“Becoming Reading Detectives: Strategies for Teaching Inference in Middle School”

Teaching inference to middle school students is teaching them to be detectives – to see beyond the page. This involves helping them understand how to draw conclusions based on evidence and reasoning, rather than direct information.

I usually tell my kids to tell me what I cannot see. That moves them beyond what’s in front of them to may be…but I’ve jumped a head of myself.

Here’s a step-by-step approach to teaching inference and getting your middle school, Heck! even your high school students to see beyond the obvious:

1. Define Inference

• Explain it Simply: Inference is when you figure something out that isn’t directly stated. It’s like being a detective—using clues to make a guess about what’s happening. Stacking clues together from the text gives us a deeper analysis of the characters, plot, and overall message.
• Use Examples: Provide simple examples, such as:
  • “If you see someone walking in with an umbrella, what can you infer?”
  • “If a character in a story is shivering and wrapping themselves in a blanket, what might you infer?”

2. Model the Process

• Think Aloud: Read a passage aloud and model your thought process for making inferences. Show how you connect clues from the text with prior knowledge. When I read to my students, or I’m listening to their paired or group discussions, I add my two cents. “I wonder what…” “Can you imagine if..” “I wonder why…”you get the point.
• Example: “The character is running and looking over their shoulder. I infer they might be scared of something because people usually act this way when they feel threatened.”

3. Use Text-Based Clues

• Context Clues: Teach students to use words and phrases in the text to infer meaning. Practice with sentences where the meaning is implied. “PROVE IT!” My students have to prove everything they claim about a character, plot, literey elements, or message they try to sell me on. No. I don’t want your opinion, Johnny, I need support from the text. Prove it!
• Question Prompts: Provide questions like:
  • “What can you infer about the character’s mood?”
  • “Why do you think the character did that?”

4. Practice with Visuals

• Pictures and Comics: Use images or short comic strips without dialogue. Ask students to infer what is happening based on body language, facial expressions, or the setting. They love creating mini-posters, a 4-block comic strip, or 3-slide PowerPoint for the things we read. Yes, even my seniors love it!
• Wordless Videos: Play short silent videos and have students infer what’s going on, why characters act the way they do, or what might happen next.

5. Guided Practice with Texts

• Short Stories or Passages: Choose texts where not everything is directly stated. After reading, ask inferential questions:
  • “What can you infer about the setting based on the descriptions?”
  • “How does the character feel, and what evidence supports this?”

6. Incorporate Group Activities

• Think-Pair-Share: Have students work together to infer information from a shared text or scenario. This allows them to verbalize their thinking and hear others’ perspectives.
• Inference Stations: Set up different stations with texts, pictures, or scenarios, and ask students to infer specific details at each station.

7. Use Inference in Real-Life Scenarios

• Real-World Application: Bring in scenarios from everyday life where students can practice making inferences. For example:
  • “Why is this person in the grocery store looking at their phone and checking labels?”
• We can throw these in as Daily Journals or class openers.

8. Assessment and Reflection

• Inference Journals: Have students write down inferences they make from reading or watching something, including the clues they used. This helps them build their case for a longer exercise – an essay. They’ve found their textual evidence and argument without even realizing it.
• Class Discussion: Reflect on different inferences students make, encouraging them to explain their reasoning. My students are realizing how important these are.
• My class is set up in the traditional U or horseshoe, where students are facing each side of the room and each other. During our discussions, you see who was paying attention and building on each other’s responses. It is so much fun each lesson; it’s ridiculous!

Here’s some resources to help your INFERENCE LESSONS.

(*ALSO, Join my EMAIL LIST, as I’m working on something exciting to add to this lesson. When you join. Remind me to send it to you. It’s crazy good!)