Lesson 4 Inferences and Conclusions

NGSSS LA.7.1.7.3: The student will determine the main idea or essential message ... through inferring ...

InfroducHon

In this lesson, you will learn about making inferences. When you make an inference, you figure out ideas that the author does not state directly.

You make inferences every day without even thinking about it. For example, you might infer who is on the telephone from the sound of the voice, even before the person gives a name. You do this by taking clues (such as the sound of the voice) and comparing them with what you already know (the voices of people you know). You also make inferences when you read by using text clues and what you already know.

A reader can use clues in a text to draw a conclusion. When you draw a conclusion, you make a decision about something. For example, an author might not say where a character is but does describe the squeak of chalk on a blackboard. From this clue and what you know, you can conclude that the character is probably in a classroom.

A reader can use details in a text to form an overall idea about a subject. This is called making a generalization. For example, you can use details about different sports to make a generalization about sports in general, such as many students enjoy playing sports. But be careful not to make a generalization that is too broad, such as all students enjoy playing sports. Generalizations that are too broad are invalid, or untrue.

As you read, make inferences to fill in the gaps of what the writer did not say. Make sure that there are details in the text to support your inferences. Use this chart as a guide.

Text Clues + What You Already Know

Inferences • Conclusions • Generalizations

Florida NGSSS LA.7.1.7.4

Read this science article about the invention of the sticky note. Look for details to answer the question below.

Take Note 1 Spencer Silver is a scientist who decided to t ry and come up w i t h a formula for

a strong glue. But his formula didn't work, and the glue turned out to be too weak. It stuck to things, but i t was also easy to peel off. He told his friends and co-workers about his mistake and the qualities of the weak glue.

2 A r t Fry was one of Spencer's co-workers who knew about the weak glue. I n 1974, Fry came up w i t h the idea of using the glue on the edge of bookmarks. That way, they would not slip out of books, and only the glued edge of the paper would stick to the book. Today, people around the wor ld have found many varied uses for these colorful sticky notes.

What can the reader conclude about the invention of the sticky note?

• What information do you learn about how the sticky note was invented? The inventors were Spencer Silver and A r t Fry. Silver invented the glue, w h i c h he thought was a failure. Fry came up w i t h a new use for the glue.

• What do you already know about the sticky note? People use sticky notes all the time. Sticky notes were a very successful invention.

• What idea do you get when you put together the information f rom the passage w i t h what you already know? Silver thought his glue was a failure, but Fry made i t a success by inventing the sticky note.

ANSWER: The sticky note began as Spencer Silver's failure, but A r t Fry turned i t into an extremely successful invention.

Reread the article to answer this question.^

Based on the passage, what w or d do you t h i n k best describes A r t Fry? Explain your answer.

Read the article. Use the Think About It to guide your reading. Then answer the question. Use the Hint to help you.

The First Mall 1 Shopping malls are everywhere these days, and it seems like

you can't drive through a suburb without seeing one. Malls are a relatively young creation, though. I n fact, the country's first indoor mal l is only 53 years old.

2 Southdale opened on October 8, 1956, i n Edina, Minnesota. The mall's architect, Victor Gruen, wanted to create a place where people could shop and socialize, regardless of the weather. He designed the mal l to be enclosed and put two major department stores at each end. He made the stores and their entrances face the inside of the mal l rather than the parking lot. To shorten the length of the mal l , he put the stores on two levels and connected the levels w i t h stairs and escalators. I n the middle of the mal l , he put a fishpond, skylights, trees, and sculptures.

3 Southdale st i l l exists. O n weekends, thousands of people visit the mal l to shop, eat, or see a movie.

Which conclusion is best supported by information in the article? A Malls across the country are based on Gruen's ideas. B Southdale is smaller than most of the newer malls. C There are too many malls i n the United States. D Southdale is the only mal l to have trees and sculptures.

CORRECT ANSWER Answer choice A is correct.

SUPPORTING DETAILS Most malls have the same features as Southdale: stores that face inside, department stores, escalators, and an open area i n the middle.

INCORRECT ANSWERS B is not correct because the passage does not mention Southdale's size. C is not correct because the article does not suggest that there are too

many malls. D is not correct because i t is not supported by details i n the article.

Florida NGSSS LA.7.1.7.4

Think About It Have you ever been to a m mall or seen one on TV? What were some of Its characteristics?

Hint The correct conclusion needs to be supported by facts in the article.

Read the passage. Use each Think About It to guide your reading.

Think About It What can you conclude from the fact that Jayson can't wait to see Magic Mountain?

