Why Is Inferencing Important for Students to Master

Mastering inferencing is a crucial skill for students to develop, as it allows them to make educated guesses and form conclusions based on the information provided. This skill is essential for reading comprehension, as it enables students to understand the author's intended meaning and purpose.

Inferencing helps students to think critically and make connections between ideas, which is a vital skill for academic success. By making inferences, students can fill in gaps in their knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of the material.

Inferencing also improves students' ability to analyze and evaluate information, a skill that is critical in today's information-rich world. As students become more proficient in inferencing, they'll be better equipped to navigate complex texts and make informed decisions.

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Inferencing is a skill that helps us figure things out by applying our own knowledge and experience to a situation.

We learn about some things by observing or experiencing them first-hand, but inferencing allows us to reach conclusions based on evidence and reasoning.

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Making inferences is a complex skill that develops over time and with experience.

Helping students understand when information is implied, or not directly stated, will improve their skill in drawing conclusions.

Inferential thinking is essential in everyday life, as it enables us to make decisions and solve problems based on incomplete information.

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Inferencing is a crucial skill for reading comprehension and closing attainment gaps. 92% of teachers believe that school closures have contributed to the widening of the word gap, making a focus on inference, especially through vocabulary, essential.

Developing inference skills is vital for critical literacy, which is a crucial life skill that benefits learners in every application, not just in English. This skill enables learners to pay attention to the hidden meanings within what is said and what's left unsaid.

Teachers can develop learners' inference skills by encouraging them to make predictions about what's going to happen next as they read a text, as suggested by the Education Endowment Foundation's 2017 report Improving Literacy in Key Stage 2.

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Here are the key steps for developing reading comprehension skills as outlined by the Education Endowment Foundation:

Research supports the importance of inference skills, with studies showing that instruction in inference can improve literal and inferential comprehension, even for skilled and less skilled readers.

Teaching inferencing can be a straightforward process if you use the right models and strategies. One simplified model for teaching inferencing is based on the following assumptions: we need to find clues to get some answers, we need to add those clues to what we already know or have read, there can be more than one correct answer, and we need to be able to support inferences with evidence.

Teachers can use four questions to facilitate a discussion about inferences with their students: What is my inference? What information did I use to make this inference? How good was my thinking? Do I need to change my thinking? These questions help students become aware of their own thinking and evaluate its validity.

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The "It says, I say, and so" model developed by Kylene Beers is another effective way to teach inference. This model involves identifying the text's clues, making connections to prior knowledge, and drawing conclusions based on the evidence.

To reinforce literacy foundations, teachers can consistently integrate inference-based lessons into their reading curriculums. This can include using whole-class read-alouds, practicing inference exercises, and encouraging students to maintain inference journals.

Here are some effective exercises to stretch students' inference skills:

• Picture Interpretation: Ask students to infer the context or story behind a picture.

• Sentence Completion: Provide students with incomplete sentences and have them infer and write the likely endings.

• Text Clues: Give students short passages with key information missing and ask them to infer the missing details based on the provided context.

• Character Motivation: Ask students to infer the motivations behind a character's actions.

• Group Discussions: Engage students in group discussions where they share their inferences about a text.

• Inference Journals: Have students maintain journals where they record their inferences while reading and the evidence that led them to those conclusions.

• Mystery Stories: Use mystery or detective stories that naturally require students to make inferences to understand the plot and solve the mystery.

• Think-Alouds: Model the process of making inferences by thinking aloud while reading a text.

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In social studies, inferring plays a crucial role in understanding historical events and figures. By analyzing clues in portraits, students can infer things about George Washington and his life, such as the visual clues the artist used and the importance of different portraits as visual records.

In the classroom, teachers can use familiar symbols, activities, and environments to introduce inferring to students. For example, after viewing a picture of a mansion and a soup line, students can make inferences about the people who live in both places, their socioeconomic status, and the kinds of food they eat.

By using real-life examples, teachers can help students develop their inferring skills. For instance, after viewing a picture of the exterior of a mansion, students might infer that the people who live there are wealthy, while those living on a soup line are struggling financially.

Parents can also help build these skills at home by encouraging their children to make inferences about everyday situations. For example, after looking at a picture of a park, a child might infer that people go to the park to exercise or play with their friends.

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Here are some ways to help students develop their inferring skills in social studies:

Inferencing is a crucial skill that helps individuals decipher and reach conclusions to extract meaning behind words, schemas, or text in daily life.

To learn more about inferencing, you can check out the article Key Comprehension Strategies to Teach, which covers metacognitive strategies like inferring, predicting, and other essential comprehension skills.

Voyager Sopris Learning offers unique reading solutions that provide guided practice for students of various ages, using inference in reading explicit, systematic instruction in the essential components of reading.

The LANGUAGE! Live and Voyager Passport programs are evidence-based, effective, and tailored with age-appropriate content, incorporating comprehension and writing lessons that include making inferences, integrating ideas, and creating a closer connection to text.

You can also deepen your knowledge about teaching reading comprehension in our self-paced module Reading 101: Comprehension, which provides a comprehensive overview of the subject.

Research shows that consistently integrating inference-based lessons into reading curriculums can have a lasting impact on students' reading abilities and overall development.

Here are some additional resources to help you reinforce literacy foundations:

Inference is a crucial skill that helps students understand and interpret the world around them, and it's essential to practice it regularly to see improvement. Consistent practice is key to developing strong inference skills in students.

Research shows that programs like LANGUAGE! Live and Voyager Passport can help students develop their inference skills. These programs use a layered approach to teaching inference, including modeling, guided feedback, and independent practice.

To stretch students' inference skills, teachers can try various exercises, such as picture interpretation. For example, showing students a picture of a child with a backpack and a lunchbox can lead them to infer that the child is going to school.

Sentence completion is another effective exercise that can be used in the classroom. Providing students with incomplete sentences and asking them to infer and write the likely endings can help them develop their inference skills.

Text clues are also an excellent way to practice inference. Giving students short passages with key information missing and asking them to infer the missing details based on the provided context can encourage them to use clues from the text to fill in gaps.

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Here are some effective exercises to practice inference in the classroom:

By incorporating these exercises into their teaching practices, educators can help students develop their inference skills and become more confident and independent readers.