Reading Inference: Find the Clue, Explain Your Thinking

An inference is an idea you work out from clues in a text and what you already know. A strong inference fits the words on the page. It is more than a possible story you can imagine. Use this activity with readers who can read a short paragraph independently, or read it aloud together.

Read this short passage

Maya stopped at the classroom door. Through the glass, she could see everyone holding a sheet of paper. She opened her bag, searched the front pocket twice, and looked down at her empty hands. When the teacher waved her in, Maya walked slowly to the desk.

Model: what might Maya be worried about?

Maya may be worried that she has forgotten a paper she needs. The clues are that everyone else has a sheet, she searches her bag twice, and her hands are empty. We cannot be certain it is homework: the passage never says what the sheets are for.

Use this answer frame: I think ___ because the text says ___. This suggests ___. The frame helps separate an inference from its supporting evidence.

Try four questions

• 1. Which detail most strongly suggests Maya expected to find something in her bag?
• 2. How might Maya feel? Give two clues rather than just naming an emotion.
• 3. Can we conclude that the teacher is angry? Explain.
• 4. Write one sentence that could come next and would confirm the missing-paper inference.

Suggested answers

• 1: She searches the front pocket twice. Repeating the search suggests she expected something to be there.
• 2: She may feel anxious or embarrassed. She pauses at the door, looks at her empty hands and walks slowly. Other answers are reasonable if they use evidence.
• 3: No. The teacher waves her in, but there is no description of an angry voice or expression.
• 4: For example: ‘I finished my worksheet, but I think I left it on the kitchen table,’ Maya said. This is a possible continuation, not a fact from the original passage.

Turn it into a ten-minute lesson

Read for two minutes, underline clues for two, discuss an answer for three, then write one independent answer for three. Ask the learner to point to the exact words supporting their idea. If they cannot find any, invite them to revise the inference.

For more reading routines, explore browse all English and reading guides.