Really Good Stuff Activity Guide
®
Making a Generalization
Read the following paragraph carefully; then answer the questions that follow.
Ginger is one of my best friends. When I enter my home, she races to greet me with wet
kisses and excited leaps. She acts like it’s been eight days since she’s seen me, instead of
the actual eight hours. Her coat is honey brown; her eyes are large and loving. She’s a sixmonth-old cocker spaniel puppy, a breed originally intended to hunt birds in England. Her
faithful companionship comforts me when I’m sad or sick. Her playfulness makes me laugh
when she races after a toy I’ve tossed. All cocker spaniels make perfect pets.
What generalization is made in the paragraph above?
___________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Is it a valid generalization?
_____ yes
_____ no
If yes, why? ______________________________________________________________
If no, why not? ____________________________________________________________
Put a check beside each strategy you used to answer the question above:
_____ Supporting Facts
_____ Past Experiences
_____ Logic and Reasoning
_____ Several Examples
Extension Activity
Occasionally there are signal words that should warn a reader of the possibility of faulty
generalizations. These may include: none, all, always, never, everyone, nobody. Such words
leave no room for exceptions.
Example: Fact:
Generalization:
Chocolate is my favorite dessert.
Chocolate is everyone’s favorite dessert.
What is wrong with the generalization above? ___________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Explain how you used at least two strategies in answering the question: (supporting
facts, past experiences, logic and reasoning, several examples).
1. _______________________________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________________________
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Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2005 Really Good Stuff
®
1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com #153640
Really Good Stuff Activity Guide
®
Making a Generalization
A.
I’d been dreaming of this day for months. My family was going to a professional
baseball game. When Dad ordered the tickets online, we began marking the days off on
the calendar. At first I thought game day would never come, but there we were—
packing the car.
Mom had gotten up early to prepare snacks and beverages for the two-hour
drive to Yankee Stadium. My big sister Alicia was proudly wearing a Yankee ball cap,
and I was wearing my birthday present—a new team shirt. Dad attached a Yankee
pennant to the rear window of our car. We were on our way!
Directions: Select the valid generalization below.
_____ a. Alicia and her friends were Yankee fans.
_____ b. It’s very expensive to buy professional baseball tickets.
_____ c. Everyone in the family had Yankee clothing.
_____ d. The family was looking forward to the game.
B.
When we reached Yankee Stadium, we waited in a long line of cars to find a parking
spot. Then we waited in another long line at the gate while our tickets were collected
and our bags were inspected. We decided to buy cold drinks before we went to our
seats, so we waited in another long line.
When Dad noticed my growing impatience, he told me of a time when he’d waited in
similar lines to watch the Boston Red Sox play. Alicia remembered going to see a New
England Patriots football game where she endured long lines. I remembered TV
coverage of a Yankees game when an aerial view of the stadium showed hundreds of
cars in the lines entering the parking lot.
Directions: Select the valid generalization below.
_____ a. The Red Sox lines are always long.
_____ b. Professional sporting events have long lines.
_____ c. Watching a sports event on TV is better than seeing one live.
_____ d. There are ways to avoid lines at sports stadiums.
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2005 Really Good Stuff ® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com #153640
Really Good Stuff Activity Guide
®
Making a Generalization
Directions: Read the paragraph below; then answer the questions that follow.
Today my town awoke to six inches of fresh snow. My neighbor, Mr. Wilson, finished
shoveling the snow from his sidewalk. Then he did the same for Mrs. King who lived next to
him. Across the street, Ms. Reilly’s car windows were covered with snow. After she cleaned
off her car, she offered to help Mr. Leonard clean snow and ice from his sidewalk. Down the
road, Felipe went door to door with a shovel and a broad smile, helping neighbors however
he could.
1. What generalization can you make about the people who live in the
neighborhood described above?
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Check each of the following strategies that you used in making your
generalization.
_____
_____
_____
_____
Supporting Facts
Past Experiences
Logic and Reasoning
Several Examples
3. Select one of the strategies you checked, and give specific details of how you
used that strategy. (for example, “I logically figured that since …_____.)
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2005 Really Good Stuff ® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com #153640
Really Good Stuff Activity Guide
®
Making a Generalization
A generalization is a broad statement about a subject based on provided information,
observations, and experiences.
Before reading the paragraph below, write two generalizations you might make about
dreaming during sleep.
1. ________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dreams
Some people believe that their dreams serve useful purposes. Authors sometimes recall
dream experiences and use them in their writings. Musicians occasionally wake up and write
down musical phrases that came to them in a dream. Other people claim that they’ve
dreamed of useful solutions to daily problems.
Scientists are among those who believe that dreams serve useful purposes. Dreaming
takes place during rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. During this time, human brains sort
information received during waking hours. It is believed that in our dreams we process ideas
and information that are, or will be, used as part of our daily lives.
1. Re-read the two generalizations you wrote before you read the paragraphs on dreams.
How valid are your generalizations? If any were faulty, rewrite them.
________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Write one new valid generalization about dreams based on facts, your experiences, or
logic and reasoning.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2005 Really Good Stuff ® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com #153640