the berries where he lives.) What inference did Reggie make about Hidalgo when he first saw him? (Hidalgo had plenty of berries to eat.) What inference can you make about why the rabbit “took off like lightning” when he saw Reggie? (The rabbit was afraid the wolf would eat him.) Ask a volunteer to read the part of the text that confirms the inference. (...I realized the rabbit considered me a predator...) What inference does Reggie make about Hidalgo after seeing the rabbit’s paws? (Hidalgo likes blueberries.) Why does Reggie make that inference? (The rabbit’s paws were stained with blueberry juice.)
Turn to page 3.
Why did Reggie put the blueberries where the forest transformed into an open meadow? (Hidalgo could run into the woods if he felt scared.) What inference can you make about the narrator based on this behavior? (He wishes no harm.) What was Hidalgo’s first response to hearing Reggie’s voice? (He went completely still.) Why is Hidalgo right to be suspicious of Reggie? (Help students recognize that rabbits are wolves’ prey.) What inference can you make about Hidalgo based on his suspicions? (Hidalgo is a sensible rabbit.)
Turn to page 4.
What inference can you make about Reggie and Hidalgo’s relationship? (They became good friends.) What clues in the text helped you make that inference? (The last sentence says they enjoyed many meals together. If you enjoy something, you like it, and friends enjoy doing things together.)
2. Focus on Vocabulary in the Text
Let’s see how well we understand the new words we learned. Distribute copies of the Four-Square Chart. Model for students how to complete the chart. Write aroma in the center square of the chart. Ask students to help you write a definition in one square. Invite a student to draw a picture representing the word aroma in a second square. Invite another student to write a sentence using the word in a third square. Invite students to help you list antonyms or synonyms for the word in the last square.
Repeat the activity using other vocabulary words, either as a class or by assigning different words to different students and then inviting students to share their work.
Assess Understanding (10 minutes)
Choose one or more assessment strategies to determine student comprehension.
1. Use Details and Examples in the Text to Summarize and Show Understanding
Now that we have read the book more carefully, let’s talk more about this story. Who are characters? (the narrator; Reggie Wolf; the rabbit, Hidalgo) Where does this story take place? (in the woods) What is Reggie’s problem? (p. 2: He’s eaten all the berries where he lives.) What is Reggie’s solution after he spots Hidalgo in the woods?(p. 2: He’ll get rabbit to help him find more berries.) What problem does Reggie have to overcome if his plan is going to work? (p. 2: He needs to make sure the rabbit isn’t too afraid to help him.) How does Reggie solve this problem? (p. 3: He gives Hidalgo a bunch of blueberries, and p. 4: promises that his brothers won’t hurt the rabbit.) What word on page 4 tells us how Hidalgo feels, even while he agrees to help Reggie? (tentatively) How does the author let you know that Reggie and Hidalgo kept their promises? (They enjoyed many fine meals together.) Use students’ explanations to determine individual understanding.
2. Describe a Narrator’s Point of View to Show Understanding
The narrator of this story is a wolf named Reggie. He tells the story from his point of view. Summarize the problem and solution the way Reggie sees them. Then summarize the problem and solution the way Hidalgo might see them. Encourage students to use specific text or examples to support their summaries.
Extend Reading Into Writing (5 minutes)
To encourage students to make inferences, invite them to pretend to be Hidalgo and write a brief description of meeting Reggie’s brothers for the first time. Ask students to imagine what the brothers might say and do, given what they know about wolves and what they know about Reggie’s brothers from the story. If time permits, encourage students to share their work.