Standard 3: Critical Reading and Writing

Students will apply critical thinking skills to reading and writing.

4.3.R.7  Students will ask and answer inferential questions using the text to support answers.

Student Actions

Teacher Actions

• Students will use prior knowledge and new learning from a text to come to a reasonable conclusion (inference).
• Students will ask inferential questions providing textual evidence to support reasoning.
• Students will answer inferential questions providing textual evidence to support reasoning.
• Students may use riddles to practice inferential thinking skills; successful readers make guesses based on what they read and what they already know. 101 Inference Riddles

• Teachers explain that an inference involves using personal experience or background knowledge/schema, along with the information from the text, to make assumptions about what is not written.
• Teachers explain the principles of making an inference to students (1) We must identify questions that go beyond what is “right there” in the text. (2) In order to answer these questions, we need to find clues in the text and add those clues to our own background knowledge. (3) There can be more than one correct answer. (4) We must be able to support our inferences with evidence from the text.
• Teachers model making inferences to draw conclusions.
• Teachers provide opportunities for students to make inferences to come to a reasonable conclusion using prior knowledge and new learning from a text.
• Teachers model how to identify and usetext evidence to support reasoning when asking inferential questions.
• Teachers provide opportunities for students to use evidence from a text to support the reasons for asking inferential questions.
• Teachers check for student understanding and provide feedback when using textual evidence to support the reasons for asking  inferential questions.
• Teachers model how to identify and usetext evidence to support reasoning when answering inferential questions.
• Teachers provide opportunities for students to use evidence from a text to support the reasons for answers to inferential questions.
• Teachers check for student understanding and provide feedback when using textual evidence to support the reasons for answers to inferential questions.

Supporting Resources

Teacher Insights

Techniques to Improve Student's Inferential Skills (PDF)

• An inference is a logical conclusion made from observations or details assumed to be true and the conclusions drawn from this process.

• We make inferences about people, surroundings, and events.

• Inferences can be drawn from thinking about the facts or details in the text.

• When students use their background knowledge and add the it to the clues given in a text or passage, they are inferring.

• Background Knowledge + Book Clues= Inferring

• Predictions are a type of inference stating what the reader thinks will happen.

• Students will require explicit instruction on how to make inferences.  When the text leaves out information about people, surroundings and events, asking them guiding questions can help them think about the missing information.

• In previous grade levels, students were given guidance and support. In the fourth grade, they are expected to do this independently.

Due to recursive nature of the standards, it is essential that teachers are aware of how all objectives within and between strands work together for optimal instruction.