Readers draw conclusions based on the ideas and information that they read from one or more sources. Providing a graphic organizer before reading helps students to organize their thinking during reading in order to analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions after reading.
Purpose
• Actively use prior knowledge and experiences when reading.
• Read and respond to the important concepts and issues in the course, making inferences and drawing conclusions.
Payoff
Students will:
• develop content and opinions for persuasive writing.
• become thoughtful speakers during whole-class and small-group discussions.
Tips and Resources
• Drawing conclusions involves gathering information and deciding what the information means.
For example, a report may describe effects on the Trans Canada Highway during the months of July to September (e.g., more injured wildlife, increased damage to roads, air pollution/smog complaints, visible litter); it may draw a conclusion about the information (increased vacation traffic is a local environmental concern); and it may offer recommendations.
• See Teacher Resource, I Read/I Think/Therefore - Sample Response. This annotated sample illustrates the thinking process that a reader might follow to gather information, reflect, and draw a conclusion.
• Also see Student Resource, Template for Drawing Conclusions. This graphic organizer helps students to organize their thinking while they are reading or conducting research that will require them to make inferences and draw conclusions. In column one (I Read), students record the relevant information from the text. In column two (I Think), students record what they know about that information and what they think it means. In the bottom row (Therefore), students record their conclusion based on all of the information gathered and their prior knowledge.
Cross-Curricular Literacy: Strategies for Improving Middle Level Students’ Reading and Writing Skills,
Grades 6-8, pp. 60-61.
Cross-Curricular Literacy: Strategies for Improving Secondary Students’ Reading and Writing Skills, pp.
50-51.
Reading in the Content Areas: If Not Me Then Who?, pp. 41-55.
Further Support
• Encourage students to use their real-life experiences as models for drawing conclusions.
• Create a wall chart to illustrate the strategy I Read/ I Think/ Therefore and post it as a reference for students.
I Read/I Think/Therefore – Sample Response
Students are encouraged to use the graphic organizer on the following page to read and respond to a particular text. However, they can also use it to accumulate information about a topic from several sources before drawing a conclusion. For example, students may be investigating the issue of Aboriginal right to self-government, a country’s responsibility for its past actions/decisions, or the challenge of diverse cultures working together. They may need to read several different sources to develop a full understanding of the topic or issue.
Template for Drawing Conclusions
Clues for Finding Answers in the Text
ON THE LINES
Some questions can be answered by “reading on the lines”; the answer is right there in the text. The question asks for literal information from the selection such as details, facts and information stated by the author. Some “question starters” that ask for literal knowledge are give, list, find, describe, tell, retell, and what. To answer a question “on the line”:
• Find the words used to create the question.
• Look at the other words in that sentence to find the answer.
AMONG THE LINES
The answers to some questions are to be found by “reading among the lines.” This type of question has an answer in the text, but this answer requires information from more than one sentence or paragraph.
Some “question starters” that ask for literal knowledge are list, compare, how, and summarize. To answer a question “among the lines”:
• Find the words used to create the question.
• Reread the sentences or paragraphs that contain the question words.
• Look at the other words in the sentences or paragraphs to find the answer.
BETWEEN THE LINES
Some questions ask you to “read between the lines”. This type of question asks the reader to make inferences based on the ideas and information in the text. The answer might be found interpretively in the reader’s own background knowledge, but would not make sense unless the reader had read the text. Some “question starters,” that ask for inferences are why, how might, what do you think, explain, predict, and what might. To answer a question “between the lines”:
• Look for key words and clues in the question.
• Re-read that part of the text in which the author gives the clues needed to construct the answer.
• Ask yourself:
- Is this what the author meant?
- Does this make sense?
BEYOND THE LINES
The answers to some questions are not in the text at all: they are “beyond the lines.” This means searching for the answer in the reader’s own background knowledge. Some “question starters” that ask for interpretations are what can you learn from, how might you, what if, and is it fair that. To answer a question “beyond the lines”:
• Read the question and identify the key words.
• Identify your beliefs, experiences and knowledge that relate to the question.
• Ask yourself:
- Would the author agree with this conclusion?