Moving Away from the "Right Answer" Test

Years of standardized tests have conditioned our students to think that critical thinking means eliminating three out of four options in an effort to get the sacred "right answer." 

How many times have you tried to have a meaningful discussion about a social issue, historical event, or inspiring text only to hear the question, "So... what is the right answer?"

Critical thinking—specifically on a higher level—is about making an inference and being able to defend that inference. Critical thinking is about thought process, not just the end result. Rote memorization and basic comprehension can get someone to a certain point, but if a student is going to be successful in college and career, he needs to be able to navigate the murkier waters of inferences. 

There are a variety of unique activities to practice inferences. These help learners become more aware of how to infer, so they can practice it in other texts. Here are some inference activity ideas. 

Ordeal by Cheque

Ordeal by Cheque is deceptively simple: a series of 45 checks published in Vanity Fair in 1932. The author, Wuther Crue, never explained any context for the checks. They seem as if they were randomly written over a series of many years. 

At second glance (with clues from the signature, dates, amounts, and recipient), a story starts to unfold. The story could be taken several different ways, depending on how the reader interprets the checks. That's the beauty of this activity—the reader has to make the best possible inference and support it with evidence.

This has been a great conversation starter because students will come up with crazy theories and passionately defend them. The story is a mystery, and we are the detectives. The next step is to show your class how this level of inferences is in every good story. Motivation, characterization, internal conflict, and more are rarely spelled out for the reader (and if they are, the story ends up being dull and on-the-nose). Inferences are crucial to deeply understanding a story. 

Use Practical Entry Events

In high school, we often feel too grown-up for entry events. They feel gimmicky or a waste of time. But an entry event that is short, memorable, and launches your class into a discussion of your subject is incredibly valuable. 

For inferences, try inferring from facial expressions and body language. You can model these yourself, pull up photos, or have students compete in charades. With each emotion, dissect how we figured out the emotion. Was it because of the frown and crossed arms? An eye-roll? A deep sigh? From that, have your class write corresponding emotions to actions. This is the basis of descriptive writing—the ability to show, not tell. 

It's also helpful to practice using senses other than sight. Drop an item in a paper bag and have a volunteer figure out what is inside by sound, smell, or touch (probably not taste, though). Blindfold another volunteer and have them describe the room without any visual description. We rely on sight so much in writing that we forget our other senses, which are often more evocative than a physical description.

Text vs. Subtext

In movies, there is a rule of thumb that subtext should never become text. The text (what is actually said) rarely matches the subtext (what is really meant). A character who is angry shouldn't yell out, "I'm angry!" There's no drama or mystery without subtext. Poorly made movies often have characters sitting around, explaining what they learned or describing how they actually feel. The verisimilitude (appearance of being true or real) is lost, because in real life, people don't always say exactly what they feel—they often don't even understand how they feel.

A great exercise for this is to take a clip from a movie where the characters have a conversation or argument. Give your class the screenplay and have them track the subtext for each line. Have them break down the character's movements, body posture, facial expressions, and tone. Write the subtext in the margins as they watch and re-watch the scene. 

One of the Common Core Reading Anchor Standards is to, "Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media." Comparing a text with a performance shows how the actor and director made inferences from the text. They chose to perform and present the material in a certain way. If your class can explain why the actor made that inference, then they are capable of making their own inferences from a text. 

Lesson Planet Resources:

Paideia Seminar Plan: A Soldier Recalls the Trail of Tears, Inferences, Analyzing Movies, Scientific Inferences