1

What do you know about staying on marked trails or within marked areas?

How do you feel as you're climbing up a steep hill?

Where is the rock cave?

Day at Magic Mountain 1 Jayson was b r i m m i n g w i t h excitement. His dad had recently gotten

a job as a park ranger. W i t h i n the park was a feature that looked like an enormous rock—it was more like a mountain, real ly—and Jayson couldn't wait to go see i t w i t h his best friend, Charlie. The feature was nicknamed Magic Mountain because it looked as i f a mountain had been dropped from the sky onto the land around i t .

2 O n Saturday morning, the boys packed lunches for the day t r ip and asked Jayson's dad what Magic Mountain was l ike.

3 "It's going to take about forty-five minutes to drive to Magic Mountain f rom here," Jayson's dad said. " I ' l l explain all about i t on the way." Whi le they drove, Jayson's dad explained how the granite dome was formed, that i t rises 400 feet from the ground, and that i t was an extremely important place for several Native American tribes.

4 " I hope we f ind something they left behind," Charlie wished.

5 As they pulled into the parking area, the boys exclaimed at the size of the magnificent domed mountain. It looked l ike a huge p ink egg nestled i n a green, brushy landscape. Jayson's dad sent them up the long trai l , saying, "Stay on the marked trails, and be back here by two! "

6 Jayson and Charlie headed up the trai l to the top of the giant, domed rock. They had to cl imb slowly because parts of the rock were quite slick.

7 "This rock . . . is really steep .. . Cl imbing it . . . is harder . . . than I thought i t would be," gasped Charlie after c l imbing u p h i l l for t h i r t y minutes straight. Jayson had hardly broken a sweat. Finally, the two friends reached the top, from which they could see for miles i n every direction.

8 "This view is incredible!" marveled Jayson. "Let's go see what i t looks like on the other side."

9 As the sun climbed higher overhead, the boys found a group of boulders that formed a cave-like room a short distance from the trai l . Jayson said, " I ' l l bet it's nice and cool i n there—let's cl imb i n and eat our lunch." The boys crawled between the boulders. When their eyes had adjusted, they saw something unusual on one of the rock walls.

10 "That's interesting," Charlie said, examining the rock more closely. "This drawing looks really old. I t h i n k it might be a pictograph!"

NGSSS LA.7.1.7.4 Florida

Hints

Reread paragraph 1. Why is Jayson so excited?

Can you find any paragraphs that compare Jayson and Charlie?

Use the Hints to answer the questions below. Circle the letter for each correct answer. Provide supporting details.

1 W h y does Jayson want to go to Magic Mountain? A He wants to spend time w i t h his dad. B He has not seen Magic Mountain yet. C He wants to meet his dad's coworkers. D He is excited to go camping w i t h Charhe.

Supporting Details:

Imagine that you were with Jayson and Charlie. Why would you want to go between the boulders they spot?

4tPAIR SHARE

With your partner, share and discuss your answers and supporting details.

Based on information i n the passage, the reader can conclude that Jayson A is having a better time than Charlie. B is more interested i n history than Charlie. C is more physically fit than Charlie. D is several years younger than Charlie.

Supporting Details:

The boys decide to explore the boulders because they A want to get out of the heat. B are looking for rock drawings. C want to see i f anyone is there. D planned to meet Jayson's dad there.

Supporting Details:

Florida NGSSS LA.7.1.7.4

Read the article "The Bone Wars" before answering Numbers 1 through 4.

By J. R. H i l l

If you've spent any t ime i n grocery checkout lines, you've probably seen magazines w i t h pictures of celebrities behaving badly toward each other. You might believe that scientists w o u l d be above that sort of th ing , but you'd be wrong . About 150 years ago, t w o scientists started a nasty feud that lasted for decades—and brought to l ight some of the most spectacular creatures that ever walked the Earth.

Edward Cope and Othnie l Marsh were paleontologists—scientists w h o study extinct life-forms. They met i n 1864, w h e n their careers were starting. Paleontology was a young science i n the United States, and only a few dinosaurs had been discovered i n N o r t h America. A t first Cope and Marsh were friendly, but their relationship soon soured. I n 1868, Cope and a team of h i red men were digging up dinosaur bones i n N e w Jersey. Marsh journeyed there and stayed w i t h Cope and his team for a few weeks. Things seemed to go wel l , but after his guest left. Cope learned that Marsh and the team foreman had made a deal. I n exchange for money, the foreman w o u l d send new fossils to Marsh instead of Cope. Marsh had fired the first shot i n what scientists w o u l d eventually call the "Bone Wars."

