Ideas for Guided Reading
Strategy focus: drawing inferences
Curriculum links: language arts
Skills that could be addressed:
• Understanding homonyms
(e.g., tale/tail)
• Identifying specific words and
phrases to support viewpoint
Word count: 1,143
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Getting started – introducing the book
This book can be read over two guided reading sessions.
• Have the students look at the front cover of the book and make an
inference about what they see.
• Ask the students to predict what the story will be about. Explain that
making an inference is using things they already know to think
deeply about a story, and that they will be using the strategy of
“drawing inferences” to help them think deeply about this story.
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Reading and responding
• Have the students look at pp. 2–3, and ask what they think the
word in the bubble is. Ask, “What word would make sense here?”
Tell the students they just made an inference. Ask them to explain
their thinking behind that inference and how they inferred what
the word should be.
• Have the students read pp. 4–7, focusing on any thinking they are
doing that is not directly related to the words in the text. Discuss the
thoughts they had that were inferences and why they made those
inferences. Have them look at p. 7 and then ask what inferences
they could make based on the pictures above the tiger’s head and
why they made that inference.
• Ask the students to read chapter 2, using sticky notes to mark any
words they do not know in this chapter, and inferring what the words
might be.
• Ask the students what word would make sense at that place in the
text, and how they inferred its meaning from its place in the sentence.
• Have the students read chapter 3, focusing on any inferences they
made while reading. Have them share their inferences and their
thinking with a partner. They can also list words they did not know
and inferences they made about the meanings of those words.
Discuss the words to make sure the students were correctly inferring
the meanings of the words.
• Have the students predict what Tiger will do next in the story. They
can read chapter 4, checking to see if their predictions are correct.
After reading, the students can discuss their predictions and explain
how making those predictions affected their reading of this chapter.
Ask if any predictions came out differently from what they expected.
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Returning to the text
• Have the students discuss how and why making inferences is
important in reading. Then have them point out specific places in
the story where they made an inference, and explain their thinking
behind the inference. Have them also point out any clues in the text
or pictures that helped them make these inferences.
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Learning extension – storytelling:
• Explain to the students that they are going to become storytellers
like Tiger. Establish the skills of a good storyteller. Use the examples
of good and poor storytelling in the story to help (pp. 9–11).
• Ask the students to create a character web for Tiger that lists his
attributes, using powerful words from the story and from their own
knowledge.
• Ask the students to model how to retell parts of the story of Tiger,
using powerful words to describe him and the events.
• Ask the students to take turns retelling the story of Tiger in a
storytelling circle group, with the storyteller changing when you
clap your hands.
About the book
Text type
Curriculum
links
Tiger’s Tale
Michaela Morgan and
Debbie Boon
A humorous tale in six short chapters
about a cat who loves to listen to stories.
When he isn’t listening to the Old, Old
Cat’s reminiscences, or the Ship’s Cat
telling swashbuckling tales of Far Away,
Tiger makes himself at home in the local
library. Then, one day, Tiger is locked in
the library while the librarian is away on
vacation. Longing for stories, he looks at
so many books that he learns to read!
Before long, Tiger is the one entertaining
the neighborhood strays with all his
favorite stories. A poster on p. 30
advertises one of Tiger’s storytelling
sessions.
A fantasy
story
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Learning objectives
High
frequency
words
• Use phonological, contextual, and grammatical knowledge to
predict the meaning of unfamiliar words;
• Notice the difference between spoken and written forms
through retelling known stories;
• Express views about a story, identifying specific words and
phrases to support viewpoint.
Strategy Focus
Drawing inferences
Language arts
Interest
words
adventures,
chapter, flavor,
frightened,
hearties,
librarian,
particular,
pounce,
prowled,
remembered,
special,
squiggles,
swashbuckling,
talented,
traveled
Related
resources
BLM 28: Students are asked to
describe the type of story that
might be told by each of the cats in
Tiger’s Tale, then draw a book cover
and make up a title for Tiger’s. One
of their descriptions could later be
developed during an extended
writing session as an extension
activity.
Name
_________________________________________________________
a swashbuckling adventure about
_____________________________________
with a fascinating tale about
Place:
Also starring the Ship’s Cat, with
_____________________________________
Starring the Old, Old Cat,
Time:
Join the Alley Cats tonight
for a trio of stories.
Learning objective: presenting original and well-known stories
Tiger’s Tale
28
BLM
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special story about
Introducing Tiger with a
© Pacific Learning 2008.
This page may be photocopied for use in the classroom.
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