Reading Clues

Overview

In this lesson, students practise making character inferences using the “It says – I say – And so” strategy. They use a short bully-on-the-bus text excerpt and manipulatives to collect evidence and explain what it suggests about a character.

Learning intentions

• Students will use comprehension strategies to make and justify inferences about characters in a text.
• Students will find evidence in the text by using “It says”.
• Students will explain their thinking by using “I say”.
• Students will link evidence and reasoning to a conclusion using “And so”.

Success criteria

• I can point to a sentence or detail in the text (“It says”) that shows something about a character.
• I can use my own words to explain what that detail means (“I say”).
• I can say a clear inference about the character and link it to evidence (“And so”).
• I can participate respectfully in turn-taking during partner work.

Curriculum links

• Use comprehension strategies when listening/viewing and reading print and multimodal texts.
• Make simple inferences about characters using textual evidence.
• Use questioning and summarising to monitor understanding during reading.
• Use a structured thinking routine to connect evidence to reasoning.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 2 minutes – Warm-up attention + review

• Teacher shows a quick “bus scene” image (or board drawing) and asks: “What clues tell us how a character might feel?”
• Students turn-and-talk for 20 seconds, then one student shares a clue.

2. 8 minutes – Explicit model: It says–I say–And so

• Teacher reads a short excerpt from “Bully on the Bus Journey” (2–4 paragraphs max).
• Stop at 2 moments where character behaviour/emotions are clear.
• Model using a thinking frame on the board:
• It says (quote or describe the exact words/action)
• I say (what I think it shows)
• And so (my inference about the character)
• Teacher prompts: “What do the words/actions make us think?” and “How do we know?”

3. 10 minutes – Manipulatives evidence sorting (whole group)

• Give each small group a set of cards: some are “evidence” (text-adjacent details) and some are “ideas” (possible inferences).
• Students work as a class to sort cards into three piles: It says / I say / And so.
• Teacher checks each choice with a question: “Does that match the words or action?”

4. 13 minutes – Guided practice with 2 excerpts (pairs, 4 students total)

• Split students into two pairs. Each pair receives one short second excerpt.
• Task: complete 2 inference statements using the sentence stems:
• “It says ___.”
• “I say it means ___.”
• “And so, I think ___.”
• Teacher circulates with a checklist:
• Evidence is specific (not general)
• Reasoning connects evidence to meaning
• Conclusion is a character inference (feeling, motive, attitude, or trait)

5. 7 minutes – Share and refine (whole group)

• Each pair shares one completed inference.
• Class gives “evidence feedback” using simple prompts:
• “Show me where it says that.”
• “What clue tells us?”
• “Is your ‘And so’ linked to the ‘It says’?”

6. 5 minutes – Quick exit check (individual, low demand)

• Students choose one of the two inferences from their work and complete one line on a small response slip:
• “And so, I think ___ because it says ___.”
• Collect slips for assessment.

Resources

• “Bully on the Bus Journey” excerpt cards (one earlier excerpt for modelling; two for student practice)
• It says / I say / And so thinking frame (printed or on board)
• Sentence stems strip for students
• Manipulative card sets (evidence cards and inference/idea cards)
• Sticky notes or response slips for exit check
• Timer (visual) for each step
• Highlighters (1 colour) or marker pens for circling text evidence
• Bus scene image for warm-up
• Visual cue cards for turn-taking (“My turn / Your turn”)

Assessment

• Observe pairs during sorting and guided practice: students’ accuracy in linking evidence to inference.
• Collect exit slips to check that “And so” includes both an inference and evidence.
• Use questioning during sharing to see whether students can explain reasoning, not just guess.

Differentiation

• Support (ADHD/Autism): provide sentence stems, a limited number of excerpt stops (2 per text), and a visual “choice” routine (choose evidence card first, then inference card).
• Support: pre-highlight key lines in one excerpt for students who need access, while still requiring them to complete “I say” and “And so”.
• Extension: ask students to add a second piece of evidence for the same inference, or to state an alternative inference (“Another possibility could be…”) and decide which is better.
• EAL: allow drawing or pointing to evidence first, then completing “It says” with a short phrase; sentence stems reduce language load.