Making Inferences

During colonial days there were no bathtubs or showers in the houses.  They were not missed, however.  Many people of that time never thought of taking a bath.  Most people thought that water caused many diseases.  Only the hands and face were washed, and that wasn't often.  You can infer that people of today:

• take more baths than people of colonial days
• take fewer baths than people of colonial days
• fear water more than people of colonial days

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.1

CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RI.6.1

Usually the bones of birds' wings are hollow.  This gives the bones strength without adding weight.  The surface is curved.  The fact that the front edge of the wing is thicker than the rear edge also makes for easier flight.  You can infer that a bird's wing:

• is very thick 
• is flat
• is made for flight

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.1

CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RI.6.1

Sometimes we see sand dunes near the water.  These sand dunes do not always stay in the same place.  The wind blows them along.  Some sand dunes move only a few feet each year.  Sand dunes move the most:  
other sand dunes move over two hundred feet in a year.

• where it is coldest
• where it is windiest
• near the water

Tags

CCSS.RI.1.2

CCSS.RI.2.2

CCSS.RI.K.2

CCSS.RL.1.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

Shattered glass has caused many injuries and deaths.  Glass manufacturers have come up with an answer to this problem.  They have developed windshields that do not cut even when shattered.  The use of this glass in automobiles is expected to save many lives.  You can infer that the new glass:

• won't break
• isn't sharp
• will cost a lot of money

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.1

CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RI.6.1

Airplanes can fly faster than a thousand miles an hour.  Rockets can fly over four thousand miles an hour.  A man-made satellite can travel about eighteen thousand miles per hour.  A spacecraft going to the moon travels twenty-five thousand miles per hour.  Satellites travel about:

• twice the speed of rockets
• eighteen times as fast as airplanes
• twice thespeed of space craft

Tags

CCSS.4.NBT.A.2

A new door latch opens only if the right person presses the button.  The caller's fingerprints are checked against the fingerprints of the people who live in the house.  These are stored inside the lock.  If the fingerprints match, the latch opens.  The new lock makes it very difficult:

• for burglars to enter
• for everyone to enter
• to keep people out

Tags

CCSS.RI.1.2

CCSS.RI.2.2

CCSS.RI.K.2

CCSS.RL.1.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

If there were no air or dust, we would see the stars both day and night.  The sky wouldn't be blue.  It would look jet black.  With no dust or air, there wouldn't be any twilight.  When the sun went down, we would have total darkness.  Air and dust help us to see:

• darkness
• color
• distance

Tags

CCSS.RI.1.9

CCSS.RI.2.9

CCSS.RI.4.8

CCSS.RL.1.5

CCSS.RL.4.5

For some animals, it is more comfortable to sleep standing up.  When the African elephant lies down, his great weight presses on his lungs.  It is difficult for him to breathe.  He usually chooses to sleep while standing.  Standing or lying down, an African elephant snores loudly while asleep!  African elephants:

• always sleep lying down
• sometimes sleep while standing    
• always sleep standing up

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.1

CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RI.6.1

Tigers stay in the high grass where they can't be seen by hunters.  The hunters' helpers make noises to drive the tigers out into the open.  The hunters sit in cages on top of elephants. When the tigers come out in the open, the hunters shoot them.  You can infer that the grass must be:

• cut short
• higher than the tiger
• six to twelve inches high

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.1

CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RI.6.1

Almost all seaweeds are attached to rocks or something else.  The ones we see on beaches have been torn loose.  One kind of seaweed that isn't attached is called the gulfweed.  It drifts along in a large mass in the ocean.   You won't see gulfweed:

• in the water
• attached to rocks
• in big patches

Tags

CCSS.RI.1.2

CCSS.RI.2.2

CCSS.RI.K.2

CCSS.RL.1.2

CCSS.RL.2.2