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Hi there! I am Studyfin, your learning buddy. Today, we will become reading detectives!
When you read, authors do not always tell you everything. They leave clues in the story for you to find.
An inference is a smart guess. You make it by mixing what you read with what you already know.
To make a strong inference, you must prove it. Always point to specific words in the text as your evidence.
✏️ Worked example
Read this short story: 'Leo put on his yellow raincoat and grabbed his big umbrella. He stood by the front door and sighed as he looked out the window.' What is the weather like, and how does Leo feel about it? Use clues to prove your answer.
- Identify the question. We need to find the weather and Leo's feelings.
- Search the text for clues. The clues are 'yellow raincoat', 'big umbrella', and 'sighed'.
- Connect the clues to what you know. Raincoats and umbrellas are used when it rains. A sigh usually means someone is sad or disappointed.
- Combine these ideas to make your inference. The weather is rainy, and Leo is sad that he cannot go play outside.
- State your evidence clearly. You can say: 'I know it is rainy because the text says he has a raincoat and umbrella. I know he is sad because he sighed.'
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