Making Inferences Unit 1 Wonders and Mysteries All around the world there are wonders and mysteries. For example, we do not know how or why some places were built. Stonehenge, pictured above, is one of those places. Some animal behaviors are unusual, too. Scientists are trying to learn about mysterious places and animals. What mysteries would you like to know more about? Making Inferences Work with a partner. Discuss some mysteries that interest you. Then, choose one of the titles. Read the question, and discuss your answers. Fiction The Mole and the Great Stone Man 6 9 Who is the greatest being of all? Nonfiction Easter Island 17 What happened to life on Easter Island? Nonfiction Living Down Under 25 Why do some animals live underground? 5
Making Inferences Reading Between the Lines Sometimes a writer wants you to know something but does not tell you. You have to figure it out for yourself. You make an inference. An inference is a guess you make as you look at the clues in the writing and think about what you already know about the topic. Making an inference is like gathering evidence and making a decision about something that has happened. Making inferences can help you understand an article or a story. Here is an example: Clues What I Know S ome Egyptian tombs have been raided by grave robbers. T he Pharaohs had valuable things buried with them. S ome tombs have not been found. R obbers raid tombs to steal valuable things. + S cientists continue looking for more tombs of the Pharaohs. Inference T he Pharaohs made it hard to find their tombs. = P eople don t want their tomb to be raided. W e would know more about ancient Egypt if we could find more tombs that have not been robbed. Try It Out Complete the diagram. Then, on your own paper, draw an inference diagram. What mystery would you like to see solved? Write three clues. Ask your partner to complete the What I Know box and then make an inference. Did your partner make the inference you were expecting? 6 Now, you try. First, look at the clues. Then, think about what you know. Complete the sentence in the What I Know box. How does what you know go together with the clues? Make an inference about dogs and earthquakes. Write your inference in the empty box. Clues Dogs barked a lot and began roaming the streets before the earthquake. Unit 1: Making Inferences What I Know + S ome dogs know when their owners are coming home. Dogs have Inference =
How to Make an Inference As you read, you will find that many ideas are stated in the text. Other ideas are not. When writers hint at an idea, you will have to figure out what that idea is. You will need to make an inference. Combine clues from the text with what you know about the topic to figure out what the writer wants you to know. 1. 2. 3. First, read the story or article carefully. Think about the information you are given. Is there something hinted at but not stated? Do you have a feeling that there is something that the writer is trying to tell you? If so, identify the clues. Read the headings, and study the photos and the illustrations. They may also be clues. Now, think about what you already know about the topic. Put the two together. Think about the details in the text and what you know about them. Make an inference about what the writer hints at. It s Up to You TI P As you continue to read, you can check whether the inferences you have made are correct. You can make another inference if you need to. Read the following paragraphs about the star-nosed mole. Underline three facts about how this animal uses its nose. The Nose Knows The star-nosed mole is an odd-looking animal. It makes its home near lakes and streams. It also lives in swamps and marshes. The mole is nearly blind, and it has an unusual nose. The nose has more than 20 little parts that are like fingers. The parts look like a star. They help the mole. The mole uses its nose in different ways. The nose is very sensitive. It can even smell food underwater! The nose parts keep soil out of the mole s nose when it digs tunnels. The parts help the mole find food by touch. The mole can also tell what kind of food it is. Use your own paper to make an inference diagram about The Nose Knows. Write clues from the text and what you know. Make an inference about the star-nosed mole. Share your diagram with a partner. Discuss what you both know about moles or other animals that dig under the ground. 7
Your Turn Try a brief article. Read the following article about Stonehenge. While you read, think about what the writer hints at. Underline important information in the article. Then, think about what you know. Make inferences as you read. The Mysteries of Stonehenge What makes people think that the stones at Stonehenge were not found nearby? There are probably no stones like them in the area. How would wheels have made it easier to build Stonehenge? Why do we have so many unanswered questions about Stonehenge and the people who built it? Stonehenge is a circle of tall stones on a plain in England. It was built almost five thousand years ago. Stonehenge is a mysterious place. Today, we have lots of questions about Stonehenge and the people who built it. Where did the stones come from? They weren t found nearby. How did people move the huge stones? At that time, people did not have wheels. How did they put the stones in place? It would be difficult to set up such big, heavy stones. The people who built Stonehenge did not write down their history. We don t know why they built Stonehenge. Some think that the people placed the stones so they could watch how the moon and sun moved. Others think it was built to honor the people buried there. There are lots of ideas about why Stonehenge was built, but no one knows for sure. With a partner, make a diagram like the ones on page 6 for The Mysteries of Stonehenge. How important do you think Stonehenge was to the people who built it? Find three clues about what it was like to build Stonehenge. Use what you already know. Make an inference. 8 Unit 1: Making Inferences
before you read Lesson 2 Look Ahead Look at the photos on pages 17 20. What do you see? Now, read the headings. Sometimes the headings tell you something about the topic. What can you tell about this article from the headings? Connect Write two things you know about statues. Predict Review what you wrote in Look Ahead and Connect. Look at the photos again. What do you think you will learn from this article? Share your prediction with a partner. Lesson 2 17
reading and thinking Chile Easter Island South America The people of Easter Island made giant statues. Why might it have been a problem for the settlers to be so far away from other lands? settlement a small village started by a group of people; a colony 18 Unit 1: Making Inferences Easter Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean. The island is 2,500 miles off the coast of Chile in South America. That distance is almost as far as going across the United States. The island is 1,250 miles from the nearest piece of land. Around 1,500 years ago, a group of people landed on the island. They had everything they needed to start a settlement. They had tools, food, animals, and plants.
