Primary English: Making Inferences

 

What is Inference?

Simply put: ‘inference’ is ‘reading between the lines’.  It’s sometimes described as ‘using what you know to make an educated guess’.

It would be difficult (or impossible) for authors to write down every single thing that happens at every moment in a text, so… they don’t. This means that making inferences is essential for effective reading, writing and general communication. 

Example: From the assured tone of voice used in this article, you might infer that I know what I’m talking about.  I do (I promise).  So, in this instance, your inference would be spot-on.

‘Making inferences’ is a reading-based skill in Primary English.  It’s taught from KS1, through to KS2 and onwards.  In some form, the ability to make inferences is tested in English (and other subjects) at GCSE level and even A-Level — so it’s a skill worth having! 

Keep reading for more explanations, examples, and even a list of helpful resources for children. ✍
 

How Do You Make an Inference?

To make an inference, you have to ‘fill in the gaps’ that a writer has left for you.  This is often done by drawing on your own knowledge — it might be general knowledge, information given earlier in the text you’re reading, or some obscure fact about the length of a 16^th century knight’s cloak — but whatever knowledge it is, you’ll use it to reach a fuller understanding of the text. 

For example, from this sentence:

Afia watched the vase fall and winced — Dad was going to be furious.

We know that Afia is watching a vase fall and that her dad will be angry about it.  So, using our own knowledge of gravity (and the general knowledge that vases are fragile), we can infer that the vase is about to break.  This might be confirmed later in the text —e.g., if Afia buys a new vase— or it might not. 

 

How Do You Use Inferences Correctly?

Multiple correct inferences can be made from one text:

Julio started to sweat as Mrs Walker strode between the desks.  He had nothing to give her.  How could he have forgotten again?

Reading the example above, you might infer that:

1. Mrs Walker is Julio’s teacher.
2. Julio hasn’t done his homework. 
3. Julio is feeling nervous/worried/afraid.
4. Julio is forgetful.

All these inferences are sensible and there are many more that could be made. 

The question children have been asked will usually give them a clue about which inference to write down as their answer.  For example, if the question is: “Why do you think Julio is nervous?” then “Mrs Walker is Julio’s teacher” isn’t really a suitable answer (though it is a reasonable inference).  A better answer to this question would be “Julio hasn’t done his homework”.

Sometimes the answer that’s needed might not be obvious and children will have to do a bit more thinking.  As long as they provide a sensible answer which can be supported by evidence from the text, they’ll be fine.
 

Introducing Children to Making Inferences

It can be difficult for young children to start picking up inference skills.  Younger children often use a lot of energy to understand the words they read at face value.  They might not be able to consider ‘unwritten’ meanings at the same time. 

It can be helpful to introduce inference skills with images.  For example:

Most children would be able to come up with answers to questions like “How do you think this dog is feeling?”, or “How can you tell this dog is someone’s pet?”, even though there are no written clues.  Background knowledge like ‘dogs enjoy playing fetch’ and ‘pets wear collars’ allows the ‘gaps’ to be filled in and sensible answers to be provided.

The picture above is a classic example of using in-FUR-ence skills.
(Forgive me…)

After using images, introducing short examples of speech may be helpful.  It’s often easier if children can identify a feeling or emotion:

“Hurry up!” urged Piotr.   —   We can infer that Piotr is waiting for someone.

Melissa shouted, “How rude!”   —   We can infer that Melissa is cross or upset.

Inferring how people are feeling is an everyday use of inference skills, often done without any conscious thought.  Whenever we speak to people, we are inferring how they feel about a topic from their tone of voice, word choices, volume and actions.  Making inferences in English lessons uses the same deductive reasoning skills that we use all the time in speech — it just requires that these skills be applied to what we’re reading instead.
 

Examples of Inferences

Each example below gives just one inference that could be made from the sentences. 
How many more can you or your children come up with?

Emma rolled her eyes as Tom did a backflip.
               Emma is not impressed with Tom showing off.
 

As the light flickered, casting shadows all around, Hana began to tremble.
               Hana is in a dark place.
 

Kie groaned, green-faced, in his cabin.  “Smooth sailing indeed,” he muttered.
               Kie is on a boat.
 

Aleena gulped.  There was only one rule — never let the ice cream melt.
               Aleena is in trouble.
 

What is the Difference Between Implying and Inferring?

Making inferences can sometimes be confused with ‘implying’ or ‘making predictions’. 
Using the sentence:

Josh ordered a glass of milk after tasting the spicy curry.

Let’s look at how the three differ.
 

1. Implying is suggesting something:

The sentence above implies that Josh can’t tolerate spicy food very well.
 

2. Inferring is filling in the gaps to make a conclusion:

From the sentence, we can infer that Josh can’t handle spicy food.
 

3. Predicting is guessing what we think will happen in the future (often using what we know):

From the sentence, we could predict that Josh won’t eat a spicy curry again!
 

Online Inference Resources for Teaching at School and Home

If this blog has put you in the mood for some carefully crafted inference resources, then we’ve got just what you need. Feast your eyes on some of our favourites below…
 

Inference Indie PowerPoint (Year 1)

You can use this PowerPoint to get children in Year 1 started with simple inference skills. It explains how to link what you already know to textual clues and make inferences.
 

Making Inferences Worksheet (Year 1)

This worksheet can be used to develop children’s inference skills further (and Indie the elephant makes another appearance). If that wasn’t enough — it also has a foundation level version and a stretch level version.

 

Making Inferences PowerPoint & Worksheet (Year 2)

As children progress through KS1, so do their inference skills.  To stay on top of inferences in Year 2, children can use this PowerPoint and this worksheet (which also has a foundation version and a stretch version). 
 

Mystery Me — Making Inferences Game (Year 2)

Children can practise making inferences and have fun at the same time with this lotto-based game.

 

The Railway Children — Inference PowerPoint (Years 3-4)

Choo-choo! KS2 children can put their inference skills to the test against a classic children’s novel with this PowerPoint.
 

Inference Short Activity (Years 5-6)

This is a great warm-up activity for children to practise making inferences (and some funny faces) in pairs.
 

Treasure Island — Inference PowerPoint and Worksheet (Years 5-6)

Ahoy mateys — this PowerPoint is a fantastic way to reinforce inference skills in upper KS2. The matching worksheet can be used with the presentation or independently, but either resource will have children embracing their inner pirate in no time.

 

Even More Online Inference Resources

If you’re still hungry for more, we have a range of inference resources on other popular stories including: Peter Pan, Five Children and It and A Christmas Carol, all of which have worksheets and PowerPoints to explore. There’s even some original texts, like our ever-popular Trapped! resource.

We’re adding more resources all the time — check out our CGP+ Facebook and Instagram pages and yours will be amongst the first peepers to sneak a peek at all of our latest content.

 

Remember — with CGP+, you’re always in-fer a good time. 👍