Comprehension is the reason for reading. Comprehending what is read means that the child understands what he or she has read and is able to communicate it to others.
Strategies for Teaching Inferences
Reading is an active process requiring us to make meaning along the way. One of the most difficult strategies for students is making inferences and drawing conclusions because it isn't explicitly stated in the text. Below you will find resources to help students learn to infer so they can combine the information that the author has written with that of their own experiences to gain a deeper understanding of the author's message
- On Target Strategy Booklets - A PDF of strategies for grades 4-12 compiled by South Dakota's Education Service Agencies 6 and 7 with support from the South Dakota Department of Education.
- Inferences and Proficient Readers - This 14 page PDF is full of information about how proficient readers, writers, mathematicians, and researchers use inferences. The document has several strategies to use in the classroom.
- Lesson Plan for K-3 - This lesson from Teacher Vision uses Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears to teach making inferences and drawing conclusions.
Comprehension Resources:
Comprehension Arrows-These arrows can be used during independent reading or guided reading as students encounter text. The colored arrows that you buy at Walmart can be used to mark specific places in the book where they utilized a reading strategy.
Reading Strategies and the Comprehension Strategies-Students can refer to these visuals as they learn to use strategies to decode and comprehend textSongs for Comprehension - These songs can be found on opencourtresources.com
Strategy Bookmark- The following bookmark was created by Open Court.
Joan Sedita has create a Key Comprehension Routine to help all readers.
Author's Point of View: Teaching Voice in Anthony Browne’s Voices in the Park. Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne tells the same story four times from four different narrators.