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Teaching Plan & Guideline for Chapter 2
Content : Drawing conclusions & P redicting outcomes Exemplification How to form conclusion & predict outcomes Practice exercises Summing up Review test Tests References
Objectives:
To provide experience that will result in students’ ability to:
- identify the clues upon which they have based their inference.
- find hidden meaning
- create inferences logically from facts i.e. infer logical ideas from written material, interpret their meaning, evaluate ideas of the author in the selection.
- draw an accurate conclusion when reading critically.
- predict outcomes about probable future behavior in a selection based on logical evidence of past or present behavior.
Teaching Procedures & Activities
- Review the skills in the previous chapter, give examples from Supplementary Material for Teaching
- Divide students into equal groups, have them predict, study handouts.
- Brainstorm by discussion, infer, conclude, predict, and present.
- Students evaluate the work of each group.
- Students conclude with all the help needed from teachers with emphasis on: 5.1 discussing the reasons drawn from the events in the selection which happened as they did. 5.1 guessing what will occur next. 5.2 indicating the most important ideas in the selection 5.3 composing a sentence that summarizes the main ideas given in the selection. 5.4 giving in one concluding sentence what the selection means i.e. What ideas the author is trying to present.
- Students read selections containing facts, ideas and conclude in their own words and then predict outcomes.
- Do assignments in the Supplementary Material for Teaching and Test.
Teaching Materials
- Supplementary Material for Teaching
- Handouts
- SRA III b (Science Research Associates)
- Reading materials i.e. news articles, features, ads, etc.
- Evaluation form.
Evaluation
- Observation of students as they critically read, analyze, criticize, discuss, present and react to a selection.
- Exercises, materials to evaluate students’ critical comprehension skills.
- Evaluation forms.
in order to understand what to expect next. In fact, if you must answer
questions after you read, those questions often involve conclusions you
must draw on your own.
You have to think about drawing conclusions from parts of
individual sentence to larger units like paragraphs or whole essays.
Sometimes you can predict the outcome of a sentence. That is to say, you
can make a reasonably accurate guess as to how the sentence will end.
You can use this skill to help you see how to draw conclusions and to
predict outcomes in longer selections.
Exemplification
Which word group from the choices below would you select to complete
the following sentence?
If you keep reading books with small print in such dim light, a). you’ll never pass your exam. b). you may not learn the meaning of important words. c). you may strain your eyes. d). you should play some music on the radio. We can reasonably guess that c is the correct ending of the sentence. In
fact, the only sound selection we can make from the choices given here
is c. The others are unreasonable.
Read the following examples. In each example a conclusion is
drawn. Before you read the comments following each example, examine
the facts carefully and decide if the conclusion is right or wrong.
Example 1:
It is a fact that Monday always follows Sunday. Now, since today is Sunday, tomorrow must be Monday.
Comment: The conclusion, “…tomorrow must be Monday,” is right.
The stated facts are accurate and the conclusion is the only one that can be
drawn.
Example 2:
If you cannot stay on school nights and there is school tomorrow, you cannot stay out tonight.
Comment: The conclusion, “…you cannot stay out tonight,” is right.
It is the only conclusion that can be drawn from the stated facts.
Example 3:
Whenever it rains, the ground gets wet. Since the ground is wet, I can conclude that it is raining.
Comment: The conclusion, “… it is raining,” is not accurate. After
thinking about the stated facts, you can conclude that the ground could be
wet for other reasons.
Example 4:
Hard work is always rewarded, but Bob has not received sufficient reward for his work. We can conclude that Bob does not work hard enough.
Comment: The conclusion, “… Bob does not work hard enough,” is
not accurate. You have learned through personal experience that hard work
is not always rewarded. It is therefore not accurate to conclude that Bob
does not work hard enough. There could be other reasons why Bob had not
been rewarded.
It is clear from what you have read so far that an accurate
conclusion cannot be drawn unless all the facts are understood and
carefully evaluated. Understanding and evaluating facts depends upon
critical reading.
we do not know if the men like the birds or are annoyed by them. We also do
not know whether the men know if the seagulls are hungry or even whether
the men care that the birds may be hungry! The only safe conclusion is that
the men want to dispose of their garbage: answer a is correct for question 3.
In like manner, the only thing we can predict about a future event is
that the men will leave the birds behind as the ship moves forward. For
question 4, only b is an appropriate conclusion to draw.
HOW TO FORM CONCLUSIONS AND PREDICT OUTCOMES
- Be sure you know the main idea of the selection.
- Be sure you understand all the facts or details that the writer gives to support the idea.
