English Language Arts6-8
Inference Practice with The Red-Headed League
By Gloria M.
A 7th-grade worksheet built around Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Red-Headed League" that asks students to make inferences from the text and track the evidence supporting each one. It builds close reading, textual evidence citation, and inferential reasoning, and it works well as a single 45-minute class period or a small-group task.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this as a guided reading activity after students have read the opening sections of the story, so they can practice pulling clues about Jabez Wilson, the League, and Holmes' investigation directly from the text.
- Discussion question: What can you infer about Duncan Ross's motives from the strange job requirements, and what specific details led you to that conclusion?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Provide a sentence frame such as "I infer that ___ because the text says ___," and model one inference together before students work independently.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to write a short paragraph predicting how the mystery will resolve, citing at least three pieces of evidence and explaining which clue they consider most reliable.
- Estimated time: About 45 minutes, including a brief whole-class launch, independent evidence tracking, and a short share-out.
English Language Arts6-8
Inference Practice with The Red-Headed League
By Gloria M.
A 7th-grade worksheet built around Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Red-Headed League" that asks students to make inferences from the text and track the evidence supporting each one. It builds close reading, textual evidence citation, and inferential reasoning, and it works well as a single 45-minute class period or a small-group task.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this as a guided reading activity after students have read the opening sections of the story, so they can practice pulling clues about Jabez Wilson, the League, and Holmes' investigation directly from the text.
- Discussion question: What can you infer about Duncan Ross's motives from the strange job requirements, and what specific details led you to that conclusion?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Provide a sentence frame such as "I infer that ___ because the text says ___," and model one inference together before students work independently.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to write a short paragraph predicting how the mystery will resolve, citing at least three pieces of evidence and explaining which clue they consider most reliable.
- Estimated time: About 45 minutes, including a brief whole-class launch, independent evidence tracking, and a short share-out.