Inferencing Teaching Resources

Make teaching inferencing a true success this school year with inferencing worksheets, pictures, activities, questions and more resources created by teachers and curated by an expert teacher team!

This teaching resource collection includes TEKS and Common Core curriculum-aligned activities and worksheets designed to help students learn to use a mix of background knowledge, context and textual evidence to make educated guesses while reading.

Editable resources are available so you can easily differentiate instruction for individual learners and your state standards.

Has it been a while since you taught ELA, or at least this particular part of the curriculum? We know a quarter of American teachers switch grades every year, and sometimes you could use a quick refresher. Read on for a primer from our teacher team, including what inferencing means and how it differs from predicting!

What Is an Inference? A Kid-Friendly Definition

Inferencing is a key skill for students as they develop their reading and writing skills, and it's no surprise that it's also a key component of the Science of Reading.

So, how do you define inferences for your students? Try this definition from our teacher team!

An inference is a conclusion that we make as we are reading that is based on information we find in the text, as well as our own background knowledge and experiences.

How to Teach Students to Make Inferences

Whether you call it inferencing or making inferences, this higher-order thinking skill can be a difficult one for young readers to master. What's more, inferential comprehension is not a one-off skill – it keeps developing and requires nurturing.

The good news? Like all skills, it can be taught and practiced. So, let's talk about some of the ways to teach students to make inferences while they're reading to improve their comprehension!

Inferencing involves the use of a student's prior knowledge combined with textual information to help them:

Draw conclusions
Make critical judgments and connections
And form interpretations

Most of us do it daily, even if we don't realize it. Students may wake up in the morning, smell bacon and make an inference that Pop is making breakfast.

This is a prime example of inferencing!

They used their prior knowledge about Pop's meal-making habits, plus the information gleaned from the scent and concluded what was happening downstairs.

What sets inferencing apart from observations is that students (and we, the teachers!) need to be able to not just take in information via our senses — such as the text they're reading — but also to use that information to decide on a person, place, thing or even an event.

To do that, they connect clues and ideas. Students aren't guessing when they're inferencing or inferring. They're making informed conclusions that are evidence-based and involve reasoning.

This is why teaching inferences or the act of inferencing is so important. This tool takes students from being casual observers in reading to being active participants.

Some great ways to teach inferencing include:

1. Practice Inferencing With Photos

You don't have to stick to text. In fact, we recommend building your students' inferential comprehension with photos first!

Not only are students honing their inference skills with this activity, but they are refining their ability to describe and to differentiate between the main idea and detail. The seeds are also being sown for summarising.

Project a photo onto your whiteboard, and challenge your class to share the main idea of the photo. You might ask, "If you had to use one sentence to describe what this photo is about, what would you say?"
You can also ask students to write down at least two observations or details they notice in the photo. Encourage the students to use lots of descriptive language (this will be an adjective workout!) in their observations. This exercise is also perfect for practicing positional language, such as in front of or behind.
Challenge students to write down at least one inference they can make from looking at the photo. Ask them to use their observations as evidence! For example, "I infer that the dining table is set for dinner because it is dark outside, and there are candles on the table."

2. Employ Guided Reading

Guided reading is a great tool for encouraging our students to think critically about a story.

As you read, stop periodically to ask questions that lead students to make inferences and connections. You can ask questions like "What do you think the protagonist will do next?" and "What clues in the story made you think that?"

As students put forward their ideas, encourage them to explain and justify their thoughts. Any ensuing agreement or disagreement has the added advantage of developing our students’ critical thinking skills.

Inferencing vs. Predicting — What's the Difference?

Inferencing and predicting both play a role in reading comprehension, and the strategies are related. But let's be clear: They are not the same!

Let's break it down the difference between inferencing and predicting.

Inferencing

Requires readers to go beyond the literal meaning of the words and delve into the deeper meaning or implications
Focuses on understanding the current situation or drawing conclusions about the text as a whole
Allows students to fill in gaps in information, understand characters' thoughts and motivations, and make sense of the overall message or theme of the text

Predicting

Involves making guesses or forecasts about what might happen next in a story or text based on prior knowledge and clues provided
Is often done at the beginning of a story — readers revise and refine their predictions as they progress through the text
Focuses on anticipating future events or outcomes