Inferring

Hello Owl Families,

Our reading comprehension strategy this month focuses on inferring.  Inferring is a skill we do all day long, similar to "reading" people or "reading" a situation.  If it has been snowing outside and some cars have snow on them and some cars do not, we infer that those without snow have been parked in the garage.  Inferring is not only about reading expressions, tones and body language, it is about "reading" text, often said as "reading between the lines" where the answers are not explicitly stated.

Inferences are more open-ended and often uncheckable, meaning that the reader is unable to truly know if an inference is correct.  When students read, think, and make an inference about a text they have just read, they must use their schema and prior knowledge and cross-check it with clues and evidence from the text.

When students use inferring, they are making meaning of the text.  They are adding pieces that are not explicitly there, often sharing personal opinions and forming interpretations.  As children begin to make inferences out loud, they must be recognized for doing so and be told "you just made an inference!"  When asking a student simple recall questions, some children feel like they are answering wrong if they don't use words that are exactly in the text, when they are actually using inferring.

Another way some teachers explain it to children is like this: something happens on a page of the book and when you turn the page and ask what just happened, it's as if someone ripped out the middle page and you must decide what happened.  When you infer, you may say:
*I think that...because...
*Maybe it means...because...
*My clues from the text are...my schema is...so I infer that...
*It could be...because...

We always support our inferences with evidence from the text so it is a strong inference!

Good books to read to your child to practice inferring are:
-Something Beautiful (Sharon Dennis Wyeth)
-Big Al (Andrew Clements Yoshi)
-The Royal Bee (Francis Park and Ginger Park)
-Tight Times (Barbara Shook Hazan)
-Because of Winn Dixie (Kate DiCamillo)

Thank you for your support in and out of school!