The war heated up fast. I n 1869, Cope described a newly found extinct sea reptile he named Elasmosaurus. A scientist named Leidy quickly

published an article showing that Cope's drawing of the beast's skeleton mistakenly stuck its skul l on its tai l . Cope was humil ia ted , and Marsh crowed about the mistake to anyone w h o w o u l d listen. (Decades later. Marsh w o u l d c la im he first discovered Cope's mistake, but there is no proof of this.) Shortly after, each m a n was publ ishing scientific articles viciously attacking the other's ideas i n order to boost his o w n .

Cope and Marsh's desire to outdo each other spilled into their f ieldwork. Throughout the 1870s and 1880s, they led and sent teams into the lawless areas of the western United States to hunt for dinosaur bones. Both teams were told to slow the other's progress. Workers bribed members of the other team to get them to quit . Groups of workers chucked rocks at each other. Spies snuck into the opposing camps and stole bones. The teams even used dynamite to b u r y fossils so they wouldn ' t fa l l into the other team's hands. Scientists s t i l l wonder what discoveries lay beneath tons of rubble.

I n addit ion to sabotage. Cope and Marsh made their o w n teams d i g up and move bones very quickly. Such speed damaged many specimens, but each m a n wanted the credit that came w i t h the discovery of each new species. Because they published their f indings as quickly as possible, they made many mistakes. Marsh, for example, accidentally stuck the head of one dinosaur (Camarasaurus) on to the body of another dinosaur (Apatosaurus) and thought he had discovered a new dinosaur—Brontosaurus. Unl ike Cope's mistake w i t h Elasmosaurus, paleontologists d i d not completely fix Marsh's Brontosaurus blunder for nearly 100 years.

U n t i l the mid-1880s, only scientists knew about Cope and Marsh's fight. But w h e n Cope told the New York Herald about Marsh's actions, the w o r l d learned of the bat t l ing paleontologists. Cope and Marsh attacked each other i n open letters to the

newspaper. For a time, they were as famous as any celebrities of today. Even when the public's interest waned, the feud d i d not; they sniped at each other u n t i l Cope's death i n 1897. Even then, the fight continued. Cope donated his skul l to science and asked that his brain size be compared w i t h Marsh's. Scientists of that t ime believed that a person w i t h a large brain was smarter than a person w i t h a small one. For whatever reason. Marsh d i d not accept Cope's challenge.

The Bone Wars have a mixed legacy. O n the one hand. Cope and Marsh's cutthroat behavior earned American paleontology a bad reputation. A n d the mistakes they made i n their rush for glory slowed the progress of paleontology for many years. But the Bone Wars also produced a

mounta in of raw material. Cope and Marsh discovered 136 new dinosaur species. Their teams d u g up so many bones that scientists are st i l l learning new things about them today. A n d many of their most famous discoveries, inc luding Stegosaurus, Allosaurus, Diplodocus, and Triceratops, fire the imaginations of museum goers throughout the United States.

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Florida NGSSS LA.7.1.7.4

FL Reading Practice

According to information in the article, the Bone Wars slowed the progress of paleontology. Choose the statement that best supports this conclusion.

A. A scientist who first describes a new dinosaur species gets credit for its discovery.

B. Scientists who publish discoveries too quickly can make mistakes that take years to fix.

C. Cope and Marsh discovered many dinosaur species during their 40-year war.

D . Scientists are still making discoveries from the bones that Cope and Marsh found decades ago.

Read this sentence from the article.

You might believe that scientists would be above that sort of thing, but you'd be wrong.

The author most likely included this sentence to show

E that scientists and celebrities have a lot in common w i t h each other.

G. w h y some magazines often have covers showing people angry at each other.

H. how scientists' actions can differ from how people think they should behave.

I . that scientists often mistreat each other to make discoveries and become famous.

Read this sentence from the article.

Cope donated his skull to science and asked that his brain size be compared with Marsh's.

The author most likely included this sentence to show

A. the lengths to which Cope w o u l d go to discredit Marsh.

B. that scientific knowledge changes as new facts are discovered.

C. the importance of intelligence i n entering a scientific field.

D . that Cope was a scientist w h o believed everything should be studied.

Based on information i n the article, which of the fol lowing can the reader conclude?

F. Scientists, like celebrities, often fight each other.

G. Scientists should do everything they can to succeed.

H . Science cannot provide the answers to every problem.

I . Science can benefit even when scientists behave badly.

Answer Form

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NGSSS LA.7.1.7.4 Florida