Helping Your Students Make Inferences When They Read

04/04/21 • 17 min

How can teachers help their students to become stronger readers?
Simple. Give them the tools (aka reading comprehension strategies) to help them make sense of what they read.

Ok, maybe not so simple.

Teaching students these strategies does take practice, intentional instruction, and loooots of modeling. But that doesn’t mean we have to make it complicated in the way that we teach these reading strategies.

When it comes to teaching comprehension strategies, like inferring, we can provide our students with simple, concrete examples before turning them loose to try it on for size.

In this episode, we’ll break down reading comprehension instruction, specifically, how to teach students to make inferences while reading. I’ll take a straightforward, step-by-step approach to make sure you know how to explain inferring to your students (and how to explain what it is not.) I’ll show you how to seamlessly go from modeling concrete and tangible examples before transitioning into using this comprehension strategy in different texts.

It’s an episode that you’re going to want to tuck away in your teacher toolbox.

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LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:
EPISODE 41: Teaching Reading Comprehension Strategies

EPISODE 42: Reading Comprehension Instruction: How to Teach Making Connections

EPISODE 47: Reading Comprehension Strategies: How to Teach Visualizing

EPISODE 51: Reading Comprehension Strategies: How to Teach Making Predictions

EPISODE 59: A Step-By-Step Guide to Teaching Determining Importance in the Upper Elementary Classroom

Making Inferences LINKtivity

Here are some of my favorite books to use when modeling inferring (affiliate links):

The Wretched Stone by Chris Van Allsburg
The Memory String by Eve Bunting
This Is Not My Hat by Job Klassen
The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson

Grab my FREE Inferring Bookmark inside the Members Resource Library under “Reading Resources.”

How can teachers help their students to become stronger readers?
Simple. Give them the tools (aka reading comprehension strategies) to help them make sense of what they read.

Ok, maybe not so simple.

When it comes to teaching comprehension strategies, like inferring, we can provide our students with simple, concrete examples before turning them loose to try it on for size.

It’s an episode that you’re going to want to tuck away in your teacher toolbox.

--------------------------------
LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:
EPISODE 41: Teaching Reading Comprehension Strategies

EPISODE 42: Reading Comprehension Instruction: How to Teach Making Connections

EPISODE 47: Reading Comprehension Strategies: How to Teach Visualizing

EPISODE 51: Reading Comprehension Strategies: How to Teach Making Predictions

EPISODE 59: A Step-By-Step Guide to Teaching Determining Importance in the Upper Elementary Classroom

Making Inferences LINKtivity

Here are some of my favorite books to use when modeling inferring (affiliate links):

The Wretched Stone by Chris Van Allsburg
The Memory String by Eve Bunting
This Is Not My Hat by Job Klassen
The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson

Grab my FREE Inferring Bookmark inside the Members Resource Library under “Reading Resources.”

Previous Episode

Conducting Writing Conferences: A Simple Goal-Driven Approach

Writing conferences used to be a nightmare in my classroom.
They usually involved me and my trusty red pen going through a students’ writing, marking it up— adding suggestion, highlighting misspelled words or missing punctuation. And, after about 5 minutes or so, I'd had the paper back to students and move on to the next student.

There was no talk of writing strategies, no mention of writing goals, no modeling methods to improve student writing.

Nope - just a bunch of red lines (and likely frustrated, disengaged students).

Yikes, I cringe at those early days when I thought that writing conferences were all about me.

The thing about teaching (and really anything in life) is that you don’t do better until you know better.

Now, I know better.

The things that I know now are the things that shaped my entire approach to conducting a writing conference with students. And you know what? Meeting with my students to talk about their writing became SOOO much easier when I simplified my plan of action.

If you’ve been getting a little too much mileage out of your red pen these days, too, then this episode has landed in your ear buds at just the right time.
LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:
EPISODE 27: Developing a Strong Classroom Management System

EPISODE 30: How to Launch Writer's Workshop in the Upper Elementary Classroom

EPISODE 62: Why You Need a "Share Chair" In Your Reading and Writing Workshop

POST: Back to School Series: Launching Writer's Workshop

RESOURCES:

Student Writer’s Notebook (Printable & Digital)
Getting Started With Writers Workshop Unit

Next Episode

Mastering Literature Circles or Book Groups in the Elementary Classroom

Do you know what students love to do?
Talk.

Give them a hot second to chat, and pretty quickly your classroom will be filled with conversations about video games, and sports, and whatever the latest kid-trend is.

Unless you’ve asked them to talk about what books they are reading. Theeeen you often hear crickets.

Kids simply don’t know how to talk about the books they are reading. They often don’t know how to discuss the characters and plot and interesting facts.

Enter in: Literature Circles (or book clubs as they are often referred to)

Literature circles harness our students’ love of talking, and turn it in to a book-talking, thought-provoking, student-led conversation that is meaningful, AND builds stronger reader and thinkers.

That is, if they are done correctly and with intention.

That’s where this week’s episode comes into play. We’re breaking it all down with how to structure your book clubs, the roles your students will play, and how to make book-talking magic in your elementary classroom.
See complete show notes at classroomnook.com/podcast/65--------------
LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:
EPISODE 57: Accountable Talk: A Teacher's Guide to Encouraging Deeper & More Meaningful Talk Among Students (Includes FREE Posters!)

POST: Giving Students More Choice in the Classroom

RESOURCE: Getting Started in Literature Circles (A complete teacher’s guide with teacher & student resources!)

Grab my FREE Literature Circle “Think Sheet” inside the Members Resource Library under “Reading Resources.”