Google Classroom
Become a reading detective!
What are inferences?
You’re approaching the end of the newest superhero movie when you notice an important clue: Awesomeman has slipped the team’s top-secret document into his pocket. In that instant, you realize that he’s actually a traitor to the team. But how did you figure that out?
In the scenario above, you were making an inference: you connected the information the movie gave you with your knowledge of the world to draw a conclusion. You know that loyal people don’t usually steal top-secret documents, so you put the clues together to figure out that Awesomeman might have an evil scheme.
People make inferences all the time: they find and connect clues in texts, movies, images, and even in the behavior of other people. But why are inferencing skills important? How can you become a better inference maker? To find out the answer to these questions, come on a learning journey with me.
Why are inferencing skills important?
- They help us understand others. Making inferences allows us to understand what people mean when they don't explicitly say it.
For example, let’s say you have a friend who has been excited for a party all week. Then, after she gets a low test grade, she comes to school the next day and tells you she doesn’t really care about parties anyways. You might make the inference that her parents banned her from going to the party, but that she’s too embarrassed to tell you.
They improve our reading comprehension. When we read, we often need to make inferences to fully understand the text. Authors can’t tell us everything: some things we need to figure out for ourselves. Making inferences helps us grasp the author's intended meaning and enjoy the story more.
They develop critical thinking skills. Making inferences requires us to analyze information and draw conclusions based on evidence. This helps develop critical thinking skills, which are essential for success in school and life.
How can I make accurate inferences?
Look for clues and put them together: Clues in the text or conversation can help you figure out what the person is trying to say. Then, put the clues together to make a conclusion. For example, when Anjali completely misses the goal in the last moments of the soccer game and her rival Erica calls out, “Great shot!” you can infer that Erica is being sarcastic.
Inference: “Great shot!” + missed goal = sarcasm
Use your background knowledge: When answering inference questions about a text, they should always be based in clues that you find in the text. However, your knowledge of the world will help you understand and connect those clues.
In the soccer example above, we were given two pieces of information: what Erica said about Anjali's kick (“Great shot!”), and how her kick actually went (badly). We were able to infer that Erica was being sarcastic because we know that missing the goal doesn't usually equal a great kick in a soccer game.“Great shot!” + missed goal = sarcasm (because missing the goal isn't great in soccer)
- Practice, practice, practice! The more you practice making inferences, the better you'll become at it. Try making inferences while reading books, watching movies, or having conversations with friends and family.
Try it!
Practice: Inferences
A significant number of schools in the United States require students to follow strict dress codes. Advocates believe that school dress codes can reduce competition among students and enable them to focus more on learning. However, critics say that school dress codes have a larger impact on female, African American, and
students. These students tend to have clothes they more commonly wear banned in dress codes. They also tend to be punished more often for violating dress codes. Therefore, to ensure that dress codes are fair, school staff should check that all students are being held to the same dress code standards. In addition, people who invent dress codes should work to ______.
Fill in the blank with the most logical inference.
The answer is A! The author says that “school dress codes have a larger impact on female, African American, and Latine students. These students tend to have clothes they more commonly wear banned in dress codes.” Therefore, if dress code writers want to make sure their dress codes are fair, they should ensure that they aren’t discriminating against particular groups of students.
Practice: Inferences
Tommie Smith, an African-American athlete, and John Carlos, an African-American athlete of Cuban descent, used their wins in the 1968 Olympics to fight for civil rights. Smith won the gold medal and Carlos won the bronze medal in the 200-meter race. When they went to receive their medals, they wore black gloves and socks, but no shoes. They also wore pins with the symbol of the Olympic Project for Human Rights, an organization that fought to end racism in athletics. The silver medalist, Australian Peter Norman, also wore a borrowed badge to show his support for the cause. As the national anthem played, both Smith and Carlos raised their fists in the air, a symbol of Black power and unity. At the time, they were expelled from the Olympics, but in 2019, they were inducted into the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame.
A student infers that views of Smith’s and Carlos’s act changed over time. Which line from the text most likely led her to this inference?
