Make an
Inference
Read Between the Lines
What is an inference?
• An inference is something that you
conclude based partly on evidence and
partly on your own knowledge.
• When you make an inference, you read
something, add what you know to it, and
draw a conclusion.
• You put “two and two together” or “read
between the lines”.
What I Read
+
A character has
tears in his eyes.
What I Know
Already
= What I Infer
People with tears in The character
their eyes often are might be sad.
sad.
Did you know you make inferences
everyday in the real world?
•
•
•
•
You compare things.
You evaluate situations.
You make predictions.
These skills help you to choose friends,
settle argument, and make decisions.
Is the computer
project not going
well?
Which toy would
I enjoy playing
with?
Will the
baseball game
be canceled?
How do I make inferences when I
read?
The school is brightly lit, even though it is 7:00
P.M. Parents rush from the parking lot into the
front door. Student ushers direct them to the
gym. Inside the gym, there are 100 folding
chairs set up in rows. All the teachers in the
school sit up front, facing the chairs. The
principal stands at the podium and waits for
the crowd to settle down. A large poster
hangs on the wall near the principal. It says:
Welcome Parents!!!!
Raise your hand if you’re looking forward to a
great school year!
Adapted From: Reader’s Handbook: A Student Guide
for Reading and Learning
After Reading Make an Inference
Parents have come to the school for: a board meeting
or back-to-school night.
What I Read
+
1. Parents come
to school
2. Welcome sign
3. Asks if people
are looking
forward to a
great school
year
What I Know
Already
= What I Infer
1. Our school
has a time to
meet teachers
and see the
school at the
beginning of
every school
year.
The parents,
teachers,
principal, and
students have
gotten together to
talk about the
upcoming school
year.
With Your Partner Make an Inference
The principal stands in front because:
she is going to speak or there is no seat left for her.
What I Read
+
1. The principal
stands at a
podium
facing the
chairs.
2. The parents
and students
are sitting in
the chairs.
What I Know
Already
1. On Back-ToSchool night
my principal
talks to the
parents and
students
about the
new school
year.
= What I Infer
It’s Back-ToSchool night
so the
principal is
going to speak
to the parents
and students.
Let’s Practice
Oh, I had a balloon.
It was round, it was red.
Such a lovely balloon,
Almost as big as my head.
But I heard a loud noise,
And I looked around to see.
For I wondered just what,
Made that loud noise at me.
What can you infer about the balloon?
What I Read
+
What I Know
Already
= What I Infer
More Practice
The Snow-Bird
By Frank Dempster Sherman
When all the ground with snow is white
the merry snow-bird comes.
And hops about with great delight What can you infer about
the balloon?
to find the scattered crumbs.
How glad he seems to get to eat
a piece of cake or bread!
He wears no shoes upon feet,
nor hat upon his head.
But happiest is he, I know,
because no cage with bars
keeps him from walking on the snow
and printing it with stars.
What I
Read
+
What I
Know
Already
=
What I
Infer
You Can Make Inferences About the
Setting
• After reading you can picture a setting, you
are “reading” the setting.
• You need to read between the lines and
make inferences about what it tells you.
• Usually the setting tells you:
1. about the feeling, or mood, of the moment
2. about how characters feel or what they are like
3. about something new that is about to happen in
the plot
Check Out This Example
The house stood at the top of the hill
surrounded by twisted, bare trees. The girl
shivered in the cold wind and brushed the wet
snow from her shoes. She remembered her
nice, warm home in Florida with its sandy
beaches and bright sunshine. Slowly, she
walked towards her new home.
How does the girl feel?
What I Read
+
1. The setting creates
a dreary, sad,
unwanted mood.
2. The girl thinks of
her old home.
3. The girl walked
slowly to her new
home.
What I Know =
Already
What I Infer
1. It is hard to move
to a new place.
2. When you move
you lose things you
care about or are
used to.
The girl does not like
her new home and
prefers her old home.
With Your Partner Make an
Inference
Fireworks lit the night in flashes of red,
blue, green, and yellow. Children ran
across the green grass waving sparklers.
Parents sat on blankets and drank icy
drinks to cool off. Laughter could be heard
across the field.
What can you infer about the events in the text?
What I Read
+
What I Know
Already
= What I Infer
Let’s Practice
Warm sand shifted under my feet as I
walked across the beach. The soothing
sound of the waves calmed my thoughts.
A soft breeze made the heat of the day feel
like a warm cozy blanket in winter. I hope
this day never ends.
What can you infer about how the character feels
about the beach based on the mood created by the
setting?
What I Read
+
What I Know
Already
= What I Infer