Drawing Conclusion 8th grade STAAR Reading Camp

Drawing Conclusion

Poll

I am ready for drawing conclusions!

• Yes, call me DC!

• Maybe?

• OK! Eek!

• No, no, no!

Making Inferences

Making inferences is the process of figuring out missing information from information that IS included. Inferences can be made with pictures, with characters, with plot, with the setting, and even with vocabulary. To infer is a thinking process of reading between the lines. We can use pictures and text clues to infer, and making inferences are more situational.

Multiple Choice

_______ + ________ = Inference

• Background knowledge + Clues from the text

• Background knowledge + Opinion

• A guess without evidence + information from the text

Drawing Conclusion

Conclusions are the judgments or decisions reached based on information learned. It requires reasoning or deep thinking and observation skills. I think of drawing conclusions as solving a mystery. Drawing conclusions is deeper than an inference. In fact, making inferences helps us draw conclusions. 

Multiple Choice

What does it mean to draw a conclusion?

• To take a random guess at something.

• To draw a good guess based on evidence and detail from a source, as well as your own personal experience.

• To draw a good guess based on the mood that you are in that day.

• To base a good guess on your own personal experience.

What we infer:

In this example, the facts we see are that the sky is cloudy, the ground is wet, and the umbrella is inverted. These facts indicate that it’s rainy because the ground’s wet and because she has an umbrella. We can infer that it is windy based on the fact that the man is holding on to the woman and because the umbrella is inverted.

What we conclude:

From this same photo, you could also gather clues for a conclusion. You might wonder, “How will the weather impact the couples plans later in the day?” The couple has plans to go hiking. Well, we’d conclude that they’ll cancel their plans because it will be muddy and impossible to hike without having their shoes stuck in the mud.

Multiple Choice

  In the seventeenth century, the Incan people of South America had an empire that stretched more than 2,500 miles. They built highways throughout their empire. One of their tunnels extended 750 feet through a mountain cliff. One of their rope suspension bridges is still used today. 
 From this article you cannot tell...... 

• why the roads were important to the Inca.
• the size of the Inca Empire.
• if the Inca were skilled in engineering.
• in what period the Inca lived.

Multiple Choice

 Polo is a game played on horseback. Each team has four players who attempt to hit a ball with their sticks. Each player has to handle the stick with his or her right hand and control the horse with the left hand. The team that scores more goals wins. Goals are scored by hitting the ball inside the other teams's goalposts.
What conclusions can you draw from this paragraph? 

• You must train your own horse.
• Polo is a sport everyone can play.
• You must be left-handed to play polo.
• You can't play polo if you do not know how to ride a horse.

Multiple Choice

 Phillis Wheatley was born in Africa. At the age of eight, she was brought to America as a slave. There she learned English and Latin, and she managed to gain her freedom. In 1770, she published her first poem. After that she gained fame as a poet. She even shared her poetry with others when she made a trip to England in 1773.
What conclusion can you draw from this paragraph?

• Phillis Wheatley was good with languages.
• Phillis Wheatley did not mind being a slave.
• Phillis Wheatley also wrote stories. 
• Phillis Wheatley had sisters and brothers.

Multiple Choice

 Alonso is building a weather station. He wants to record details abut the weather in his town. So far he has a thermometer to measure air temperature, a gauge to measure rainfall, and a windsock to check wind direction. He still needs something to measure snowfall.
What conclusion can you draw from this paragraph? 

• Alonzo's weather station isn't finished yet.
• Alonzo is 18 years old.
• Alonzo lives in St. Paul. 
• Alonzo hopes it won't snow.

Multiple Choice

  A comet is like a dirty ball of snow. It is made of frozen gases, frozen water, and dust. As a comet approaches the sun, the icy center gets hot and evaporates. The gases made by the evaporation form the tail of the comet. The dust left behind in the process forms meteor showers. 
You can conclude from the story that.....

• the sun helps create the tail of the comet.
• throwing a ball of snow can turn it into a comet. 
• comets are made of snow.
• meteor showers are visible with a telescope.

Multiple Choice

  Wind does not push sailboats forward. Instead, the sailboats fall. The sails on the boat form a curve when the wind passes across them.  The curve creates an empty space behind the sail. The boat goes forward by falling into the empty space. 
From this article you CANNOT tell....

• how an empty space is created.
• how the sails are attached to the boat.
• how the sailboat moves forward.
• why the sails on a sailboat form a curve.

Multiple Choice

  Ana carefully filled the bird feeders in her backyard. The many trees that grew on her property were home to various kinds of birds. Ana enjoyed watching the birds and listening to them as they came to eat the seeds she provided for them. 
This story does NOT tell..... 

• where the bird feeders are located. 
• what kind of food Ana give the birds. 
• what kinds of birds come to the bird feeders. 
• where the birds lived.

Multiple Choice

In a radio interview, Albert Einstein was once asked whether he got his great thoughts while relaxing in the bathtub, walking, or sitting in his office. Einstein replied, "I don't really know. I've only had one or maybe two." 
 From this story you can tell that Einstein...... 

• thought best while walking.
• thought much like the interviewer. 
• enjoyed radio interviews.
• thought too much value was placed on his ideas.

Multiple Choice

 From news reports about Russia, you may think that the Kremlin is a large building in Moscow. Actually, there are many kremlins in Russia. Kremlin means "fortress" in Russian. In Moscow the Kremlin is not one building but many buildings inside a walled yard. 
 You can tell that Moscow's Kremlin probably..... 

• is never visited by news reporters.
• is the only one in Russia.
• is a large building in Russia.
• was originally a fortress.

Multiple Choice

  Working at home sounds like fun. You can work in your pajamas, or you can play the radio as loud as you want. You can even sleep an extra hour in the morning. However, making money at home takes drive and dedication. To be successful you must use basic business practices. You must make yourself work rather than play. 
To be successful you would probably need to.... 

• work as little as possible.
• make a schedule and stick to it.
• stock the refrigerator with plenty of food.
• plan when to take naps.

Open Ended

Who do think came out of the door? The lady or the tiger? How do you know? Explain.