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Making Inferences. Making inferences, or inferring, is what proficient readers do to comprehend text. They “read between the lines,” or go beyond the author’s words, to guess or surmise what is meant. Inferences are types of conclusions.
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Making Inferences Making inferences, or inferring, is what proficient readers do to comprehend text. They “read between the lines,” or go beyond the author’s words, to guess or surmise what is meant.
Inferences are types of conclusions • A conclusion is a decision or opinion that you make based on the facts that you have read.
Make sure the conclusion is based on facts • The leaves fall of the trees in winter. The tress in my backyard have no leaves. • In the above example, you may conclude that it must be winter.
So what is an inference? • If you do not have enough facts, you must make an INFERENCE • An inference is a logical guess using a combination of details given and your own prior knowledge
Prior knowledge? • Prior knowledge is what you know before reading
The eastern sky was pink and golden yellow. • When is the sun in the east? • You can infer that it is MORNING
“The mechanic is charging me a crazy amount to fix the front end of my car,” the man sobbed into his phone. “I am going to be stuck with the hospital bills too!” • When do you need to see a mechanic and a doctor for the same reason? • You can infer that the man was in a car accident.
What is the point? • Authors do not always tell you what every character is feeling or why something has happened. • You must infer what the writer has not explicitly stated • Use your common sense along with the details in the story to make an INFERENCE
Mary was very proud of her garden. She'd planted the seeds early in the spring and tended to the plants every day since then. She pulled the weeds so they'd have lots of space. She knew that the plants needed plenty of water, so she watered them every day too. Last Saturday her friend Pam called early in the morning and invited Mary to spend the day at the mall. They left early and spent the day there, even taking in a movie. Pam then invited Mary to sleep over Saturday night too, and she happily accepted. When Mary arrived home on Sunday afternoon, her beautiful plants were bent and drooping.
Make some inferences… • Why were the plants drooping? • What clue in the story helped you make this inference? • What do you think Mary will do the next time?
