Molloy College

Division of Education

Teacher Candidate Sara Merkle Content Area ELA

Grade 3 Lesson# 2 Topic Making Inferences Date February 13, 2019

INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES (s) (Lesson Objective(s)*)

After learning about how to use the RACE strategy, students will practicing composing short
response answers with the teacher and their peers. By the end of the lesson, they will have to
successfully write a short response answer to a question and must include at least 3 out of 4
components of the RACE strategy in their response.

NYS STANDARDS AND INDICATORS

ELA Standard: New York State Next Generation English Language Arts Learning
Standard
Reading Standard (Literacy and Informational Text)
Key Ideas and Details
3R1
Develop and answer questions to locate relevant and specific details in a text to support an
answer or inference.
INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES

● Birds on a Wire- For the Birds YouTube Video

● Inferencing Day 2 Google Slides Presentation
● RACE Strategy Handout
● RACE Strategy Graphic Organizer
● How to use the RACE Strategy worksheet
● RACE Strategy Template for Speed-Math Champ Rubric
● “Excerpt from Speed Math Champ of 4B” Short Story
● RACE Strategy Template

MOTIVATION (Engaging the learner(s)*)

Students will watch a short YouTube Video called Birds on a Wire- For the Birds. This clip is a
Pixar Short. It will be paused at certain points throughout the clip by the teacher so that the
teacher can ask inferencing questions to the students. While doing this, the students will be
reviewing how to make inferences, making their own inferences and accessing prior knowledge.

DEVELOPMENTAL PROCEDURES
(including Key Questions)
© Molloy College, Division of Education, Rockville Centre, NY 11571
Revised 10/25/16
*edTPA academic language
 1. Students will watch Birds on a Wire- For the Birds YouTube video and will be asked to
make inferences at certain points throughout the clip to review inferencing. (How can we
make an inference? What do you think will happen? Why do you think that will happen?)
2. Students will understand the learning objectives for the day by looking at our lesson
agenda.
3. Students will learn what the RACE strategy means through direct instruction from the
teacher. (Do you know what the RACE strategy is? How do we write short answer
responses?)
4. Students will understand the components of the RACE strategy and why each component
is important.
5. Students will read a short response question that goes along with the Birds on a Wire-
For the Birds YouTube video they watched at the beginning of the lesson.
6. Students will understand how to fill in the RACE Strategy Template for the question
when the teacher models how to do so. (What can we write for each part of the template
using the YouTube video that we watched earlier?)
7. Students will look at a short response question that goes along with the short story
“Excerpt from Speed-Math Champ of 4B”, which they read as a class the day before.
They will learn how this questions involves inferencing with help from the teacher.
(Does the story directly tell you the answer to this question? What do we need to do to
solve this question? If we make an inference, what would the answer be to this question?)
8. Students will work to fill out the RACE Strategy Template for this question with a
partner. (What can we fill in for each part of the RACE Strategy to help us answer the
question?)
9. Students will then discuss what they wrote for each component of the RACE Strategy
with the class and the teacher will write it on the board, transforming it into a paragraph.
(What did you write for each component of the RACE Strategy? How can we write our
responses and combine them in paragraph form?)
10. To close the lesson, students will work independently to write their own short response
answer in response to another question having to do with “Excerpt from Speed-Math
Champ of 4B”. Students will use the RACE Strategy Template in order to help them
organize their answer. (How can we follow the RACE Strategy to compose an answer?
Where do we have to look in the text to help us make an inference about the answer?
What do we need to think about in order to make an inference and answer the question?

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES (Learning Strategies*)

● Direct Instruction
Indicator: This will be evident when the teacher explicitly explains to students
what the RACE strategy is and how to use the rubric.
● Scaffolding
Indicator: This will be evident when the teacher asks students questions about the
short answer question, inferencing and how to compose an accurate short answer
response.
● Cooperative Learning
© Molloy College, Division of Education, Rockville Centre, NY 11571
Revised 10/25/16
*edTPA academic language
 Indicator: This will be evident when students work in pairs to fill out the RACE
Strategy Template in order to help answer a short response question pertaining to
the short story “Excerpt from Speed-Math Champ of 4B”.
● Discussion
Indicator: This will be evident when the students and teacher have a discussion
about what each pair included on the RACE Strategy Template when working
together.

ADAPTATIONS (Exceptionality*)

● The student who becomes unfocused easily will have teacher support by guiding them
and keeping them on track when working in partners.
● Students who struggle with reading will work together during partnerwork so that the
teacher can assist both partners directly.
● Students who are proficient in reading will work together during partnerwork to enhance
each other’s learning.

DIFFERENTIATION OF INSTRUCTION
Struggling Students
● Students will work with the teacher when the rest of the class is working independently in
order to aid them in understanding how to compose short response answers using the
RACE strategy.
● Students will receive sentence starters on the RACE Strategy Template for Speed-Math
Champ”.

Average Students
● Students will get an annotated RACE Strategy checklist next to the question they must
answer independently from “Excerpt from Speed-Math Champ of 4B”. They will also
have to use the RACE Strategy Template in order to answer the question.

Advanced Students

● Students will use the RACE Strategy Template in order to answer the question from the
short story, “Excerpt from Speed-Math Champ of 4B”, independently.

