A. Literacy Connections and Applications / C. Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts · Understanding and Responding to Texts

Reading Between the Lines: Making Inferences

C3.2 C3.8 C2.4About 35 minutes

Learning goals

I can tell the difference between what a text says and what it shows without saying.
I can use clues plus what I know to make an inference.
I can explain the thinking that helped me understand a text.

Words to know

stated
Said right in the words. You can point to it.

implied
Not said in the words, but shown by clues. You have to figure it out.

inference
Something you figure out by putting together clues in the text and what you already know.

clue
A word, action or picture that hints at something.

thinking skill
A way of thinking that helps you understand, like noticing clues or asking "why?"

Be a word detective

Writers don't tell you everything. Sometimes they leave clues and let you figure it out. That is called reading between the lines.

If a text says "Ana put on her coat, her mitts and her toque," it doesn't say "It is cold." But you can figure it out! You just made an inference.

A winter coat on a hook, a toque and mitts on a bench and snowy boots on a mat, with snow falling outside the window. — Nobody wrote "It is cold," but the coat, toque, mitts and snowy boots are clues. What can you infer? AI-generated image

The inference recipe: clues in the text + what I know = inference.

Stated or implied?

Stated information is right there in the words. You can put your finger on it.
Implied information is not written. It is hinted by clues, and you figure it out.

Example: "Jamal stamped the snow off his boots. His cheeks were bright red. He held his hands over the heater."

Stated: Jamal's cheeks were red. He held his hands over the heater.
Implied: Jamal was outside in the snow and now he is cold.

Worked example

Let's make an inference

Grandpa looked at the clock. Then he looked out the window. He tapped his foot. "Where is that bus?" he said. How is Grandpa feeling? What is he doing?

Find the clues: he looks at the clock, looks out the window, taps his foot, asks "Where is that bus?"
Think about what I know: When people look at the clock again and again and tap their feet, they are usually waiting and feeling impatient or worried.
Put them together: Grandpa is waiting for a bus that is late, and he feels impatient.
Check: Is it stated? No, the text never says "impatient". It is implied. My inference fits all the clues.

Grandpa is waiting for a late bus (maybe someone is coming home on it) and feels impatient or worried.

Read-aloud: The Quiet Morning

The house was dark and still. Ella and Dad tiptoed into the kitchen. Dad put a finger to his lips. Shh.

Ella got out flour, eggs, sugar and the big mixing bowl. Dad turned on the oven. Ella found a box of candles in the drawer and counted them. "Thirty-five," she whispered. "That's a lot of candles!"

Upstairs, a door creaked. Ella's eyes went wide. She and Dad froze.

Then they heard snoring again. Ella giggled into her sleeve.

An hour later, the kitchen smelled sweet. Ella made a card with a heart on it. For the best mom in the world, she wrote.

None of this is stated in The Quiet Morning. Clues from the text + what I know = an inference.

Worked example

Let's read between the lines

What are Ella and Dad doing? What time of day is it? Why are they quiet?

Stated clues: The house is dark and still. They tiptoe. Dad says Shh. Ella gets out flour, eggs, sugar and a mixing bowl. Dad turns on the oven. There are 35 candles. The card says For the best mom in the world.
What I know: Flour, eggs, sugar and an oven make a cake. Candles go on a birthday cake. When it is dark and people are snoring, it is early morning.
Inference 1: They are baking a birthday cake for Mom. She is turning 35.
Inference 2: They are quiet because it's a surprise, and Mom is still asleep.
Inference 3: When the door creaked, Ella was scared the surprise would be spoiled (her eyes went wide; they froze). The snoring told them Mom was still asleep.

Ella and Dad are making a surprise birthday cake for Mom early in the morning. None of this is stated: we inferred it from clues plus what we know.

Thinking skills that help me

Name your thinking! Good readers can say how they figured something out:

I noticed clues (like the candles).
I used what I know (cakes need flour and eggs).
I asked "why?" (Why are they whispering?)
I checked that my idea fit all the clues.
I reread to find more evidence.

Just for fun

Riddle: I have hands but I can't clap. I have a face but I can't smile. What am I?

A clock! (You just used clues to make an inference.)

Hands-on activity

Mystery bag inferences

You need: a bag and 4 or 5 objects a grown-up chooses secretly that go together (for example: a toque, mitts, a scarf and a sled; or sunscreen, a towel and a pail).

Your grown-up takes out one object at a time.
After each object, make an inference: "I think we are going to ___ because ___."
Revise your inference as more clues come out.
Switch: you fill the bag and your grown-up infers.
Act it out: silently act out a feeling (being cold, sleepy, nervous). Your grown-up infers the feeling and tells you the clues they noticed.

Your turn

Ana put on her coat, her mitts and her toque. What can you infer?

In The Quiet Morning, what did Ella get out to use?

How old is Mom turning? How do you know?

Why did Ella giggle into her sleeve?

Is "Ella is making a cake" stated or implied?

Max's lip shook. He looked down at his broken sandcastle. How does Max feel?

More practice: warm-up

What does stated mean?

What does implied mean?

Finish the recipe: clues in the text + ___ = inference.

Who did Ella make the card for?

The dog wagged its tail and jumped up and down when Sara came home. How does the dog feel?

More practice: on your own

What time of day is it at the start of The Quiet Morning? Give two clues.

Why did Ella and Dad freeze when the door creaked?

Owen looked at the empty cookie jar. Then he looked at his little sister. She had crumbs on her chin. What can you infer?

Ms. Lee's class was too excited to sit still. Some kids wore costumes. Paper bats hung from the ceiling. What day is it? Explain.

What thinking skill helped you most to figure out The Quiet Morning? Explain.

Challenge

Write your own 3-sentence text that shows someone is nervous without using the word nervous.

Why do you think the writer didn't just say "Ella and Dad made a surprise birthday cake" at the start?

A reader infers that Ella and Dad are making cookies. Does that inference fit all the clues? What clue might change their mind?

Check your understanding

Quiz

What is an inference?

Sam yawned and rubbed his eyes. What can you infer?

In The Quiet Morning, which clue tells us it is a birthday?

Which is stated in The Quiet Morning?

Why were Ella and Dad so quiet?

Which sentence names a thinking skill?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: An inference uses stated information and implied clues together with what a child knows (C3.2). Children also begin to name the thinking skills that helped them (C3.8).

How to help at home:

Use picture books: cover the words and ask, "How does this character feel? How do you know?"
Play "I can tell...": I can tell it rained last night because the sidewalk is wet.
Ask "How did you figure that out?" and praise the reasoning.

Common difficulties:

Guessing without clues. Ask, "Which words told you that?"
Only answering with stated facts. Ask "why" questions that need reading between the lines.
Inferences that fit one clue but not others. Check every clue together, as in the cookie/cake challenge.