- Check on difficult vocabulary. Did you use sentence clues to figure out that manna had something to do with food? (Any food supplied as if by a miracle – like the food that came to the Jews in the wilderness – is called manna .)
- Look out for the logic of action. Did you follow the sequence? Did you put events together in the right order of time or place to help you predict what would happen?
- Look at the way people are described. Can you tell from their personalities-from the way they think and feel-just how they might act?
- Ask yourself after you read: what will happen as a result of these actions or events?
- Be careful to build your conclusion on evidence you find in what you read and not exclusively on your own opinions, likes, and dislikes. Of course you need to rely on your own experience to help you figure out how things may happen. But most of your conclusions must be based on what you read in the selection.
Practice exercises
Practice A
Predicting Outcomes of Sentences
Try to determine the outcome for the statements below. Select
the best, most logical ending to finish each sentence and write the letter of
your choice in the space provided. Be prepared to defend your choice and
to explain why you rejected the others.
______ 1. People who do not smoke or drink, who exercise regularly, and who eat healthful foods probably
a. feel ashamed about the way they look. b. feel better than people who don’t take care of themselves. c. feel sick more often than people who relax and enjoy life. d. think that they live boring lives.
______ 2. After losing every game this season, the football team probably felt
a. happy to have participated in a successful season. b. mad because all the other teams were probably cheating. c. disappointed at not being able to play better. d. guilty that they didn’t try harder.
______ 3. Mary was absent from class ten times this semester and only handed in one of six assignments. She can expect
a. that the teacher will give her a good grade. b. that the teacher will give her extra time to complete unfinished work. c. a failing grade. d. one of her classmates to do the work for her.
Practice B
Drawing Conclusions and Predicting Outcomes
Read the following passage about a neighborhood and then answer the
questions.
Few people passed. The man out of the last house passed on his way home; she heard his footsteps clacking along the concrete pavement and afterwards crunching on the cinder path before the new red houses. One time there used to be a field there in which they used to play every evening with other people’s children. Then a man from Belfast bought the field and built houses in it – not like their little brown houses but bright brick houses with shining roofs. The children of the avenue used to play together in that field – the Devines, the Waters, the Dunns, little Keogh the cripple, she and her brothers and sisters. Ernest, however, never played: he was too grown up. Her father used often to hunt them in out of the field with his blackthorn stick; but usually little Keogh used to keep nix and call out when he saw her father coming. Still they seemed to have been rather happy then. Her father was not so bad then; and besides, her mother was alive. That was a long time ago; she and her brothers and sisters were all grown up, her mother was dead. Tizzie Dunn was dead, too, and the Waters had gone back to England. Everything changes. Now she was going to go away like the others, to leave her home.
Practice C
Read the following selection and answer the questions after it.
I don’t know how I became a writer, but I think it was because of a certain force in me that had to write and that finally burst through and found a channel. My people were of the working class of people. My father, a stone-cutter, was a man with a great respect and veneration for literature. He had a tremendous memory, and he loved poetry, and the poetry that he loved best was naturally of the rhetorical kind that such a man would like. Nevertheless it was good poetry, Hamlet’s Soliloquy, “Macbeth,” Mark Antony’s Funeral Oration, Grey’s “Elegy,” and all the rest of it. I heard it all as a child; I memorized and learned it all. He sent me to college to the state university. The desire to write, which had been strong during all my days in high school, grew stronger still. I was editor of the college paper, the college magazine, etc., and in my last year or two I was a member of a course in playwriting which had just been established there. I wrote several little one-act plays, still thinking I would become a lawyer or a newspaper man, never daring to believe I could seriously become a writer. Then I went to Harvard, wrote some more plays there, became obsessed with the idea that I had to be a playwright, left Harvard, had my plays rejected, and finally in the autumn of 1926, how, why, or in what manner I have never exactly been able to determine, but probably because the force in me that had to write at length sought out its channel, I began to write my first book in London. I was living all alone at that time. I had two rooms-a bedroom and a sitting room-in a little square in Chelsea in which all the houses had that familiar, smoked brick and cream- yellow-plaster look.
______ 1. We may conclude, in regard to the author’s development as a writer, that his father a. made an important contribution b. insisted that he choose writing as a career c. opposed his becoming a writer d. taught him grammar and sentence structure e. insisted that he read Hamlet in order to learn how to be a writer
______ 2. The author believes that he became a writer mostly because of a. his special talent b. his father’s teaching and encouragement c. his course at Harvard d. a hidden urge within him e. all of these
______ 3. A conclusion we cannot safely draw (based upon this passage) about the author’s life in 1926 is that a. He was unmarried. b. He was miserable about having his plays rejected. c. He lived in a house like all the other houses around him. d. He started his first novel. e. He was no longer a student.
