Chapter 5 - Reading Strategy: Making Inferences

Good readers make inferences.

What, Exactly, Is an Inference?
When you make an inference, you draw a conclusion about what you read by combining what is written on the page with what your already know. You realize what the author means even though he or she did not specifically write it all down. Another way to think about it is
author’s statements + your background knowledge = Aha!

Examples –
- Diane blew out the candles and opened her gifts. (What day is it?)
- Leaves, branches, and debris covered Ron’s yard. (What probably happened?)
- After Cris bought tickets, she bought popcorn, Junior Mints, and a pop. (Where is she?)
- Phyllis forgot to set her alarm last night. (What might have happened this morning?)

Experts believe that inferring is “the bedrock of comprehension” and is what often separates readers with excellent comprehension from readers with poor comprehension. Struggling readers do not realize that, often, what the author does not say is just as important as what the author states explicitly.

Bumps in the Road
Some readers create “outlandish responses”-- inferences that are simply way off the mark. The problem is usually that these readers have relied too much on background knowledge and not enough on textual evidence. Be sure you have quality and substantial TEXTUAL EVIDENCE combined with your background knowledge to make your inference!

What You Can Do
· Make predictions and educated guesses . . . about the results of a science experiment, about how a foreign nation will react to a U.S. policy, about what will happen next in a story, about word meanings based on context, about what someone’s body language reveals.
· Pay attention to exactly which text clue(s) led you to your conclusion.
· Check your interpretations of what you read with others.

Chapter 5 Assignment
Read through the questions in the "Comment 5 - Making Inferences" post and use them as your purpose while reading! While you are reading and/or when you finish chapter 5 (pages 85-98), answer the questions by making inferences.