Making Inferences

1. Making Inferences A.K.A….. Drawing Conclusions

2. What does “making an inference” mean? • It means the same thing as to draw a conclusion, or • A way of figuring out information that is NOT directly stated in a reading passage

3. When do I make an inference? • Since details are sometimes not clearly explained or stated in a reading passage, you must make your own inferences or draw your own conclusions by figuring out by yourself • You do this more often than you think…

4. Making Inferences Examples You see a dog sitting by a door • You figure out (infer) that the dog wants to go outside/inside You see someone wearing shorts and a T-shirt - you figure out that the weather is warm

5. How to Make an Inference • Pay attention to people, places, and objects that are fully presented in a passage • Think about the details that are provided in a reading passage. Use these details to figure out or understand information that is not explained • Use facts you learned from your reading and what you know from your own life to make an inference or draw a conclusion • Look for details about how a character looks, acts, thinks, feels, and speaks. Think about how people with similar qualities behave. Think about times when you have acted similarly.

6. Test Question Clue • A test question about making inferences or drawing conclusions often contains the words: • You can tell • Determine • Conclude

7. Test Question Examples • A test question may look like this: • Readers of the email can conclude that: • From the email, you can determine that: • There is enough information in the article to determine that: • You can tell that: