Clues + What I Know = Inference
An inference is a smart guess. Use clues from the text plus what you already know.
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How to do it
- Read the example sentence and find the clue words.
- Follow the boxes from clues to what I know to the inference.
- Try the sentence starters when you answer.
Teaching tip
Keep this chart out while reading so your child can follow the steps. This sheet is aligned with Common Core RL.3.1.
About this chart
The inference formula shown with a worked example, a second quick example and four sentence starters.
What kids practice
An inference is a smart guess. The text doesn't say the answer, so readers put clues from the text together with what they already know. If a story says Maya grabbed her umbrella and rain boots, readers can infer that it's raining, even though the story never says so. In 3rd grade, kids answer questions about what they read and point to the words in the text that support their answers. Inferences also help in everyday talk, like figuring out how someone feels from what they do.
Watch for
- Guessing without clues. Every inference needs a reason from the text.
- Using only one clue. Look for two or three clues that point the same way.
- Picking an answer the text says outright. An inference fills in what the text leaves out.
- Ignoring what they already know. The clues only make sense when kids connect them to their own experience.
It's free to print, as many copies as you need. See the full making inferences guide for 3rd grade.
More sheets in this set
2. Who or Where Am I?Six riddles about animals, people and places, each with three picture choices. Some wrong choices fit one clue but not the others. Includes an answer key.
3. How Do They Feel?Seven short descriptions of what someone does, with three feeling faces to choose from. The answer key shows the clue words and the right face.
4. Read and InferFour short stories, each with a question the story doesn't answer outright and three choices. The answer key shows the clue words.
5. Inference OrganizerA short story and a question, with handwriting lines for clues, what I already know and my inference. The answer key has example answers.
6. Prove It!A short story with three questions. Each has a line for the answer and a line for the proof from the text. The answer key has example answers.