DETECTIVES!

To ____ means to to guess something that the text does not say, using a detail in the text.

• infer

• evidence

• conclusion

A _______ is a decision or judgement we make about the text based on the details, our inferences, and our own experiences.

• detail

• evidence

• conclusion

Detectives should use more that one piece of evidence and more than one inference to make a wise ____.

• detail

• conclusion

• synonym

CASE FILE: The Mysterious Substitute

Room 114 has a substitute teacher again today. The students in Room 114 are sad that Mrs. Barrett is still gone, but they are also happy to have another day with their interesting substitute teacher, Mr. Kensington. He is a somewhat mysterious guy. No one knows what his real job is. The first thing the students noticed about him was how he smelled. He didn’t smell bad. It was the opposite. He smelled delicious! He smelled kind of sweet, like a birthday cake or cookies.

Clue 1: How did Mr. Kensington smell?

• The text says he smelled sweet. I can infer he was in a garden.

• The text says he smelled sweet. I can infer he took a shower.

• The text says he smelled sweet, like a birthday cake or cookies. I can he baked something.

Every student had a growling tummy by the time lunch rolled around because of how Mr. Kensington smelled. Yesterday, the mystery continued. Mr. Kensington had white powder all over his pants and shoes. Annie, a student, asked him about it. Mr. Kensington simply patted his slacks and the powder poofed into the air. “Oh, that’s just what happens when you work where I do,” Mr. Kensington said. Clue 2: What was on Mr. Kensington's clothes?

• The text says "Mr. Kensington had white powder all over his pants and shoes." I can infer that this might be flour, for baking.

• The text says "Mr. Kensington had white powder all over his pants and shoes." I can infer that this might be magic dust.

• The text says "Mr. Kensington had white powder all over his pants and shoes." I can infer that this might be sand from the beach.

The delicious smell was still in the air the next day. The white powder was still on Mr. Kensington’s shoes. The students decided that they would use morning meeting time, before reading, to ask Mr. Kensington some questions about his secret job. Josh, Zack, and Annie all asked questions. The class found out that it is sometimes really hot at Mr. Kensington's job because of all the ovens, that he uses spoons and pans, and that he makes people very happy with what he makes.

Clue 3: What did the students learn about Mr. Kensington’s job?

• The text says "it is sometimes really hot at Mr. Kensington's job because of all the ovens, that he uses spoons and pans, and that he makes people very happy with what he makes."

• The text says "The students decided that they would use morning meeting time, before reading, to ask Mr. Kensington some questions about his secret job."

• The text says "Josh, Zack, and Annie all asked questions."

The students thought that they had Mr. Kensington’s job all figured out. They wanted to guess out loud, but Mr. Kensington told them to wait until tomorrow. “You can see if you were right when I bring a few of the delicious things that I make to class tomorrow,” said Mr. Kensington. The kids couldn’t wait to see what he was going to bring for them to enjoy, especially since they thought that they knew exactly what Mr. Kensington did for his secret job.

Clue 4: What was Mr. Kensington going to bring to class?

• The text says "The kids couldn’t wait to see what he was going to bring for them to enjoy." I can infer that he will bring toys.

• The text says “You can see if you were right when I bring a few of the delicious things that I make to class tomorrow." I can infer that he will bring some fruit.

• The text says “You can see if you were right when I bring a few of the delicious things that I make to class tomorrow." I can infer that he will bring some treats that he baked.

DRAW A CONCLUSION: Using all the evidence I found in the text and the inferences I made, I can conclude that:

• Mr. Kensington is farmer.

• Mr. Kensington is a baker.

• Mr. Kensington is an artist.