Building Inference Skills

Seems like I've visited with quite a few teachers this year about colleagues this year about helping kids learn to inference.  Actually, many of us are very good at inferring, but explaining how we know, noticing the clues in the story, and putting all together is the more difficult piece.  Jelena Maxwell has had great success with her advanced third graders using ideas from On Target: Strategies to Help Readers Make Meaning through Inferences.  This study suggested using mysteries to have kids gather clues and their own background knowledge to try to solve the case.  It has been fun to watch them thoroughly engaged and enjoying every minute of learning to infer.  Below is a link to the website where Jelena has found a number of mysteries to use.  Let me know if you'd like a copy of the study listed above.  I'd be glad to send you the attachment.

Learning with Mysteries: The Fun Way to Learn in the Classroom.

Mystery Network ://www.mysterynet.com/learn/