Making Inferences What Is an Inference? Why Make Inferences? Tips for Making Inferences Use the Strategy Practice the Strategy Feature Menu

Making Inferences You make inferences all the time—when you size up a person or a situation that you encounter. What can you infer, or guess, about the situation pictured above? What is an inference?

Making Inferences An inference is a guess based on clues. What is an inference? Use these clues to make an inference about where Sari is going. Sari leaves a note for her parents.Clue #2 Sari picks up a stack of books. Clue #3 Clue #1Sari puts on a jacket. Clue #4 Sari takes a small white card from her dresser and puts it in her pocket. Where is Sari going?

Making Inferences You probably guessed that Sari is going to the library—probably to return some books. What is an inference? told you that Sari will be gone for a while. Clue #2 told you that Sari is taking books where she is going. Clue #3 Clue #1 told you that Sari is about to leave her house. Clue #4 told you that Sari may need some type of card where she is going. If you have ever used a library, you know that a card is required to use its services.

Making Inferences You make an inference when you combine clues in a text with What is an inference? what you already know to make a guess about something. clues + prior knowledge = inference

Making Inferences [End of Section] What clues in the following pictures help you make inferences, or educated guesses, about the people and situations in the pictures? What is an inference?

Making Inferences Why make inferences? Writers don’t always state their ideas directly. Often they provide readers with enough information to discover meaning for themselves—to make inferences. In this way, the reader becomes an active participant in making meaning.

Making Inferences Why make inferences? Making inferences helps you understand what you read— even information and ideas that are not directly stated relate what you are reading to your life see connections among ideas [End of Section]

Making Inferences Tips for Making Inferences As you read, pay attention to information and details in the text. These are your clues. Sam gave the lady behind the window $10. She gave him back $2. He went in and gave his ticket to the kid standing by a rope. The kid then moved the rope, and Sam went in and started looking for a place to sit. Soon it got dark, so everyone in there got quiet.

Making Inferences Consider what you already know. Sam gave the lady behind the window $10. She gave him back $2. ($10 - $2 = $8; Sam spent $8.) He went in and gave his ticket to the kid standing by a rope. The kid then moved the rope, and Sam went in and started looking for a place to sit. (Where do kids stand by ropes taking tickets? Sports arenas, theaters?) Tips for Making Inferences

Making Inferences Combine the details (clues) that you read with what you already know (prior knowledge) to make an inference. Sam spent $8. It costs about $8 to go see a movie. I’m going to infer that Sam went to a movie theater. clues + prior knowledge = inference Tips for Making Inferences

Making Inferences Keep your inferences in mind as you keep reading. Use new information to decide if your inferences are correct. Sam gave the lady behind the window $10. She gave him back $2. He went in and gave his ticket to the kid standing by a rope. The kid then moved the rope, and Sam went in and started looking for a place to sit. Soon it got dark, so everyone in there got quiet. (It is dark and quiet in movie theaters, so I think my inference is correct.) Tips for Making Inferences [End of Section]

Making Inferences As you read “The Green Mamba,” stop at each open-book sign and think about what you have just read. These questions will help you learn how to use making inferences as a reading strategy. Stop and think. Answer the question. Example [End of Section] Use the Strategy

Making Inferences “Oh, those snakes! How I hated them! They were the only fearful thing about Tanganyika...” The narrator likes it, except for the snakes. From the comment above, what can you infer about how the narrator feels about Tanganyika? Use the Strategy

Making Inferences Practice the Strategy Which of the questions above requires you to combine information from the story with your own knowledge to make an inference? 1.Where does Mr. Fuller work? 2.Why does Mr. Fuller lower his children, his wife, and himself out of the window and to the ground? 3.Would you like to hold a snake?

Making Inferences Practice the Strategy Question 2 requires you to make an inference. You must combine information from the story (Mr. Fuller thinks that there is a dangerous snake in the house) with what you already know about human nature (people generally want to protect themselves and their families from danger). You must then infer that Mr. Fuller wants to protect his family from the snake. 1.Where does Mr. Fuller work? 2.Why does Mr. Fuller lower his children, his wife, and himself out of the window and to the ground? 3.Would you like to hold a snake?

Making Inferences Practice the Strategy When you need to make an inference to answer a question, try making a chart that looks like this: It SaysI SayAnd So In the first column, write down information in the text that helps you answer the question. In the second column, write down what you already know about that topic. In the third column, combine what the text says with what you know to come up with the answer— your inference.

Making Inferences Use a chart like this one to answer the questions on page 249. [End of Section] It SaysI SayAnd So information in the text that helps you answer the question what you already know about that topic your inference Practice the Strategy

Making Inferences The End