Angle Investigation: Polaroid Snapshots

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RGB0rZrna2n7hnx8CyTAaa-AzyvTjAri/view?usp=sharing 

Scientific Method Box

Introduction to the scientific method from Science Fix. Students infer what is on the sixth side of the cube.

   

Stuffed Pets

monkey via cuddle works

My Pet Pal - Revised
This is a lesson I'm creating for one of my education courses. You can view the original post I wrote here.

Have students bring in a pet stuffed animal from their home. Ask students if they think they can determine an object’s weight and size without using standard tools. Write the children’s answers down on the SmartBoard. Then, try out their answers to see if they are right. Next, read the book Measuring Penny by Loreen Leedy to show students ways to measure a pet without standard tools. 

Have students predict which pet is the longest, tallest, shortest, widest, and thinnest. Choose a nonstandard tool for measuring. Have students record their pet's measurements (ear, eye, nose, mouth, head, paw, arm, leg, tail, body). Also, have them write down the name of the longest, tallest, shortest, widest, and thinnest pet in the class.

Next, they will estimate which pet is the heaviest and which is the lightest. For science, construct a balancing scale. Provide the materials and have students infer how they can use the material to create a weighing device. Then, weigh your pets! Have them write down the pets' names in order from lightest to heaviest. Afterwards, have them weigh their pet and compare it with pennies. What does their pet weigh in pennies?

Then, students will describe their pet’s attributes using a bubble map. What makes their pet unique? Then, they will compare their pet to a friend's pet using a Venn diagram. Once they compare with one friend, they will create a fraction by finding other peers whose pets have similar and different attributes.

For writing, have students write down how they think their pet’s attributes might help their pet (animal adaptations). Why does their pet have large ears? How does long shaggy hair help their pet? Where would their pet live? After they've made an inference, they will work in teams to research all of their pet’s attributes on the computer or ipad to find out how certain attributes (like large ears) help animals.

Alphabet Inference

thinking boy via parenting on track

Morning writing prompt: See if students can use their inference skills to figure out the alphabet puzzle from Cool Math 4 Kids! What separates the letters above the red line from the letters below it? Kids must observe the letters and compare their similarities and differences. Have them write what they think the solution is in their journal. If you're still stumped, visit Cool Math 4 Kids for the answer!

Plant Detective: Edible Plant Parts

Mission 1: Learning the basics
Edible plant parts can be super tricky! Kids sign on for an investigation mission and see if they can make an inference about what plant part different snacks are. First, give each child a sandwich baggie with one of each of the edible plant parts featured above (sunflower seed, grape tomato, broccoli, spinach, celery, carrot). Then, kids make an inference about each item based on their observations. They lay each item in the correct box on the sheet below. Afterwards, discuss how they decided where to place each item. Then, ask students if they can think of any other seeds, fruits, flowers, leaves, stems, and roots we eat.

photo credit: chef meg

Mission 2: Seed Investigation
1. As a class, create a list of all the seeds we eat. See how many edible seeds students can think of without any help. 
(Examples: pomegranate, corn, peas, peanuts - if no allergies, edamame, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc.) 

2. Bring in a pomegranate, cut it open, and eat some seeds!

Mission 3: Earn the title of Master of Edible Plant Parts Detective - Kids explore on their own!
Set out real edible plant parts and tape labels on the table (Seed, Fruit, Flower, Leaf, Stem, Root). Kids sort the vegetables and categorize them under the correct label. Students check their work with the teacher and earn a badge to glue in their science notebook!
Here are a few examples:
Seed
See examples from seed investigation
Fruit

Apple, Tomato, Avocado, Cucumber (make it tricky!)

Flower

Broccoli, Cauliflower, Artichoke

Leaf

Spinach, Lettuce, Cabbage

Stem

Celery, Asparagus, Rhubarb, Bamboo Shoot, Potato

Root

Carrot, Radish, Beet, Turnip, Rutabaga, Malanga, Celeriac

Halloween Case Files

Can your students figure out what ______ and his / her friends did on Halloween, using their inference skills? Choose different items to put in manila envelopes or paper lunch bags. Kids examine the different items and come up with explanations for them. 

Item ideas:
pumpkin seeds - carved a pumpkin
funny glasses - halloween disguise
face paint - disguise
cape - superhero
green nose with a wart - witch 
furry, pointy ears headband - cat 
vampire teeth - yikes!
apple - bobbing for apples
cracked egg shell - someone played a trick!
toilet paper - a trick or a mummy!
streamers - they were at a party!
red solo cup - punch ;)
empty cake mix box - halloween party cake!
muffin tin - cupcakes!
leaves - they were outside, jumped in a pile of leaves!
thermal underwear - it was cold outside!
candy wrappers - went trick or treating and ate all of their candy!
flashlight - they were out late at night
cob webs - they were in an old, dirty place (haunted house!?)
slime - monster slime?!
do not enter sign - uh-oh!
tombstone - they were at the cemetery!
note that says "be home by 8:00, love mom" - they had a curfew
watch that says 10:00 - they stayed out past their curfew!
fast food wrapper - dinner or late night snack?!
Add anything you'd like!

Based on the items, students guess how many kids went trick or treating and what they were dressed as. Then, they figure out what they did that night, maybe went to a party? Did they play any tricks? Get creative with different items. 

