The walk to the beach took her half an hour, but it passed by quickly. Tropical birds kept her company, chirping hello from the tall palm trees, while neighbors, on their front porches, waved as Karina passed by.

Once she left her neighborhood and reached the entrance to the tourist resort, things completely changed. The tropical vacation resort was full all year, as Bali is a famous tourist spot—one island of many in the country of Indonesia, in Southeast Asia.

Based on the passage, what can we infer about where this person is?

The sun climbed in the sky, and the day got hotter. Just as Karina turned on a small portable fan to cool herself, someone began yelling in the water. Karina immediately jumped off her chair and ran toward the shore. She soon realized the person was yelling “shark.” She froze. She had never experienced a shark sighting before but knew that she should get everyone out of the water. She began to pull people out of the water and assisted young children who couldn’t move quickly enough.

Based on the passage, what do we know about Katrina's experience as a lifeguard?

They were not on the hook by the phone and they were not in her purse. Alison checked the pockets of the jacket she wore yesterday, but they were not there either. She looked at her watch and realized she would be late for work if she didn’t leave soon..

What is Alison looking for?

Sometimes we have to “read between the lines.” Authors don’t always tell us everything. We need to use text evidence and prior knowledge to understand the text better.

In many cultures dogs are used to herd sheep. The dogs keep the flock from being attacked by animals like wolves. They also keep sheep from wandering off. Sheepdogs are known for their loyalty and gentleness.

Based on your reading of the text, you can INFER that:

As the teacher lectured the class about how important it was to pay attention, Brian found himself staring out the window again. Suddenly, a little boy came up to the window and peeked in. The boy blew a bubble with his gum and it exploded all over his face and the window. Brian began laughing so hard he fell out of his seat. The rest of the class silently stared at him as the teacher walked to his desk.

What can you infer about how the teacher will react?

To make an inference, we use evidence from the text, and our prior knowledge.

Joshua went into the backyard to play on the swing set. His new puppy, Rascal,ran beside him. As Joshua was running toward the swings, he step in a hole and hurt his ankle. Joshua’s dad was always doing yard work and making sure that the grass was perfectly cut and the ground was even. He would have noticed that hole and filled it up. Neither Joshua nor his father could figure out how that hole appeared!

Who or what do you think caused the hole?

Rosa was floating on a raft in the ocean. All she could hear was the crashing of the waves onto the beach. Suddenly, she saw something big, long and gray coming toward her on an approaching wave.

She thought, “This could only be one thing!” and started screaming for help! She paddled back to shore as quickly as she could, but noticed many people were laughing at her.

We can infer that the "thing" was NOT a...

Pete called Ted on Tuesday afternoon and invited him to come to his house after dinner to watch a movie. It had been a long, boring day, and Ted was excited to have something to do.

After dinner, he jumped on his bike and pedaled over to Pete's house. The house was dark, and when Ted rang the bell, there was no answer. He shrugged his shoulders, jumped back on his bike, and rode home.

What had Ted concluded?

Mr. Johnson looked up at the sky and did not see any clouds anywhere. He only saw the cruel, hot sun that was baking the land. Sadly, Mr. Johnson ran his fingers through one of the rows of dirt and grabbed a handful. It was bone dry, almost powdery. He let the dirt sift through his fingers and it turned to dust in the wind.

Mr. Johnson put his hands on his hips and looked at the field. It had lots of seeds already planted. He seeded it himself, yet nothing grew from the dirt. "Well, there's only one thing left to do," he said to himself. Mr. Johnson headed to church.

What does Mr. Johnson do for a living?

Vince slammed his fist against the locker. Most of the students had already gone into their classes. The bell would ring soon. Vince looked around quickly but saw no friendly faces. He looked at the locker again and started spinning the lock, first right, then left, then right. He took a deep breath and pulled the lock. It did not open. Vince let out a grunt at the exact moment the bell rang.

He grabbed the handle of the locker and yanked it repeatedly in a fit of rage. Then he threw his arms against the locker and put his head into his arms. Finally, he pushed himself off of the locker and went to look for help.

Why is Vince upset?

Alex shut the lid to his laptop with a loud clap. Some of the people sitting at the tables near him looked up from their books and gave him annoyed looks. Alex noticed that he had bothered them and held up his hand to apologize.

The librarian turned toward him and shushed him loudly, perhaps louder than the noise that he had made. Alex put the laptop in his bag and began walking toward the door. He held his head down low.

Which of the following choices is evidence that the setting is a library?

Lightning is the flash of light that happens when electricity moves between clouds or between a cloud and the ground.

A lightning bolt that flashes in the sky can reach a temperature of 60,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That is about five times hotter than the sun! The heat from lightning causes the surrounding air to expand, resulting in the loud sound known as thunder.

What evidence can you find that explains how thunder is created??

Crack! Thunder struck and rain poured. Five-year old Max stared out the window, trying not to cry. 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 snack. Max snapped, "I don't want a snack!"

Can you explain why Max is upset in this passage?

Crack! Thunder boomed and rain poured. Five-year old Max stared out the window, trying not to cry. 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 snack. Max snapped, "I don't want a snack!"

What line in the text tells you that Max is upset it is raining?

Tim looked out the window. The house looked so lonely. Tim's father put the last suitcase in the trunk and started up the car. Thor, his dog, put his head on Tim's lap, like he understood how Tim was feeling. "It's okay Thor," he said, "Dad says we will like California."

How would you describe what is happening in this passage?

“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 window all over the living room floor and a baseball not far from there. “I’m so mad Tommy!” Mom yelled to herself as she realized that Tommy’s shoes were gone.

What details can you find in the text that shows that the window was broken?

You may be surprised to hear that earthquakes are not rare. In fact, earthquakes happen every day somewhere in the world. Most of them are weak. There are times when an earthquake is very powerful and causes a lot of damage. One strong earthquake can destroy houses, bridges, railroad tracks, and more.

Can you describe why earthquakes are so dangerous?

On a spring night in 2007, disaster struck a small town in Kansas. Winds were more than 200 miles per hour! In less than ten minutes, the town was destroyed! Ten people died.

After the storm, people climbed out from their basement through the destroyed buildings. Cars and trucks had been thrown about. Homes were crushed, or ripped from the ground. There’s really nothing left,” said one resident.

Explain what happened to the small town using text evidence to prove your answer.