MAKING INFERENCESFiguring out what the author does not tell us. It is the act of reading between the lines in order to guess what is going on when it is not explicitly stated in the selection.

UNDER THE SEA!In 1985, Dr. Robert Ballard and his research team discovered the wreck of the titanic. He helped design a robot to enter and photograph the sunken ship.As far back as he can remember, Ballard has loved the study of the sea. As a young boy, he collected shells and studied the sea creatures in tidal pools. As a teenager, his favorite book was Jules Vernes 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Text CluesDr. Ballard led a research team that found the titanic. He also designed a special underwater robot. He has always loved the study of the seaInferences Dr. Ballard is a noted scientist. His early interests in the sea led to his career.What I knowLeading scientists often head research teams. It takes special skill to design a robot. A youthful hobby can become a lifetime careerMaking Inferences

Mush!Susan never forgot the trip she and her father took to Africa together when she was ten. It was a magical time-alone in the bush, wild animals everywhere. No cars, no skycrapers, no people, Susan said later. It was the greatest!After college, Susan moved to Alaska. She built a cabin in the wilderness and bought some huskies. No cars, no skycrapers, no people, Susan wrote to her parents. Its the greatest!in the long Alaskan winter, Susan trained her dogs to pull a sled across the snow. In the short Alaskan summer, Susans dogs ran harnessed to a wheeled sled. Another winter of training, and Susan knew she and her dogs would be ready. March was coming, and with it the 1, 100-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race from Anchorage to Nome.

A Really Big BandThe worlds biggest band isnt made up of people. Its a group of elephants at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang, Thailand. These 5 -ton musicians have just released their first CD!The bands eleven elephants play a variety of instruments. Jojo plays the harmonica. Phrathida and Luuk Khang play a Thai instrument similar to xylophone. Luuk Kob plays drums. Hes also an actor. He appeared in the Disney film Operation Dumbo Drop.One musician has praised the elephant band. He pointed out that some people practice fro years without playing well. These elephants, he said, produced beautiful music after two days. Others have a different opinion. Critics said, if thats music, Im monkeys uncle!

In 1889, American George Williams interviewed King Leopold II of Belgium. The king told the journalist that he had started a great and noble project in the Congo which belonged to him. Leopold claimed that he was fighting to end slavery there. He wanted to educate Africans and train them to build their economy so they would eventually run their own country. what I do there is done as a Christian duty to the poor African, Leopold told WilliamsWilliams journeyed to the Congo after a few months. He found no evidence that the white newcomers were helping the Africans. The white men ruled without mercy or justice. The white people demanded food and elephant tusks fro the Africans.