- Understand what it means to infer and imply something.
- Make inferences based on factual information presented in the short story, "There Will Come Soft Rains."
- Support inferences with concrete details and commentary.
Students started off class by writing in their writer's notebook about the benefits and curses of technology in the world today. We used this prompt as a springboard into our discussion of "There Will Come Soft Rains," which is a futuristic science fiction story. Before reading the story, we discussed what it means to make an inference (to draw conclusions based on factual evidence; an educated guess). As we read the story, students recorded their inferences in the margins of the text, trying to determine conclusions about the characters and setting in the story. Those groups who finished the story in class began working on a poster on which they recorded their inferences about what must have happened just prior to the beginning of the story, along with supporting details from the text. A2 and B3 did not have homework, owing to the fact that they were able to finish the story in class. A3 did not finish, so the homework for them was to finish the story, continuing to make inferences in the margins, and come prepared to discuss it next time.