For the Week of April 6th

Learning to infer well is very important to successful reading. Help your child practice making inferences by asking him/her questions about a book you are reading together. Inferences are conclusions the reader draws about his reading that the author does not state directly in the text. The reader uses clues that the author gives and his/her own background knowledge in order to make inferences. There are a number of types of inferences. For example, a reader can infer what emotion a character is feeling or expressing. He/She can infer what character qualities or traits characters possess. Where the story is located can be inferred. Characters occupations and actions can be inferred. The time period of the story can also be inferred. Ask you student questions like "What did the author mean by _________?" or "When do you think this story takes place?" You might ask, "How do you think that character is feeling right now?" or "What do you think that person does for a living?" Follow up these questions with questions about the clues your student used to decide his/her answers. There should be some obvious and some subtle clues that your student can point out that helped him/her make the inferences.