Practice D
Read the following selection and answer the questions after it.
The Manus baby is accustomed to water from the first years of his life. Lying on the slatted floor he watches the sunlight gleam on the surface of the lagoon as the changing tide passes and repasses beneath the house. When he is nine or ten months old his mother or father will often sit in the cool of the evening on the little verandah, and his eyes grow used to the sight of the passing canoes and the village set in the sea. When he is about a year old, he has learned to grasp his mother firmly about the throat, so that he can ride in safety, poised on the back of her neck. She has carried him up and down the long house, dodged under low-hanging shelves, and climbed up and down the rickety ladders which lead from house floor down to the landing verandah. The decisive, angry gesture with which he was reseated on his mother’s neck whenever his grip tended to slacken has taught him to be alert and sure-handed. At last it is safe for his mother to take him out in a canoe, to punt or paddle the canoe herself while the baby clings to her neck. If a sudden wind roughens the lagoon or her punt catches in a rock, the canoe may swerve and precipitate mother and baby into the sea. The water is cold and dark, acrid in taste and blindingly salt; the descent into its depths is sudden, but the training within the house holds good. The baby does not loosen his grip while his mother rights the canoe and climbs out of the water.
______ 1. The main idea of this paragraph is a. to show how Manus babies learn about water b. to show how the mothers raise their children c. to show how to survive the dangers of the sea d. to illustrate the way in which Manus families pass their time e. all of these
______ 2. The Manus houses are built a. in the mountains b. in bush country c. on slats above the lagoon d. with shells from the sea e. by the villagers at a festival
Practice E
In the following exercise, be sure you understand the logical order of ideas,
and, based on your literal understandings, predict what is likely to happen
(LIKELY) or what is not likely to happen (UNLIKELY).
A. Two years ago Ralph began work as a supermarket clerk. In six months he was promoted to assistant manager of the market. He worked hard and one year later took over the position of market manager. Because of his continued efforts to provide excellent service, Ralph’s work came to the attention of the market’s administrators. They watched his work care fully and several months later made a decision.
______ 1. Ralph will be evaluated for five years before he is promot ed. ______ 2. When Ralph is promoted, he will become a good market manager in the company. ______ 3. Ralph will move to the administrative offices shortly. ______ 4. Ralph will be moved to one of the firm’s smaller markets. ______ 5. In two more years with the company, Ralph will have held every possible position.
B. Roberta and Joseph have applied for status as United States citizens. Joseph has a fine job, and Roberta is enrolled at a local college where she studies secretarial science. Each had an American sponsor, and each has studied hard for the citizenship exam. ______ 1. Joseph will get a better job when he emigrates from the United States. ______ 2. Both Roberta and Joseph will become citizens. ______ 3. Roberta will begin her medical studies when she enrolls in college. ______ 4. Roberta, but not Joseph, will pass the exam. ______ 5. Roberta and Joseph will skip the next exam.
C. “For years we’ve discussed the advantages of owning our own home rather than renting an apartment,” said Alison to her husband, Teddy. “But I don’t think we can pay that much for the mortgage. And besides, we will still have many other expenses,” he replied. “We pay as much for rent as we would for the mortgage. And remember, part of the mortgage payment is tax-deductible.” “I don’t see how that will help us.” “We’ll get some money back every April after taxes. We certainly don’t have that benefit with our apartment.” “I see your point. Let me think this over. Hmmm. Money returned to us!” ______ 1. Teddy will consider the advantages of owning a home. ______ 2. Alison will claim their apartment rent as a tax deduction. ______ 3. The taxes on a home and an apartment will be equal. ______ 4. Alison will need further convincing about the benefits ______ 5. Alison and Teddy will decide to buy their own home.
D. What some Americans consider necessity, others consider luxury. Consider the Jackson family. When Mr. And Mrs. Jackson were married, they moved into an apartment that was equipped with a stove, a refrigerator, an electric burglar alarm system, air conditioning, heating, a building phone system, and a dishwasher. In addition, their building had a laundry room equipped with washers and dryers. The Jacksons could listen to music as they took the elevator to their twentieth-floor apartment, and they could park their car in a heated, electronically protected garage. They could also enjoy the building’s rooftop facilities which included a pool, a sauna, a steam bath, and a lounging area.
______ 1. The Jacksons will soon move to another building. ______ 2. The Jacksons will expect the same basic conditions if they consider any future moves. ______ 3. If the Jacksons move, they will immediately order the necessary kitchen appliances, such as a stove. ______ 4. When the Jackson children are grown, they can expect to enjoy more electronic conveniences than they do now. ______ 5. All families in the United States will have these advantages in the near future.
