The Missing Trophy: Clues, Red Herrings and Inferences

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English Language Arts · English 6-8
SP-ELA68-003 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 2
The Missing Trophy: Clues, Red Herrings and
Inferences
English Language Arts · English 6-8 · Grades 8 · 50 minutes
Time needed
50 minutes (one class period)
Prep
Copy the 2-page worksheet (one per student). Write “Clue + What I know = Inference” on the
board.
Technology
None.
Student
independence
High. Students read and answer alone, then compare with a partner.
Copies to make
One 2-page worksheet per student
Materials
Pencils, Worksheet, Whiteboard or chalkboard
Goal for today: Students will make and support inferences from clues in a short mystery and distinguish supported
conclusions from unsupported ones.
Before the bell
☐ Copy the worksheet, one per student (2 pages).
☐ Write on the board: CLUE + WHAT I ALREADY KNOW = INFERENCE. Add the example: “Wet umbrella +
dripping floor = it was raining.”
☐ Keep the answer key on your desk. Do not tell students how the mystery ends before they finish reading.
Say this to start
Good morning! Today you are mystery solvers. The story you will read is about a missing trophy at a school. The
author does not state the answer. Instead, you have to collect clues and put them together to figure it out. That is
called making an inference. Write what you find on your worksheet and be ready to prove it with a detail from the
story.

SubstitutePlans.com
English Language Arts · English 6-8
SP-ELA68-003 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 3
Run of show
Minutes
What you do
What students do
0–5
Take attendance. Hand out the worksheet. Read the
inference formula and example on the board aloud.
Listen and write their name on the
worksheet.
5–17
Ask students to read the story silently. Tell them to put a
star beside every clue they notice.
Read and star the clues.
17–30
Tell students to complete the Clue Board table, writing
what each clue suggests. Remind them that a clue alone is
not an answer.
Fill in what each clue suggests.
30–40
Tell students to answer questions 1–4 (multiple choice) and
5–8 (supported or not supported).
Choose answers and mark each statement
as supported or not.
40–47
Tell students to write answers to questions 9 and 10. Walk
the room.
Write out their reasoning in complete
sentences.
47–50
Collect the worksheets and stack them for the teacher.
Hand in the worksheet.
If things go wrong
• If a student says they have no idea who took the cup, say, “Do not decide yet. Fill in the Clue Board first, then
look at the clues together.”
• If students want to guess the culprit before reading, tell them they will earn credit for evidence, not for
guessing.
• If a student finishes early, ask them to check that each Clue Board answer explains why the clue matters, not
just repeats it.
• If students argue about whether a statement is supported, tell them to find the sentence in the story. If they
cannot find one, it is not supported.
Early finishers
• Write two more clues the author could add to make the mystery harder to solve.
• Write the first four sentences of a short mystery of your own that has one real clue and one red herring.
Support and challenge
• Support: Let students work with a partner on the Clue Board and complete only questions 1–4 and 9.
• Challenge: Ask students to explain which clue is a red herring (a clue that points the wrong way) and why the
author included it.

SubstitutePlans.com
English Language Arts · English 6-8
SP-ELA68-003 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 4
Notes for the teacher (you fill this in)
Jot a few lines before you leave. A full Daily Sub Report is in the free Sub Survival Kit at SubstitutePlans.com.
How far the class got / what to pick up next:
Students who were especially helpful:
Anything the teacher should know: