1. Clarifying Questions
INFER Lesson 5

2. Quick Review the definition for “infer”
the two major types of questions
the types of “Think and Seek” questions learned so far
Examples of Big Picture and Predicting Questions
The steps of the INFER Strategy

3. Purpose of the lesson
You have already learned about Big Picture Questions and Predicting Questions, two types of questions that prompt you to think and seek out clues. The answers to these questions are not right there in the passage.
Today, you are going to learn about Clarifying Questions.

4. Expectations Listen carefully Take notes Participate in the discussion
SLANT

5. Define “clarify” and “Clarifying Questions
Clarify - making something clear or understandable. If something is clear, it’s easy to understand. If something is not clear, you just can’t make sense of it.
Clarifying Questions (Cue Card #16)
require you to make something easy to understand.
They require you to make sense of something. Perhaps you will be required to give something meaning, or provide a cause or a reason for it.
You might even have to explain a person’s feelings or compare or contrast something

6. Examples of Clarifying Questions
Cue Card #17
Sometimes these questions ask you to:
interpret what the author was telling you
require you to translate what the passage is saying into new words
want a synonym
paraphrase what happened in the passage
What do you think the author meant when she used the word “satisfied” in Paragraph #11?
What was Jason trying to do when he hid the money?
How do you think Paula was feeling when she went into the store?

7. Key words in Clarifying Questions
You can usually recognize a Clarifying Question if certain key words are used in the question
Key Words (Cue Card #17)
meant
trying to do
feeling
caused
reason
compare
contrast

8. Rationale for clarifying while reading
Good readers clarify things as they read. If something doesn’t make sense to them, they press the “pause” button on reading. Then they “rewind” to go back and reread to make sense of what’s confusing.
They look for clues that help them to create new meaning.

9. Characteristics of a good clarifying answer
Make sure your answer is a complete statement
related to the clues in the passage
Go to the place in the passage and look for clues that will help you answer the question.
Whatever the question, be sure that the answer you choose really answers the question accurately and relates to the information in the passage.

10. How to use the INFER Steps with Clarifying Questions
Interact with the questions
read the questions and think about them
be sure to read the whole question
Note what you know
Decide what kind of a question it is
Write a code letter next to the question (Clarifying Question code letter = P)
Think about what you know on the topic in the question and the kinds of clue words you’ll need to look for. Go to the exact place in the passage where the information occurs to make sure you have the clues that will help you choose the right answer.

11. How to use the INFER Steps with Clarifying Questions
Find the clues
Read the passage
Keep the Clarifying Questions in mind.
Look for clues specifically related to the question and the clarification that you will make. Use the clues to help you choose your answer.
Explore any supporting details
Look for other clues in the passage that will support your tentative answer or that tell you that your answer is wrong.
Remember to read the whole passage and find all the clues before you answer any questions.
If your tentative answer is wrong, your answer must be revised to match the clues and information in the passage.

12. How to use the INFER Steps with Clarifying Questions
Return to the question
Once you think you have a good answer, go back to the question, and look at the answers from which you can choose.