Practice F
Read each statement and the two possible conclusions that follow
it. Based on information in the statement, check the conclusion (s) that can
be drawn logically from that statement.
- Henry has been late to class six times, absent four times, and has missed two of three quizzes. ______ Henry is unconcerned about his grade in this class. ______ Henry enjoys the class.
- There was no way of knowing when we had crossed the border-no markings, no border posts-but it must have happened sometime around midnight ______ The author is unfamiliar with the area. ______ The author is traveling alone.
- When I got back to the compartment, the only other passenger had awakened. ______ The other person had been sleeping. ______ The author is traveling by car.
- Dr. Tobias, Chief of Surgery, requested clamps and sutures from the attending head nurse. They both glanced at the clock and quickly finished closing the wound. They smiled when they realized they had finished well within the critical time limit for such a surgical procedure. ______ The experienced surgeon and his nursing assistant performed the complicated operation. ______ During the operation, each was aware of the time.
- Which person would you ask for advice on how to build a model rocket? ______ a. a science teacher ______ b. a policeman ______ c. an English teacher
- Which person might be able to help you in rebuilding an automobile engine? ______ a. a carpenter ______ b. an electrician ______ c. a mechanic
- Which person might be most helpful if you needed to locate several books of fiction? ______ a. a teacher ______ b. a librarian ______ c. an author
- Which person would you ask for advice about buying a guitar? ______ a. a guitar player ______ b. a band director ______ c. a guitar teacher
- If you were planning to start a garden, from whom would you seek advice? ______ a. a farmer who raises vegetables ______ b. a garden editor of a newspaper ______ c. a salesgirl in a florist shop
- If you wanted to learn how to make clothing, whom would you ask for advice? ______ a. a sales clerk ______ b. a tailor ______ c. a model
- Which person would you ask for a list of regulations about operating a motorbike? ______ a. a bicycle dealer ______ b. a principal ______ c. a policeman
- Which person would you ask for information on how to write a book? ______ a. an author ______ b. a bookseller ______ c. a printer
- If you wanted to lose weight, whom would you ask for information about dieting? ______ a. a dentist ______ b. a druggist ______ c. a doctor
- Who would be most likely to have reliable information about the next few days?
______ a. a historian ______ b. a weather-bureau forecaster ______ c. a fortune teller
Review Test
A critical reader asks himself these questions:
- What did the writer say?
- Do the facts support the writer’s main idea?
- Have I drawn the only conclusion allowed by the facts and is it justified
by critical evaluation?
Test
Read each paragraph. One or more of the 5 statements that follow are
conclusions that can be made from the information given. Others are
questionable – the information given does not positively support these
conclusions. Write D. for conclusion that can definitely be made and Q
for a conclusion that is questionable.
- Tires screeched and the drugstore window seemed to explode as a black car crashed into it. Passing shoppers stood frozen to the pavement while a woman’s shrill scream filled the air. A policeman curbed his patrol car and ran toward the accident as the dented door of the oar swung slowly open and sagged on its shattered hinges. ______ 1. The woman driving the car screams because she is hurt. ______ 2. Both car and building are damaged in the accident. ______ 3. The car crashes as it is being chased bya police car. ______ 4. Only one car is involved in the accident. ______ 5. The occupants of the car are unconscious.
- Richard is the new president of our class and was recently voted the most valuable player and captain of the football team. He is in the Maths. Club and edits the school paper. I’ve known him since the fifth grade and I always thought we were good friends. But when I suggested going to the movies yesterday, he said he was busy; and when I waved to him across the street today, he just looked the other way. ______ 1. Richard is an excellent student. ______ 2. Richard has a wide rangeof interests. ______ 3. Richard is a popular boy. ______ 4. Richard doesn’t have time for his friends because of his new popularity. ______ 5. The speaker thinks that Richard is ignoring him.
- Bob heard his name whispered urgently and opened his eyes to see Brett sitting up in the bed across the darkened room, one hand held up in warning, his head cocked tensely to one side as he listened. In the silence, they heard the creak of a stair, followed by a rhythmic, shuffling sound. The sound stopped suddenly, and the boys waited, hardly breathing. The wind rustled the tree outside their window. The curtain flapped gently. Heavy footsteps echoed through the carpetless downstairs hall, and the listening boys jumped at the explosive sound of breaking glass. “What do we do now?” Bob said. ______ 1. Somebody is moving around in the house. ______ 2. Some member of the family is probably walking through the house. ______ 3. The boys think there is a burglar in the house. ______ 4. Bob and Brett are brothers who share the same bedroom. ______ 5. A downstairs window is broken.