The answer is D! This answer says that Smith and Carlos were expelled from the Olympics at the time of their act, suggesting that the organizers of the Olympics thought that their actions were inappropriate. But, in 2019, they were added to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame, suggesting that Olympic organizers in 2019 thought their actions were admirable and brave.
Remember!
Making accurate inferences is an essential skill for understanding texts, movies, and other people. By connecting clues and using your background knowledge, you'll make better inferences and improve your communication, reading comprehension, and critical thinking skills. So the next time you're trying to figure out what someone means or what's happening in a story, don't forget to put your inference skills to the test.
Happy reading! 📖
School uniform photograph taken by Ron Lach and licensed under a Pexels Creative Commons license
Public domain photograph of Tommie Smith and John Carlos provided by Angelo Cozzi
Log in Phylopateer Ghobrial 5 months agoPosted 5 months ago. Direct link to Phylopateer Ghobrial's post “How are inferences made? ...” How are inferences made? italics • (4 votes) Unknown 5 months agoPosted 5 months ago. Direct link to Unknown's post “An inference is like an e...” An inference is like an educated guess about something in the text. You can make an inference about what is happening in the text based on the clues. If the smoke detector goes off and someone is getting a fire extinguisher, you can make an inference that there is a fire. (6 votes) 30_aroberts 5 months agoPosted 5 months ago. Direct link to 30_aroberts's post “yes, inferences are usual...” yes, inferences are usually in detective work bruv 30cliftl 4 months agoPosted 4 months ago. Direct link to 30cliftl's post “are inferences supposed t...” are inferences supposed to be confusing at first • (2 votes) henryskim21 7 days agoPosted 7 days ago. Direct link to henryskim21's post “Inferences can sometimes ...” Inferences can sometimes be confusing or challenging, especially when dealing with complex or ambiguous information. (1 vote) GavinC 4 months agoPosted 4 months ago. Direct link to GavinC's post “Why are ifrences importan...” Why are ifrences important • (2 votes) henryskim21 7 days agoPosted 7 days ago. Direct link to henryskim21's post “Inferences are important ...” Inferences are important for several reasons (1 vote) TRDkeno 5 months agoPosted 5 months ago. Direct link to TRDkeno's post “how come you need to watc...” how come you need to watch videos • (1 vote) Bella 4 months agoPosted 4 months ago. Direct link to Bella 's post “two take note about the v...” two take note about the videos (2 votes) vijisiva09 14 days agoPosted 14 days ago. Direct link to vijisiva09's post “Why do people make infere...” Why do people make inferences? Is it because they don't know most of the information yet? Isn't that the opposite of what we've learned? • (1 vote) henryskim21 7 days agoPosted 7 days ago. Direct link to henryskim21's post “People make inferences fo...” People make inferences for various reasons, and it is not necessarily because they lack information. (1 vote) fshe9575 5 months agoPosted 5 months ago. Direct link to fshe9575's post “what is Smth has to the o...” what is Smth has to the olympics • (1 vote) Aadu 3 months agoPosted 3 months ago. Direct link to Aadu's post “When it said me .(I had a...” When it said me .(I had a question WHO IS ME?) • (1 vote) Autumn2011 2 months agoPosted 2 months ago. Direct link to Autumn2011's post “If you have no background...” If you have no background knowledge, how can you make a good Inference? • (0 votes) Unknown 2 months agoPosted 2 months ago. Direct link to Unknown's post “If you don't have backgro...” If you don't have background knowledge, then maybe you shouldn't make an inference. (2 votes) Bella 4 months agoPosted 4 months ago. Direct link to Bella 's post “I got a 100% on this beca...” I got a 100% on this because it is easy • (0 votes)Want to join the conversation?
For more information, see https://www.khanacademy.org/ela/new-6th-grade-reading-and-vocabulary/x8ddea1200317e822:the-rules-we-live-by-and-the-ones-we-break/x8ddea1200317e822:making-inferences/a/inferences-in-texts
