Inferencing

Rubin dug frantically through his backpack. It has to be here, he thought. How many times had his mother told him not to take his iPod to school. He searched his locker again without much hope. He knew he was in trouble. What inference can you make about Rubin?

• He is looking for his homework

• He often gets in trouble

• He is looking for his Ipod

• He is looking for his lunch

As we entered, a huge blast of water hit the windshield. Huge flopping sponges slapped the hood of the car as we slowly moved forward. Soon there were suds spilling over the sides. I am glad the windows were rolled up! Where are we?

• Ice cream shop

• Restaurant

• Playground

• Carwash

As I walked in the door, I was amazed at the beautiful colors and smells. I knew it would be hard to decide what I would buy with my $3. The chocolate truffles looked delicious, but they were expensive. The jelly beans were not only cheaper, but so colorful! With so much to choose from, I knew I would be here a long time. Where am I?

• Candy Store

• Pet Store

• Classroom

• Museum

Mrs. Lance is my favorite teacher, but something is not right today. Mrs. Lance is sitting down at her desk more than usual, and she asked us to read a story silently and just answer the questions in the book. I glance back at her, and she is blowing her nose. A little while later, I see that her cheeks are kind-of red, and she is drinking a lot of water and eating some cough drops. After a little while, Mr. Dean, another teacher, comes into our classroom. Mrs. Lance takes her purse and leaves, while Mr. Dean stays. What is wrong with Mrs. Lance?

• She is tired

• She is happy

• She is sick

• She is worried

My dog Jack is very friendly, and he likes to be around people. Yesterday, our neighbors were having a party, and we all went over to cookout and swim at their house. We could hear Jack barking loudly from our backyard. After a little while, he got quiet, so we thought he had finally calmed down. But, several minutes later, all of the adults start laughing, and I see a black blur and hear a giant splash at the other end of the pool. Why was Jack barking?

• He was hungry

• He wanted to be at the party

• He wanted to go outside

• The neighbors were making too much noise

Cassie rolled over in her bed as she felt the sunlight hit her face. The beams were warming the back of her neck when she slowly realized that it was a Thursday, and she felt a little too good for a Thursday. Struggling to open her eyes, she looked up at the clock. “9:48,” she shouted, “Holy cow!” Cassie jumped out of bed, threw on the first outfit that she grabbed, brushed her teeth in two swipes, threw her books into her backpack, and then ran out the door. What is Cassie's problem?

• She is late for work

• She is late for school

• She is hungry

• She is late to the airport

Brittany's mom walks into the kitchen wearing her sun hat and a pair of old shoes. “Those vegetable plants are growing by leaps and bounds!” she exclaims to Brittany, as she takes off a dirty glove and wipes a smudge of dirt off her face. Where was Brittany's mom?

• At the store

• At the park

• In the garden

• at the airport

Every day after work Paul took his muddy boots off on the steps of the front porch. Alice would have a fit if the boots made it so far as the welcome mat. He then took off his dusty overalls and threw them into a plastic garbage bag; Alice left a new garbage bag tied to the porch railing for him every morning. On his way in the house, he dropped the garbage bag off at the washing machine and went straight up the stairs to the shower as he was instructed. He would eat dinner with her after he was “presentable,” as Alice had often said. What can we infer?

• Paul is dirty

• Alice likes things neat

• Paul does the same thing every day

• Alice doesn't mind if things get messy

Crack! Thunder struck and rain poured. Max stared blankly out the window, trying to contain his emotions that raged like the weather. He was beginning to lose it. Dropping the kite from his hand, Max broke out into full sobs. His mother comforted him, “There, there, Max. We’ll just find something else to do.” She began to unpack the picnic basket that was on the counter and offered him a sandwich. Max snapped, “I don’t wanna sand-mich!” A flash from the sky lit up the living room. Boom! Mom sighed. What can we infer?

• Max cries all the time

• Max is spoiled

• Max and mom had sandwiches for lunch

• The weather ruined their plans

“Tommy!” Mom called out as she walked in the front door. “Tommy,” she continued shouting, “I sure could use some help with these groceries. There was still no reply. Mom walked into the kitchen to put the grocery bags down on the counter when she noticed shattered glass from the picture window all over the living room floor and a baseball not far from there. “I’m going to kill you, Tommy!” Mom yelled to herself as she realized that Tommy’s shoes were gone. We can infer?

• Mom needed help with the groceries

• Tommy liked baseball

• Tommy left because he knew he was going to be in trouble

• Mom is yelling for Tommy to help her