ASSESSMENT (artifacts* and assessment [formal & informal]*)

● Informal: The teacher will observe students when working in pairs in order to complete
the RACE Strategy Template in order to help them respond to the short response question.
● Formal: The teacher will assess students’ independent work in which they had to
compose their own short response answer.
© Molloy College, Division of Education, Rockville Centre, NY 11571
Revised 10/25/16
*edTPA academic language
 INDEPENDENT PRACTICE

Following the lesson, students will answer the question, “What is your favorite summer
activity?” Students should answer the prompt using the RACE strategy and should give two
relevant details as to why they like to do that particular activity. This will help reinforce the
RACE strategy and will improve their writing skills.

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES: DIRECT TEACHER INTERVENTION AND

ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT

Direct Teacher Intervention

● Students will go over the RACE Strategy Graphic Organizer with the teacher. They will
read it over and look at specific examples of each part of that strategy. For example, for
“restate the question” students will look at various topic sentences with the teacher to
understand exactly what they are supposed to do for each part of the strategy.

Academic Enrichment
● Students will complete the How to Use the RACE Strategy worksheet and choose one of
two options to complete. They will either write a letter to a friend about how to use the
RACE strategy and why it is beneficial or write a script for a YouTube tutorial on how to
use the RACE strategy.

REFERENCES

New York State Education Department. (2017). New York State Next Generation
English Language Arts Learning
Standards.http://www.nysed.gov/common/nysed/files/programs
/curriculum-instruction/nys-next-generation-ela-standards.pdf

© Molloy College, Division of Education, Rockville Centre, NY 11571

Revised 10/25/16
*edTPA academic language
New York State Education Department. (2017). New York State Testing Program Grade 3
Common Core English Language Arts Test.
https://www.engageny.org/sites/default/files/downloadable-resources/2017/Jun/2017-
released-items-ela-g3.pdf

(2013, April 21). “Birds on a Wire- For the Birds”. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2PJ6T7U2eU&t=132s

© Molloy College, Division of Education, Rockville Centre, NY 11571

Revised 10/25/16
*edTPA academic language
 © Molloy College, Division of Education, Rockville Centre, NY 11571
Revised 10/25/16
*edTPA academic language
 © Molloy College, Division of Education, Rockville Centre, NY 11571
Revised 10/25/16
*edTPA academic language
 © Molloy College, Division of Education, Rockville Centre, NY 11571
Revised 10/25/16
*edTPA academic language
 © Molloy College, Division of Education, Rockville Centre, NY 11571
Revised 10/25/16
*edTPA academic language
 © Molloy College, Division of Education, Rockville Centre, NY 11571
Revised 10/25/16
*edTPA academic language
 © Molloy College, Division of Education, Rockville Centre, NY 11571
Revised 10/25/16
*edTPA academic language
R Restate the question.

A Answer all parts of the

question.

C Cite 2 details from the

story (CLUES).

E End with a concluding

sentence.
© Molloy College, Division of Education, Rockville Centre, NY 11571
Revised 10/25/16
*edTPA academic language
 RACE Strategy Graphic Organizer

We use the RACE Strategy when we answer short

answer questions. Each letter in the RACE strategy
stands for something important that we must include in
our responses for short answer questions.

Question: What is your favorite summer activity?

R Restate the question. This means to say the

question in our answer.
This is done in the topic
sentence.

Ex: My favorite summer

activity is swimming.

A Answer the question. This means what it says…

answer the question! This
is also usually done in the
topic sentence.

Ex: My favorite summer

activity is swimming.

C Cite evidence. (CLUES) This means to use

specific details to
support your answer. You
need TWO details in your
response.

Ex: Swimming is my
favorite activity because

© Molloy College, Division of Education, Rockville Centre, NY 11571

Revised 10/25/16
*edTPA academic language
 I love to be in the water.
Also, I like to swim
because I can play games
in the swimming pool with
my sister.

E End with a concluding This means to wrap it up!

sentence. Write one more time
about what it is you are
discussing.

Ex: To conclude, my
favorite summer activity
is swimming for many
reasons.

© Molloy College, Division of Education, Rockville Centre, NY 11571

Revised 10/25/16
*edTPA academic language
Name # ______________________________ Date_______________

How to Use the RACE Strategy

Directions: Choose ONE of the following activities.

1. Write a letter to a friend describing the RACE Strategy and how to use it.
2. Write a script for a YouTube tutorial on how to use the RACE Strategy and
what it is.

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© Molloy College, Division of Education, Rockville Centre, NY 11571

Revised 10/25/16
*edTPA academic language
______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

RACE Strategy
Template

R- Restate the
question.

A- Answer the
question.

C- Cite 2 pieces of
evidence.

E- End with a
© Molloy College, Division of Education, Rockville Centre, NY 11571
Revised 10/25/16
*edTPA academic language
concluding sentence.

RACE Strategy Template

For Speed-Math Champion

R- Restate the
question.

A- Answer the
question.

C- Cite 2 pieces of
evidence.

E- End with a

© Molloy College, Division of Education, Rockville Centre, NY 11571

Revised 10/25/16
*edTPA academic language
concluding sentence.

© Molloy College, Division of Education, Rockville Centre, NY 11571

Revised 10/25/16
*edTPA academic language