Inferring With WH Questions

Grade Level

6th Grade Special Education Resource Class (8 students)

Duration

20 minutes

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Common Core State Standards Alignment:

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.1
  Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
  Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1
  Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Use WH questions (Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How) to infer information not explicitly stated in the text.
2. Identify supporting textual evidence to justify their inferences.
3. Answer inferential questions about a short text passage, demonstrating comprehension beyond literal understanding.

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Materials Needed:

• Short text passages (150-200 words max) designed at or below grade level, dyslexia-friendly font (e.g., OpenDyslexic or Comic Sans) printed on colored paper (light pastel blue or green to reduce visual stress).
• Whiteboard and markers
• Post-it notes for student answers
• Individual dry-erase boards and markers (for quick responses)

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Lesson Outline

1. Warm-Up Activity (3 minutes)

• Brief review of WH question words: Project or write the words Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How on the board.
• Ask students to give an example of a question starting with each word.
• Differentiate: For students struggling, offer sentence starters or allow yes/no WH question formats, e.g., "Who is in the story?" rather than "Who might…?"

2. Introduction to Inferencing (5 minutes)

• Define inferencing in simple terms: "Inferencing means using clues from the story along with what you already know to figure things out the author doesn’t say directly."

• Read a short text passage aloud (use clear pacing and intonation to aid comprehension).

• Model thinking aloud: Demonstrate how to answer a "Why" or "How" question using clues from the text plus your own background knowledge. For example, "Why do you think the character felt sad even though the text doesn’t say it? Because the story says it was raining and the character was alone, which might make someone feel sad."

• Differentiation: Provide an audio version of the passage for students who benefit from auditory input.

3. Guided Practice: WH Question Inferencing (7 minutes)

• Hand out copies of a second short text passage, dyslexia-friendly format.

• Read the passage as a group or individually, whichever meets the students' needs.

• Present three WH questions that require inferencing:

  • "Why did the character leave the house?"
  • "How did the setting affect the character’s feelings?"
  • "What might happen next, based on the clues given?"

• Allow students time to write down or verbalize their answers (using dry-erase boards or post-its).

• Ask students to underline or highlight (with colored pencils) the parts of the text that helped them decide.

• Discuss student responses as a class, focusing on citing evidence and explaining their inferences.

• Differentiation: For students with writing difficulties, allow oral responses or use sentence frames such as "I think ___ because ___."

4. Independent Quick Check (4 minutes)

• Give a third brief passage orally or visually.
• Ask one WH inferencing question aloud (e.g., "Why do you think the story ended the way it did?").
• Students write or share a brief response with evidence.
• Collect individual responses quickly on post-it notes for a formative assessment check.

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Assessment and Feedback

• Informally assess understanding based on participation in guided practice and quick check answers.
• Use the post-it note answers to identify students who need additional support with inferencing.
• Provide immediate corrective feedback during discussion to model effective inference strategies.

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Differentiation Strategies

• Multi-Sensory Input: Combine oral reading with printed text and visual WH question prompts.
• Sentence Frames: Provide sentence starters to scaffold responses.
• Choice of Response Mode: Allow students to answer orally, write, or draw inferential ideas.
• Manipulatives: Use sticky notes for highlighting text clues to support analysis.
• Small Group Support: If needed, pull 1-2 students to work with a teacher or paraeducator for extra scaffolding.
• Dyslexia-Friendly Reading: Texts are printed using dyslexia-friendly fonts, ample spacing, and on colored paper to reduce visual stress.

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Extensions

• Encourage students to write their own inferential WH questions for a short story read in class later.
• Create an ongoing "Inference Chart" where students record WH questions and their inferred answers from multiple stories, helping to build inference skills across texts.

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Closing (1 minute)

• Recap: “Today we learned how to use WH questions to find clues in the text to make smart guesses about what’s going on.”
• Preview next lesson: “Next time, we will use these strategies to understand characters’ feelings even deeper.”

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This concise, evidence-based lesson capitalizes on interactive, multi-sensory approaches while aligning tightly with the Common Core standards, specifically addressing analysis, text evidence, and discussion to develop critical inferencing skills within a special education setting.