Title: Story for Inference Game
Course: Reading Summer School

Read the story. You may request a printed copy, if that is easier for you to read and discuss. Underline, highlight, circle words and otherwise mark the page in any way to get ready for the game.

A Strange Day in July
by Karen Haag 02/04 Source: LiketoRead.com

My brother and I were dressed for the family reunion. I had on my best white dress with a red satin belt and my most wonderful black patent leather shoes. My brother looked his Sunday best in his ironed khaki pants and his laced-up boots. My mother told us firmly, "Sit on the couch in the living room. Don't move until the family gets here."

We sat perfectly still right next to one another on the couch like my mother said. The room was so silent. The grandfather clock ticked away. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. We waited. We waited some more. "When was the family ever going to get here?" we wondered. Then my brother asked me if I wanted to skip some stones in the lake beside our house.

We were off in a minute. Out the door, down the hill and right to the edge of the lake we ran, as fast as our legs would carry us. When we got to the lake, we picked up some perfect skipping stones and threw them out over the lake. First one and then another. We watched them skip in perfect steps across the sparkling lake. Then the strangest thing happened. My brother threw with all his might, but the third stone came skipping back.

Stranger still, it lifted off and flew into the air. The next thing we knew, the rock started spinning and turned into a little tiny fairy like the one in Peter Pan. "Come with me," she called as she twittered above our heads. "Come fly with me." She sprinkled us with fairy dust.

Slowly, I felt myself being lifted into the air. The lake grew small beneath my feet. The air got cooler. At first, I was flying with my feet pointed toward the ground. I leaned a little to the left and then a little to the right. I thought I was losing it but then I realized I was supported by some strange force and I couldn't fall! Slowly, I got into the idea of flying and straightened my body out so that I looked more like an airplane. My arms were spread wide and I began to enjoy flying. My brother hooted as he mastered flying as well.

My brother and I played with one another. I flew under him and then he flew under me. We raced through the clear blue sky which didn't look blue from where I was flying. We dove toward the earth and then pulled up and soared toward the heavens. All the while, the fairy was complimenting us. "Good job!" she'd say. It seemed like we flew for hours over the hillsides, above the lake scanning the neighborhoods below us. I couldn't get enough.

We looked down and saw tiny cars running along the road and pulling into our driveway. Our family had arrived. Oh, we were in trouble now. We explained to our new friend, the tiny little fairy. "No problem!" she announced. "Follow me!" Gladly, we raced after her through the evening sky. She led us right back to our very own living room. I was SO nervous because mom would see us now for sure.

She flicked her magic wand and we were sitting perfectly still on the couch. Mom was answering the door. Our family greeted us one by one. "She hadn't seen," I thought. My heart beat wildly. I looked at my brother and he winked back at me.

We've been to the lake a hundred times since then and never have seen our friend again. But when I look down at the lake and see the water shimmering, I know what no one else knows. Those rocks that you think are just rocks? They can spin and turn into tiny little fairies whenever they want to.

Go up to your teacher and get the printed copy of questions to help you practice your inference strategies.

Directions For Inferring Activity

Step One:The following inference statements are written about the story, "A Strange Day in July." This story is listed above and you can get a copy of the story from your teacher. Your job is to decide which inferences are correct after reading the story. Color in true if the statement is most likely true. Color in false if the statement is not very likely to be true. Color in not enough information if you do not have enough information in the story to figure out whether the inference is true or false.

Step Two:Make sure you write down the reference from the story so that you can prove your point to your team and then to your teacher.

Step Three: Talk to your partners. Make sure everyone on your team knows the answer and can explain the references used to back up the inferences. Remember, no one knows who will be called on to explain so let everyone practice their response: answer and reference.

Step Four:The teacher will call on one student per question after the teams have had 2-3 minutes to talk, find the references, and be sure everyone on the team knows how to respond. That person explains why the answer is true, false or undetermined. That person must reference the text to get all points.

Step Five:If correct, the class is rewarded 1 point toward the class goal. At the end of the game, a total of 14 points means everyone worked together to get every question right and will earn five extra minutes of break time.

EXAMPLE: This story takes place in the 1850s.
true (very likely)
false (not very likely)
not enough information
References from the text that prove my point:
_ girl is dressed in patent leather shoes_____
_sitting on couch in the living room_______
_family drove in cars_______________