B

on
DRAWING CONCLUSIONS
AND MAKING INFERENCES
To the Student

In FOCUS on Drawing Conclusions and Making Inferences,

Book B, you will read passages and answer questions. You will
practice using the reading strategy called Drawing Conclusions
and Making Inferences. You will learn about the strategy on
the Learn About pages. You will see a sample passage, sample
questions, and sample answer choices on the Lesson Preview
pages. Then you will practice using the strategy in twenty
lessons.
Each lesson has a passage and five questions. After you finish
reading the passage, answer the five questions. For the first four
questions, fill in the correct answers on the Answer Form on
page 53. Or, you may fill in the correct answers directly on
the page. For the fifth question, write the answer on the lines
provided on the page. Fill in the circle on the Answer Form
to show that you have completed the fifth question.
Use the Tracking Chart on page 47 to show when you have
finished each lesson and to show the number of questions that
you answered correctly. After each group of five lessons, you
will complete a self-assessment to see how you are doing.
So . . . FOCUS and enjoy!

Acknowledgments
Product Development Design and Production
Project Developer and Editor: Dale Lyle Project Designer: Susan Hawk
Writer: Helen Byers Photo Credits: Page 12, Lisa Greenleaf,
Reviewer: Mary McNary page 40 (left) Corbis, (center) Tigers/Corel,
page 42, Courtesy of USGS, page 44, Courtesy
of the Crazy Horse Memorial

ISBN 0-7609-3461-4
©2006—Curriculum Associates, Inc.
North Billerica, MA 01862
No part of this book may be reproduced by any means
without written permission from the publisher.
All Rights Reserved. Printed in USA.
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

FOCUS on Drawing Conclusions and Making Inferences - Book B—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248

 Table of Contents

Learn About Drawing Conclusions and Making Inferences ......... 2

Lesson Preview ............................................................................ 4
Lesson 1 You Are Invited ..................................................... 6
Lesson 2 The Helper ............................................................ 8
Lesson 3 The Brown Lunch Bag ....................................... 10
Lesson 4 Have a Heart! Save a Sato!................................... 12
Lesson 5 How Fly Saved the River ..................................... 14
Lesson 6 Take the Bus! ....................................................... 16
Lesson 7 Super Tuna Salad ................................................. 18
Lesson 8 The Invisible Dog ................................................ 20
Lesson 9 A Talk with a Snake Catcher ................................ 22
Lesson 10 Waiting for Dad ................................................... 24
Lesson 11 State Name Game ................................................ 26
Lesson 12 The Plant That Barely Grew ................................ 28
Lesson 13 Sports Fair ........................................................... 30
Lesson 14 The Gates ............................................................ 32
Lesson 15 The Deep, Dark Secret ........................................ 34
Lesson 16 The Beat Goes On ............................................... 36
Lesson 17 The Woman Who Loved Things .......................... 38
Lesson 18 Extra Eyes............................................................ 40
Lesson 19 The Volcano in the Field ...................................... 42
Lesson 20 A Visit to Crazy Horse......................................... 44
Tracking Chart .......................................................................... 47
Self-Assessment 1, Lessons 1–5 ................................................. 48
Self-Assessment 2, Lessons 6–10 ............................................... 49
Self-Assessment 3, Lessons 11–15 ............................................. 50
Self-Assessment 4, Lessons 16–20 ............................................. 51
Self-Assessment 5, Lessons 1–20 ............................................... 52
Answer Form ............................................................................ 53

FOCUS on Drawing Conclusions and Making Inferences - Book B—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
 Learn About
Drawing Conclusions and Making Inferences

Not all information is given in a reading passage. Some is just

hinted at. But you can figure out this information that is not
directly stated. To do this, use information that is given. You
also use what you already know from your own life. Then you
can figure out information that is not given.
Figuring out information that is not given is called drawing
conclusions and making inferences.
Read this paragraph about Spark. As you read, ask yourself,
“What information is given? What do I already know from
my own life?”

Spark sat in the window.

She was staring at a small
bird outside. The bird kept
chirping and hopping around
in the bushes. This hopping
and chirping made the tip
of Spark’s tail twist and turn.
The rest of her kept still.
If the window had not been
in the way, Spark would
have jumped right out
with the bird.

2
FOCUS on Drawing Conclusions and Making Inferences - Book B—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
 The paragraph tells about Spark. But one thing the paragraph
does not tell you is the kind of animal that Spark is. How can
you figure that out? What are the hints?
To figure out information that is not given, ask yourself,
“What information is given?” Which details give hints? The
paragraph tells you that Spark is sitting by a window watching a
bird. It says that as she watches, the tip of her tail twists and
turns. If the window were not in the way, Spark would jump
right outside with the bird.
Then ask yourself, “What do I already know?” You probably
know that cats like to sit in windows. Cats like to watch birds.
Cats also have tails that can twist and turn. A cat would like
to jump out with a bird if it could.
Details in Passage What You Already Know Conclusion or Inference
Spark is watching Cats like to watch Spark is probably
a bird from the birds. Their tails a cat.
window. Her tail can twist and turn.
twists and turns. + They like to jump =
She’d jump out out with birds if
with the bird if they can.
she could.

From what the paragraph tells you and from what you
already know, you can figure out the kind of animal that
Spark is. She’s a cat.
e mb
m
e r:
Re

Figuring out information that is not directly stated

is called drawing conclusions and making inferences.

3
FOCUS on Drawing Conclusions and Making Inferences - Book B—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
 s o n Read this article about drums. As you

L e s 16 read, think about the information that

is given. Also think about what you
already know. This will help you figure
out information that is not given.

The Beat Goes On

W hat happens if you give a baby a
spoon and a pot to pound on? You
have a drum. Drums are among the
earliest tools used by people. Drums
have probably been around for at least
8,000 years.
Drums come in all sizes and shapes.
Some are beautiful instruments that
take years to make. Others are hollow
logs or garbage can lids. Ringo was
the drummer of the music group the
Beatles. He first beat on biscuit tins
with sticks of wood!
Different types of drums make
different sounds. A steel drum sounds
unlike a drum made of wood, leather,
or clay. A drum shaped like a barrel
sounds different from a drum shaped
like a box.
How a drum is played also has to do
with how it sounds. “Talking” drums
are played to sound like voices. Some
drums are struck with padded sticks or
thin wooden sticks. Others are struck
with the drummer’s hands.
With drums and drumming, the
beat goes on.

36
FOCUS on Drawing Conclusions and Making Inferences - Book B—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
 Answer these questions about the article.

1. Details in the article suggest that 3. From the article, you can figure
people may have used drums for out that drums
훽 fewer than 7,000 years. 훽 come in many shapes.
훾 more than 8,000 years. 훾 come in just a few shapes.
훿 more than 10,000 years. 훿 come in two shapes only.
 exactly 9,000 years.  come in one shape only.

2. You can tell from the article 4. From the end of the article,
that a hollow log you can figure out that
a talking drum
훽 can be used as a drum.
훾 takes years to turn into a drum. 훽 is played with a stick.
훿 is hard to use as a drum. 훾 is struck with the drummer’s hands.
 is almost never used as a drum. 훿 is played to sound like it is speaking.
 is played only at night.

5. Why do you think Ringo probably used biscuit tins as his

first drums?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

37
FOCUS on Drawing Conclusions and Making Inferences - Book B—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248