The settlers needed to plant crops, but the island was covered with palm trees. They had to cut down many of the trees. They cleared and burned a large part of the forest. For many years, the settlers had good soil. They grew plenty of food. For a while, life was good for the settlers. Their population increased. Unfortunately, this increase started to create problems. Carving the Statues The settlers on the island made giant stone statues. Many of the statues were large heads. The workers who made the statues had special training. They carved the stones with tools made out of obsidian. Obsidian is a hard type of glass. It forms from lava that has cooled and hardened after a volcano erupts. The workers carved hundreds of statues. We do not know exactly how many statues they carved. Many statues are still buried in the earth. All of the statues range from 10 to 65 feet high. Some statues weigh more than 50 tons. One statue can weigh the same as 25 cars! The rock for the statues came from a quarry on the island. There are holes in the quarry where the huge stones were cut out. Many unfinished statues can still be found there. How did cutting down trees help the people plant their crops? strategy As you read, ask questions. Asking questions will help you think about the article. What question could you ask now? Moving the Statues Exactly how the people moved the statues remains a mystery. Moving the statues around the island would have been difficult. Some statues fell while being moved. They were left where they fell. The people may have used big wooden sleds and rope. The more statues the people carved, the more wood and rope they needed to build the sleds. Meanwhile, the population kept growing. There were more people to feed. More trees were cut down to create new fields. Today, it is much easier to move a statue. lava hot liquid rock that flows from a volcano across Earth s surface erupts throws out hot melted rock from deep within Earth quarry an area where rock is cut out of the ground Lesson 2 19
After a while, there weren t many trees left. Birds, such as the blue-footed booby and the frigate, no longer had places to build their nests. They began to die out. People could no longer build canoes for deep-sea fishing. The fertile soil began to wash away. There were no trees left to hold the soil in place. The settlers started having trouble growing crops. The Europeans Arrive The blue-footed booby used to nest on Easter Island. Why did the population decrease? strategy What new questions do you have? In the 1700s, European ships began to stop at the island. The first European to visit was a Dutch explorer. He arrived on Easter day in 1722. The Europeans found the island in terrible shape. There were no trees left. Food was scarce. Different groups on the island were at war with each other. Many of the giant statues had been knocked over. The visitors created new problems, too. They brought new diseases to the island. The population decreased. In the 1900s, much of the island became a sheep ranch. Ranchers crowded thousands of sheep onto the tiny island. The sheep caused further damage by eating most of the plants on the island. The people decided to plant new trees. Unfortunately, they chose trees that were not native to the island. The new trees shed bark on the ground. The bark caused the soil to dry out. Many native plants could not survive in the dry soil. As the plants died, so did many of the animals. Easter Island Today Meet with your partner to discuss them. fertile rich, so as to grow many plants native originally living or growing in a certain place People still live on Easter Island today. They have learned from the mistakes of the past. Scientists study the island s history to look for ways to fix the problems. The statues of Easter Island are now part of a national park. People from all over the world come to see this unique outdoor museum. 20 Unit 1: Making Inferences
responding to your reading Read the clues from the article. Write two or three things you know about crops and plants. What happens when there aren t many crops? Make an inference about the people and what happened on Easter Island. Clues 1. Trees held the soil in. Without the trees, it became difficult to grow crops. 2. The sheep ate most of the plants on the island. 3. The people planted trees that dried out the soil. The native plants died. What I Know 1. Without crops, + 2. = 3. Inference Share your diagram with a partner. What did your partner write in the What I Know box? What inference did your partner make? Discuss your answers. Lesson 2 21
Circle the correct answer. 1. Why did Easter Island s location cause a problem? A The people could not get help. B The people were too close to land. C The people could not grow crops. D The people were afraid of the ocean. Frigate birds used to live on Easter Island. 2. How might people today fix the problems on Easter Island? A raise more sheep B make more statues C plant only native plants D grow trees that shed bark Complete the sentence that tells why Easter Island is an interesting place. Then, tell what happened to the people who lived there. Why did it happen? Finally, tell about Easter Island today. Keep your summary short. Use complete sentences. Easter Island is an interesting place because What happened to the people who lived there before the 1900s? Why did it happen? What is it like on Easter Island today? 22 Unit 1: Making Inferences
Write your answers on the lines below. 1. Why do you think the people of Easter Island carved and set up the statues? Tall statues look out over a quiet island. 2. Would you like to visit Easter Island? Why or why not? 3. What should the people of Easter Island have done to keep the island healthy? 4. What lesson did you learn from reading about Easter Island? Lesson 2 23
