The New Puppy — Making Inference

This passage titled "The New Puppy" helps 4th grade students practice finding explicit details and making inferences as outlined in CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.1. The narrative follows Tyler as he selects a puppy from a box containing three animals, requiring students to pay close attention to the text. Students must use explicit clues including "puppy food," "blue collar," and physical descriptions to determine what pet Tyler is getting. The second question challenges students to make a mathematical inference based on the phrase "six tiny eyes," requiring them to divide by two to determine the number of puppies. This passage effectively teaches students to use textual evidence when explaining both directly stated information and logical conclusions. The emotionally appealing topic of getting a new pet creates high interest for young readers while developing their critical reading comprehension skills in an engaging context.