Inferencing 1
The scout leader looked at the sky that was filled with clouds and muttered something under his breath. Then he looked at the map. "Let's get moving," he called to the group of tired boys. "The faster the better."
What do you think the scout leader was feeling?
What is: The scout leader was feeling worried because he thought a storm was coming.
Michael liked the first pair better, but they were a little uncomfortable. The second pair wasn't as cool, but they fit so much better. He decided to buy the second pair because he would be wearing them nearly every day.
What is Michael buying? What makes you think so?
Michael is buying shoes.
Bridget, who is 25, signed up for a new class on Saturdays. After just one class, all her muscles were sore. She's not sure if she wants to go back.
What kind of class was it? How do you know?
What is: A gym class.
Derek ran up the court, "I'm open!" he yelled toward the boy with the ball. The boy passed the ball to Derek and he made his shot! The crowd cheered as two more points were added to the scoreboard.
What was Derek doing?
What is: Derek was playing basketball.
Corey turned off his alarm clock and got out of bed. He yawned. He slowly walked to the kitchen and got a mug out of the cabinet. He stirred some cream and sugar into his hot beverage and sat down at the kitchen table.
What is in Corey's mug? How do you know?
What is: Coffee (or tea) was in Corey's mug. You know it was coffee or tea because those are thing people typically drink out of mugs in the morning. People often put cream and sugar into those drinks.
Dad and Krystal were finishing up a project in the garage together. "Can we paint the roof red?" asked Krystal. "Sure," said Dad, "Then when the paint dries we can find a place to hang it in the back yard."
What do you think Dad and Krystal are making?
Why do you think so?
What is: Dad and Krystal are making a birdhouse.
Sasha handed the book to the librarian. The librarian
opened the book and found crayon scribbles on almost every page. "I'm really sorry," said Sasha. "I should have kept the book in my room."
What happened to Sasha's library book AND who did it?
Why do you think so?
What is: Sasha's younger brother or sister scribbled in the library book.
I am not a magician but I make things disappear. I come in all shapes and sizes, but am most often found in pink. I can be a writer's best friend.
What am I? How do you know?
What is: An eraser
Mom lit three candles. "There, that's better," she said. Claire turned off her flashlight. The house was quiet except for the sound of the wind blowing through the trees outside.
Why did mom light candles?
What makes you think so?
What is: The wind storm made the power go out.
When Ethan woke up, the room was bright with sunlight. He looked at the clock and leapt out of bed. He threw on his clothes, grabbed his backpack, and ran out the door without eating breakfast.
Why was Ethan in such a hurry?
How do you know?
What is: Ethan was in a hurry because he had overslept and was late for school.
Alex ran all the way home from school. "Mom," he shouted as soon as he opened the door. "Look!" He handed his mother some papers. "You were right, all that studying really did pay off!" he said excitedly.
What was on the papers?
What makes you think so?
What is: The papers were a test with a good grade.
You have been saving for a new video game. When you went to the store to buy it, you decided to buy another game instead. What can you infer about this situation?
How do you know?
What is: You don't have enough money, game is sold out, found a game that you like better.
Mike wrapped a hamburger in paper and put it on the counter. Then, he wrapped two more hamburgers and put them on the counter next to the first one. After that, he scooped french fries into a small box?
Why was Mike wrapping hamburgers? How do you know?
What is: Mike is wrapping hamburgers because it is his job. You know he is wrapping many burgers and scooping fries, which is something that people do when they work in a fast food restaurant.
Eliza was reading the magazine on the couch after preparing a large batch of cookie dough. She planned to bring cookies to her friend's house later. After a while, she smelled smoke. She dropped her magazine on the floor as she jumped off of the couch.
What caused the smoke? How do you know?
What is: The smoke was caused by Ella's burning cookies. You can infer that cookies were burning because you know Ella made cookie dough. She was probably waiting on the couch for the cookies to finish baking.
Your teammate just called you to let you know that the soccer game has been cancelled. Give at least two explanations of why the game could have been cancelled using your prior knowledge/experience.
What is: The weather, not enough players, the coach not being available for the game
It was 8:30 PM on Thursday night. Emily stared at the large, empty poster board on her bed. Then she looked at the stack of books about Abraham Lincoln on her desk. Emily began to cry.
Why do you think Emily was crying?
What makes you think so?
What is: Emily had not started a school project that was due the next day.
Susie had been on her feet all evening. It was Valentine's Day, so of course it was super busy. Finally, her shift was over. She counted her tips and headed home to take a long, hot bath.
What is Susie's job? How do you know?
What is: Susie is a waitress.
Your family had planned to grill hamburgers tonight, but your dad cooked the hamburgers in the oven instead.
What are TWO reasons that he could have made this choice?
What is: Weather, grill not working, no propane for the grill.
"I hate this stuff", Sophia complained during art class. "It gets all over everything, and the bottle always gets clogged so it won't come out". "You can borrow mine, I have the stick kind." Jake offered.
What were Sophia and Jake talking about? How do you know?
What is: Sophia and Jake were talking about glue.
"Okay, one....two....three!" Dad said. No one moved. Dad looked at the small screen in front of him. "Pretty good, but Janie's eyes are closed. Let's try it again. Everyone ready?"
What is Dad doing? How do you know?
What is: Dad is taking a picture of his family.
Splat! "Oh, rats!" thought Katie as she stopped to clean up the mess. "I hope we have another one." She looked in the fridge and pulled out the carton. One left! Breakfast wasn't ruined after all.
What did Katie clean up? How do you know?
What is: Katie cleaned up a broken egg.
"Ouch!" Lucy had fallen again! She shivered and picked herself back up. Then she spotted her older sister Sarah, gliding backwards. She was so graceful. Sarah made everything look so easy.
What is Lucy doing? How do you know?
What is: Lucy was learning to ice skate.
Ana and Sophie sat in their chairs staring straight ahead for nearly two hours. They did not talk or hardly even move, but they were not bored at all. Also, other people were sitting by them, as well.
Where were Ana and Sophie?
What makes you think so?
What is: Ana and Sophie were at the movies.
Kim turned off the lights and everyone found a place to hide. Nick hid under the table where everyone had put their presents. He peeked out and saw the front door starting to open.
What will happen next?
Why do you think so?
What is: Everyone will jump out and yell "Surprise!" because they are at a surprise party.
If I see a dog barking I can infer that...
It sees a cats and wants to chase it. It sees a stranger and is warning them to stay away. It is excited to see me. It is asking for food or to go outside and play.