Subject
Unit Title
Middletown Public Schools
Unit Planning Organizer
Grade
8
Duration 20 days
LA
Making Inferences
Standards
Content
Essential
Question
What is an inference?
How do I draw inferences using textual evidence?
Theme: Discovery
How do we use evidence to solve problems?
Objective
Students will be able to use background knowledge and text clues
to make inferences.
Skilled readers will be able to draw inferences using background
knowledge (schema) plus text clues (evidence) to deepen meaning
Overarching Standards
8.R.I.3: Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events
(through comparisons, analogies, or categories)
Priority and Supporting Common Core State Standards
Bold Standards are Priority
RI8.1 and RL8.1: Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text.
W8.2 – Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the
effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
W8.9 – Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research (a & b)
SL8.1: (B)- Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define
Grade ,
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individual roles as needed.
(c) – Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others’ questions and comments with relevant evidence,
observations, and ideas
(d) – Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views in light of the
evidence presented.
L8.4 – Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple meaning words or phrases based on grade 8 reading and content,
choosing flexibly from a range of strategies - (a, b, c, & d)
Main idea, analyzing, determining importance (8.4); speaking and listening 8.1 (small group discussions to infer about text)
Content Area Standards
Standard
R 8.1
SL 8.1
W8.2
Standard
R 8.1
Grade ,
Skills
Concepts
What Students Need to Be Able to Do
What Students Need to Know
 Cite, support, analyze
 Engage, build, discuss, respond, question, express,
justify
 Write, examine, convey, select, organize, analyze



Textual evidence, inferences, analysis
Ideas, comments, evidence, observations,
discussions, new information
Informative/explanatory texts, complex ideas and
information, content
Learning Progressions
Remediate Learning
Accelerate Learning
R 7.1 Cite several piece of textual evidence to support
R 9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis
analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
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inferences drawn from the text.
R 6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what
the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from
the text
Suggested Materials
Texts
Cold Case
Ordinary Woman
The Angel
Gift of the Magi
Monkey’s Paw
Sherlock Holmes short stories – “ A Study in Scarlet” “A Scandal in
Bohemia”
Media
CSI Cold Case
First 48 Hours
Unit Assessments
Performance Task
Common Formative Assessment
Informal Progress Monitoring Checks
Grade ,
Daily entry and exit tasks, questioning, conferencing,
June 2012