[KJ]

I teach 5th grade and I am looking for some ideas to help effectively teach inference to my students. I teach using both literature circles and whole-group reading. I appreciate any input/direction you might have!
Thanks!

Teaching inferencing can be really rough. A couple ways I have found that helps are: through mentor texts such as read alouds. The Wolves In The Walls by Neil Gaiman is a good one to use(for many areas too). Allow the students to take the main character and ask them to tell you a character trait about her. Then give evidence from the story that makes them believe this. This story makes you belive a lot about Lucy the main character but does not tell you in words.

Also another great way to teach it is by using political cartoons. If you get Time For Kids or Scholastic News you can find some in there. I also search the newspaper and and online resources for ones that are appropriate. I think they are one of the best ways to teaching inferencing.

Hope that helps,
Diane

Inferencing is tough to teach. The book I turn to often for teaching reading strategies is Strategies That Work. It's a great reference for teaching reading!!

I use folktales when teaching inference skills to my 5th graders. They love it and there are loads of them on the internet.

You could teach inferencing by taking magazine pictures and cutting out one part of the picture. The students then make an eduacted guess about what's missing. They have to provide three support statements to back up their thinking.

You can also teach inferencing through charades. After the students guess, they have to provide support statements like ,"I knew you were a bull beacuse you had your fingers up like horns and you were making that sound that bulls make."

You can then transfer to text by
giving them scenarios to see what they infer. For example, "I heard the screeching of tires. Then I heard a siren. What can you infer about what happened?" Then have the students provide support.

I teach 5th grade ESL & I also start my unit with charades and then ask the kids to tell how they knew the answer. Another activity I use after we've practiced making some inferences is to have the kids write animal riddles. Then they trade and have to infer which animal the student was describing.

[jtatum80]

I teach my second graders inferencing by reading The Blind Man and the Elephant. Before reading I blindfold one of the students and give him/her an object, I tell them that they have to use other clues to help figure out what it is.