Inferences

Created by George Pitlik

Assessment Department
Georgetown ISD
For the Texas Center for Academic
Excellence
TEK Reading 5.10H

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Let’s Play Detective!
Sometimes you will hear or read
the term “drawing inferences” as part
of a reading test or assignment. That
means you have to figure something
out from clues. The story you read will
only give you clues, and you will have
to play detective.
It can be fun. Click to the next
slide and we’ll start to play detective.

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Playing Detective Without
Words

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 Seeing Clues Around Us
We use clues every day. Here in Texas we have all seen a
flock of vultures sitting in a tree. Even though we can not see
what they are looking at behind the rocks, we can probably
conclude it is a __________.
If we got close enough, our nose would give us another clue.
Who brought the
ketchup?

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Clues At Recess

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Pets Draw Conclusions

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 Using Clues

1. You smell smoke.

2. You see smoke coming out of a
house.
3. You hear the siren on a fire truck.
The three clues above suggest
that the house is on fire, and
someone has already called the fire
department.

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 Some Useful Tips and
Tricks

1. Read the question before reading

the story.

2. Read the story twice.

3. Find key words in the question,

and scan the story for the words.
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Finding Clues In A Story.
Tommy and Sarah just got off the school
bus. Sarah said, “I smell smoke.” Tommy
pointed and yelled, “Sarah, look at the smoke
coming out of that house!”
In a moment they both heard what
sounded like a fire engine siren.
The passage suggests that –
A. The house is on fire, and someone called to
report it.
B. The house is on fire, and no one called to
report it.
C. Someone was burning leaves in the back yard.
D. This was a fire drill.
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 Drawing Conclusions
Pretend you are at Wal Mart. As you
are walking down the candy aisle, you
notice a little boy crying and pulling on his
mom’s skirt as she pushes her cart
towards the front of the store. The closer
she gets towards the front of the store, the
louder the little boy screams.
Lots of things could be wrong with
the little boy, BUT we can probably
conclude that—
What do you conclude? Click on the
speaker below to hear what I think. Of
course, I could be wrong.
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 Another Crying Little Boy
Pretend you are at the doctor’s office to get
a shot. That same little boy you saw at Wal Mart
is sitting there screaming his head off just like he
did in the candy aisle.
What can you conclude this time?
F. He is still angry about not getting the candy.
G. He has an ear ache.
H. He is scared because he is there for a shot.
J. He just cries a lot.

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 More Clues
Pretend you are at the doctor’s office to get
a shot. That same little boy you saw at Wal Mart
is sitting there screaming his head off just like he
did in the candy aisle. His mom is rocking him in
her arms. He keeps pulling at his right ear
What can you conclude this time?
F. He is still angry about not getting the candy.
G. He has an ear ache.
H. He is scared because he is there for a shot.
J. He just cries a lot.

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Half Way Through

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 Finding Clues In A Story.

Maria was on the flag squad that performed at half time

during football games. It was the first game that her grandparents
and uncle Luigi attended. Maria waved her flag while looking for her
family in the large crowd. Just as she spotted her grandmother, her
greatest fear came true. She lost her grip on the flag, and it started
to fall. Even though she caught it quickly, Maria’s face became red.
She felt as if she had made a horrible mistake and everyone were
staring at her.

The passage suggests that Maria almost dropped

her flag partly because she --

A was thinking about the football game

B wasn’t strong enough
C was looking for her family
D was frightened by a loud noise GO ON
 Finding Clues In A Story.

Maria was on the flag squad that performed at half time

during football games. It was the first game that her grandparents
and uncle Luigi attended. Maria waved her flag while looking for her
family in the large crowd. Just as she spotted her grandmother,
her greatest fear came true. She lost her grip on the flag, and
it started to fall. Even though she caught it quickly, Maria’s face
became red. She felt as if she had made a horrible mistake and
everyone were staring at her.
The passage suggests that Maria almost dropped
her flag partly because she --

A was thinking about the football game

B wasn’t strong enough

C was looking for her family

D was frightened by a loud noise GO ON
 A Famous Texan
Claudia Taylor was born in Texas in 1912. As a young
child she was given the name Lady Bird. When she grew up, she
married Lyndon Johnson who became president of the United
States. Lady Bird wanted to do something to make the country
more beautiful.
In 1965 she set up a Committee for a More Beautiful
Capitol. They met once a month and discussed ideas and made
plans. Flowers and bushes were planted all around the city.
Everyone was encouraged to plant flowers on their property.
SchoolBased
yards on
andinformation in were
playgrounds the passage, the reader can
improved.
tell that Lady Bird’s work helped make the country –
F friendlier
G prettier
H louder
J bigger
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Oak School’s New Band
Program
HELP OUR SCHOOL
Oak school is starting a new band program.
We need all kinds of instruments. They can be in
any condition. Sam’s music shop has volunteered
to fix any broken or damaged instruments. Please
check your closets and garage. You might have an
old instrument that is just taking up space. The
new band program will put it to good use. Thank
you.
The passage suggests that musical instruments that
are “just taking up space” in closets and garages –
A are heavy
B can be useful
C are new
D can be harmful
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 The Tasmanian Devil
One of the rarest animals in the world is the
Tasmanian Devil. I’m not talking about the one you see in
cartoons, but the real wolf-like animal that lives on the island
of Tasmania.
Every few years someone claims to see one, but they
never have proof. A few years ago, some scientists who were
studying plants found a skeleton, teeth and some skin in a
remote area of Tasmania. They were excited as they believed
they had found the remains of the rare Tasmanian Devil. They
drew a picture of what they thought the animal may have
looked like when it was alive. The scientists then sent the
picture along with the skeleton, teeth and skin to Washington
What did the scientists probably do with the skeleton, teeth
D.C.
and bones?
F Sent them to a country with more experienced scientists.
G Made clothing, jewelry, and other ornaments out of them
H Studied them carefully and compared them to other
animals GO ON
J Sold them to museums that displayed them
 A Quick Review
When people talk, they don’t always say
exactly what they mean. The listener must
figure out what the speaker really means.
Inference in reading is when you need to
use the clues written in a story to draw a
conclusion. In other words, you need to be a
“word detective.”
You will not always be right when you
draw a conclusion from a story, but the more
you try, the more skilled you will become.
Being a good reader and word detective is
a good thing!
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Visit A School Librarian

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Congratulations, You Made
It!
My brain
hurts!

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