Inferences
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What does it mean to make an
inference?
Inferring is the process of creating personal meaning from text. It involves a mental
process of combining what is read with relevant prior knowledge (schema/background
knowledge). The reader s unique interpretation of text is the product of this blending.
When readers infer, they create a meaning that is not necessarily stated explicitly in the
text. The process implies that readers actively search for, or are aware of, implicit
meaning.
The ability to make inferences is crucial for comprehension because
inferring facilitates a reader s ability to create personal and implied
meanings from text.
Spotlight on Comprehension, Linda Hoyt
To infer as we read is to go beyond literal interpretation and to open a
world of meaning deeply connected to our lives.
Mosaic of Thought, Keene & Zimmerman
Children are keen observers. They use their observation skills to infer every day. Making
an inference is a natural thought process. Just as it is impossible not to smile when you
see a puppy, it is impossible to stop the mental process of making an inference. When we
teach inference, we are not teaching children how to think differently. We are giving
children a name for the natural thought process that they experience every day.
To help children see this thought process we teach a literacy equation :
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Clues from the Text
=
Reader Knowledge
(background knowledge)
Inference
And we keep it kid friendly:
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Clues from the Text
=
What I Know
About the Clue
My inference!
When they infer, readers
Draw conclusions from text (So, what the author is saying i
Make reasonable predictions as they read (Since
, then
Test and revise their predictions as they read further (But now
Interpret text or understand themes (That must mean )
Analyze characters (Oh, she s biting her nails, she must be nervou
Figure out unfamiliar words
Are actively building meaning beyond the literal interpretation
Readers who are aware of the inferences they are making are more able t
Remember and apply what they have read
Create new background knowledge
Critically analyze text and authors
Engage in conversation about what they are reading
Be reflective about what they are reading
Synthesize big ideas in nonfiction text
)
Inferences in the TEKS
Inference in the TEKS can be found in Figure 19, under the Reading Comprehension/Skills
tagline.
The accompanying Knowledge and Skills statement reads:
Students use a flexible range of metacognitive reading skills in both assigned and independent
reading to understand an author s message. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with
greater depth in increasingly more complex texts as they become self-directed, critical readers.
Students in 3rd grade are
Students in 4th grade are
Students in 5th grade are
expected to:
expected to:
expected to:
Fig. 19 (D) make inferences about
text and use textual evidence to
support understanding;
Fig. 19 (D) make inferences about
text and use textual evidence to
support understanding;
Fig. 19 (D) make inferences about
text and use textual evidence to
support understanding;
It is important to note that a studen s ability to make inferences and draw conclusions is also
included in ALL of the genre specific taglines, as shown below:
Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre.
Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different
cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their
understanding.
Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Poetry.
Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of
poetry and provide evidence from text to support their understanding.
Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Drama.
Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of
drama and provide evidence from text to support their understanding.
Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Fiction.
Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of
fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding.
Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/NonFiction.
Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the varied structural
patterns and features of literary nonfiction and respond by providing evidence from text to
support their understanding.
Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Sensory Language.
Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about how an autho s sensory
language creates imagery in literary text and provide evidence from text to support their
understanding.
Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Culture and History.
Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about the autho s purpose in cultural,
historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their
understanding.
Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Expository Text.
Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about expository text and provide
evidence from the text to support their understanding.
Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Persuasive Text.
Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about persuasive text and provide
evidence from the text to support their understanding.
Relevant Academic Vocabulary
Students Should Learn During
Instruction on Inferences
The academic terms and phrases below are those that are important for both teachers and students to use
and be familiar with during instruction on inferences. Once these terms and phrases have been explicitly
taught and students have been given ample opportunity to use them, these terms and phrases should
become a part of the everyday language of the classroom. Students should be encouraged to use these
terms appropriately in their speaking and writing.
ENGLISH TERMS and
PHRASES
inference clues from
text background
knowledge conclude
infer
predict
draw conclusions
reasonable prediction
reader can tell
implicit (implied)
unsaid
what the author meant
TÉRMINOS EN
ESPAÑOL
inferencia
clave del texto
concluir
predicir
lector puede concluir
predicción razonable
implicado
darte cuenta
no se ha dicho
lo que el autor quería dar a entender