Write from the Start Write a travel brochure that invites people to visit Easter Island. Work with a partner to plan the brochure. Discuss why people would want to visit the island. Plan your brochure by answering the following questions. 1. Why would people want to visit the island? 2. How long ago did people settle on the island? 3. What did the people do? 4. How do today s visitors get to the island? Write Now Create a travel brochure that would get people interested in visiting Easter Island. Be sure to tell the most interesting things about the island. Include information on how visitors would get there. Make drawings of the island to include in the brochure. All the Write Stuff Focus on why people would want to visit the island. Tell about the people who settled on the island. Tell how visitors can get to the island. Illustrate the brochure. 24 Unit 1: Making Inferences
Unit Review Terra Cotta Warriors An army of more than 1,000 warriors stands ready to fight. They are there to defend the first emperor who united China. They are wearing their armor. They are holding weapons. They have horses and chariots. What makes these soldiers different from those in other armies? They are made from clay! These life-size soldiers are the Terra Cotta Warriors. Terra cotta is a type of clay. Each warrior weighs about 350 pounds. The bodies are hollow. However, the heads, arms, and legs are solid. The statues were created more than 2,000 years ago. They were made to guard Emperor Qin Shi Huang after his death. In 1974, some people were digging a well when they discovered a terra cotta head. Scientists continued digging. They found hundreds of warriors buried in three pits. The scientists found the soldiers 15 to 20 feet underground. Above the soldiers was a special roof covered with dirt. The pits had been well hidden. The scientists carefully dug up over 7,000 items from the pits. Now, people come from all over the world to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. Circle the correct answer. 1. Why did warriors long ago wear armor? A to hide their weapons B to frighten their enemies C to show who was their ruler D to protect themselves during a battle 2. The most likely reason the Terra Cotta Warriors were life-size was because they were supposed to A frighten children B look like real people C make the emperor happy D fit into any of the three pits 34 Unit 1: Making Inferences
Final Review Everyone loves a roller coaster ride. Roller coasters twist and turn like giant snakes. They have steep drops, daring curves, and scary loops that leave people wanting to ride again. People love the speed and thrills. They enjoy the feeling of being scared in a safe environment. There are about 2,000 roller coasters in the world. New roller coasters are being built all the time. Each one is designed to be faster, longer, taller, or wilder than any other roller coaster to attract thrill-seekers. The tallest roller coaster is more than 400 feet high. It is taller than the United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C. The longest roller coaster is about 1,500 feet long. The fastest roller coaster can reach a speed of more than 120 miles an hour! Our Bodies at Work Getting ready to ride a roller coaster triggers a chemical in our bodies. It causes our hearts to beat faster. We also breathe more quickly. This chemical is released because we are scared. It is the same chemical our bodies release when we run or when we are in danger. The chemical prepares our bodies for action for a brief time. It causes us to be quicker, stronger, and more alert. The body releases this chemical while we wait in line for the roller coaster ride or when we first get strapped into the ride. Our bodies release another kind of chemical just as we dive down that first big hill. This chemical gives us a feeling of relief. Since we feel safe, we feel less stress. When people feel less stress, they are able to experience more pleasure. As a result, they want to ride the roller coaster again. 166 Final Review
Final Review Our Minds at Play Many people ride roller coasters to get rid of stress. A student might be worried about a test at school. Someone may be concerned about an unfinished project at work. Another person may want to forget about something unpleasant. A roller coaster ride is a great way to forget problems for a few moments. People may feel stress while they re waiting in line to get on, but their worries always disappear as they zip up, down, and around on the tracks. Roller coasters also give people a feeling of freedom. Riders can scream loudly and wave their arms wildly. They can act in ways that they can t normally act in public. So, the next time you are at a theme park, hop on a roller coaster. You will have the best ride of your life! Circle the correct answer. 1. How is a person s body different after going down the first big hill? A The body feels less stress. B The body feels more pain. C The heart beats even faster. D Breathing becomes difficult. 2. How are roller coasters and snakes alike? A They run on tracks. B They twist and turn. C There are 2,000 of them. D People like to ride them. 3. You can infer from the section Our Minds at Play that people A ride roller coasters that twist B feel pain when riding roller coasters C play games on roller coasters D ride roller coasters to feel good 4. Which sentence states an opinion? A New roller coasters are being built. B Our hearts beat faster on roller coasters. C A roller coaster ride is a great way to forget problems. D We breathe more quickly on a roller coaster. 167