Tom became angry at his teammates and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. His teammates sat in stunned silence. Hannah was excitedly ripping open her birthday present while giggling and squealing with delight. Fred sadly paid for chocolate at a shop after seeing a picture of his late wife in his wallet, then returned home for a lonely night watching TV.

1. Inference detectives: Looking for clues
Read the excerpts and write your inferences in the box below.
Think about . . .
• Who the character might be (old, young, sporty, brainy etc) •
• What kind of person the character is (kind, thoughtful, nasty, selfish, etc) •
• How the character is feeling at that moment and why
• Where and when this action is taking place
•
1 Tom clenched his fists until the knuckles were white. He sighed deeply, stood up and
stormed toward the door without saying another word. He opened the door and slammed it behind
him. His ten team mates sat staring at each other in stunned silence.
* Tom might be a young sporty person
* He is sensitive because if someone calls him a name he would take it as an insult not a joke.
2 Hannah’s eyes grew as big as saucers and she began to clap her tiny hands together. As
soon as the present was within reach, she grabbed it and began ripping off the paper. She was
giggling and squealing with delight.
*She might be a young 2 year old on her birthday
*She is probably a very kind little girl.
*She is definitely really happy
*It is maybe happening at the table in her high chair or it’s in her parents bedroom on the bed or
in the lounge on the floor.
3 Fred hobbled toward the counter. He reached into his pocket and with a shaking hand pulled
out his old leather wallet. As he got his money out, he noticed the picture of his wife Molly. All of a
sudden his eyes became sad and after paying for his chocolate he quickly put his wallet back into
his pocket. Thanking the shop assistant he left the shop and headed home for a lonely night in
front of the television.
*Fred is probably an old frail man whose wife has died.
*He is probably a lonely man in his eighties.
*He is probably upset because he saw a picture of his dead wife in his wallet.
*It is probably taking place in a small village at the village store.