The Traveler

Have kids make an inference about items in a suitcase. Why does this person need certain materials? What does he / she plan on using them for? Is the person a girl or a boy? How can you tell? How many people are going on the trip? What are they going to do there? Below is an example of how to conduct the activity:

First check out the bag:

Is there more than one bag? If so, how many people are going on the trip?

Bag design - Do you think it belongs to a boy or a girl?

Old or new - If it's old, do you think the person does a lot of traveling?

Now, open it up and take a peek inside!

Fishing rod - Someone is going to a place with a body of water: lake, river, ocean. One person is going fishing or they are all going to share the rod.

Tent - somewhere in the country, not the city. He plans on sleeping outside.

Marshmallows - He plans on making a campfire and roasting them.

Graham crackers - I think he will make smores

Chocolate bars - He is definitely making smores and has a sweet tooth.

Frying pan - He will be cooking

Bug spray - He is going somewhere buggy, like the woods with high grass, trees.

Mirror -He wants to look attractive while he's out in the wilderness. He wants to impress someone?

ipod - He likes music.

Get creative! Your pretend traveler can go anywhere in the world! 

samsonite oyster via apartment therapy

Reading Private Eye

Improve your reading comprehension with a scavenger hunt! Kids sign on for a reading mission. Their goal is to find the key details of a piece of literature. 

Character Inference

For a fun activity have kids make inferences about characters. For example, pirates, why do they wear a patch? Why do they have a parrot on their shoulder and so forth. Think of other kid-loved characters for inferencing: knights, princesses, wizards, etc. Bring in props or print out pictures of items different characters wear or carry. You could mix up items and have kids figure out what type of character the items belong to (don't give them any hints about the character). They might see a pirate earring and match it to a princess. Then, have them write down why they think the character needs that item. 


hat - halloween costumes
patch - birthday express
parrot - hoax-slayer
boot - costume store
skull - free stock
earring - birthday box
spy glass - ebay

Where's the Teacher?

evidence via nij

apple-daily fitness magz

coke-lcbbq

Fun inferencing activity from Kindergarten Smiles. Kids transform into inference investigators, hunting down clues to figure out where their missing teacher could be! Great activity for a sub to conduct, click here for clue ideas!

Crime, Scene, Inference, Trash!

Crime Scene Inference!

Set up a crime scene for a fun inference activity. Encourage kids to use their inference skills to investigate misplaced and random objects in the classroom! Mess up the room slightly while kids leave for computer class, a library visit, music, etc. Make sure that the changes are noticeable to spark curiosity in the students. Then, put some pretend caution tape across the door entrance (make out of paper). When the kids return back to class tell them that they are going to transform into mini detectives! Pass out badges and tell them not to touch or move anything! Have their journals out and ready to pass out. Next, as a class, go around the room and look for things that are out of place. Tell the kids to point out things that don't seem right. Then, write the out of place items in their journal.

After they record the items, encourage students to make inferences about what they found.

Inference Examples:

Knock over the trash can - Someone was in a hurry to escape!

Leave 2 empty cans of soda and a bag of chips - There were two hungry people who like junk food.

Put out a pair of headphones - One of them likes music.

Sit out a basketball - They like to play sports, especially basketball. Maybe they were going to play a game.

Lay out an opened book out - They read a story. They like to read.
Banana peel - Someone likes fruit. They shared a banana. Maybe one of the intruders slipped on the banana when they tried to escape.

Get creative! 

Questions to Ask:

How many people came into the room? 2

Why did they come into our classroom? - To learn, play with us

Is anything missing? - No

Why were they in a hurry to leave? - They were nervous to stay because they aren't in our class.

Clues from the Trash: Who's in the family?

Fill a clean empty trash bag with "clean garbage" and encourage kids to use their inference skills to make guesses about "the family."

Trash Examples (all emptied):

Dog food - they have a dog

Shaving cream - someone hairy, dad

Baby food jar - baby in the family

Carry out menu - they like to eat out

Lipstick tube - mom or teen girl

Picture of Justin Bieber - kid / teen with a crush, likes music

Box of crayons - someone likes to color, kid
Popcorn bag - they watched a movie

Get creative! You can put some crazy things in the bag to get kids to think out of the box!

Questions to Ask:

How many people in the family? - Maybe six: dad, mom, baby, kid, teen, dog

What are their interests? - Music, art, movies, eating out

Guess My 3D Shape

Pass out paper lunch bags and have kids find a 3D solid to put inside. Also, have students write three clues that describe their 3D shape on the outside of their bag. Then, they bring it back to class and the other kids guess their shape. Kids will have fun seeing all the interesting objects their classmates found!

So everyone doesn't have the same shape and to reinforce learning, I recommend choosing a small group each week to take home bags. Assign shapes to kids and tell them to keep their shape a secret!

Continue with the activity weekly until everyone in the class has had a turn.

Mystery Box

The mystery box is a fun guessing game that promotes creativity. One child takes home the box. He finds something unusual to put inside of it. Next, he writes three clues about the item that won't give it away.

Then, he brings the box back to school. He stands in front of the class and has them try to guess the item in the box through questions. The child with the box can only say yes or no to questions being asked. He only gives the class the three clues he came up with. The goal of the game is to stump the whole class.

Will they guess the mystery?