Making an Inference

1. Pretest: Theme
After reading along with the story, write a detailed paragraph about a possible theme. Be sure to include evidence and details from the story that support the theme.

Read along: All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury



2. When we combine what we read with what what we know, we are making an inference.
     Author's don't usually state their theme directly. Authors often give clues about, or imply, their message to the reader.  The reader then uses these clues, along with their own understanding of the world, to infer the message, or theme.
     Literary analysis is the process of making inferences and drawing conclusions from these clues in order to find the deeper wisdom of the story.
a.  Open the document Making an Inference in your Language Arts folder. What inferences can you make about the setting and characters of the short scene?  What theme, or wisdom, does the scene reveal?
b.  Work together as a class to complete the Concept Map for the verb  to infer.