We all make inferences daily, and so do our students:
It smells like fish in the corridor: fish is probably on the lunch menu.
A teacher sneezes and blows his nose: he probably got a cold.
Children infer all day long, so we don’t teach them a new skill; we train them to use it with texts.
Why is inferring so tricky?
Inferring while reading can be tedious for learners as it relates to their vocabulary skills, background knowledge, experience, memory, and ability to understand non-verbal language.
When working on making inferences, we teachers often jump straight into words, and we expect our students to read between the lines. Even so, they might struggle with language or with reading.
The key to helping them understand what the author has implied is to start with images; I call this the inference methodology.
Making inferences stand on two foundation blocks: observation skills & knowledge background.
To make an inference is to take a close guess based on given clues and our background knowledge. We can structure it like a mathematical expression:
| Clues | + | Background knowledge | = | Inference |
1- Use images to improve your student’s observation skills
Artists are experts in inferences. Better than anyone, they master the art of show, don’t tell. This is why pictures are a powerful tool to teach inferences. Students might struggle in front of a word or sentence structure, but a picture speaks for itself; images are universal.
Illustrators don’t need words to describe the season, the weather, or the temperature.
| Clues | + | Background knowledge | = | Inference |
| The man wears a coat, a scarf and gloves. It is snowing. | I know that in winter, it is cold and it might snow. | The scene takes place in winter. |
Illustrators show with images.
Illustrators constantly play with colors and shapes to convey their ideas. If you asked your students when the photo was taken, they would instantly shout out autumn. It is correct, but when making an inference, they should be able to break down the thinking process. What clues led them to that conclusion? Let’s get back to our mathematical expression:
| Clues | + | Background knowledge | = | Inference |
| There are brown and orange leaves on the forest floor | + | I know that in autumn, leaves turn orange and brown and fall off the trees | = | The scene takes place in autumn. |
We need to train students to become good observers.
Images allow us to progress one skill at a time. To focus on the observation skills, we can give them the inference (what the artist suggests) and let them find the clues (the evidence) supporting it.
The scene takes place in a classroom. Find clues to support this statement.
| Clues | + | Background knowledge | = | Inference |
| + | = | The scene takes place in a classroom. |
They are late for school. Find clues to support this statement.
| Clues | + | Background knowledge | = | Inference |
| + | = | They are late for school. |
It is Sunday morning. Find clues to support this statement.
| Clues | + | Background knowledge | = | Inference |
| + | = | It is Sunday morning |
2- Use Images to Develop your Students’ Background Knowledge
To make an inference, one has to have good observation skills and sufficient background knowledge. Let’s play detective and try to find out who damaged the front right seat of that school bus.
Some students might instantly say that it is Wolverine. Yet we have no proof that he did it. They assume he is guilty because they have background knowledge of him; they know Wolverine beyond this picture from comic books or movies. He is famous for his three retractable claws. Incidentally, there are three regular scratches on the front seat.
| Clues | + | Background knowledge | = | Inference |
| Wolverine is sitting in the school bus. There are three scratches on the seat. | I know Wolverine has three retractable claws | Wolverine might be the one who has damaged the front seat. |
The conclusions we draw are influenced by how we relate to the situation: our background knowledge.
I observe that the cat is trying to see the mice.
I know that cats eat mice. I might have a cat who does that, or I might have seen cartoons like Tom and Jerry where a cat tries to eat a mouse.
I can infer that the cat is trying to see the mice eat them.
Observing is the most accessible skill to practice. It can be done daily, but the background knowledge must be progressively built.
Who is that boy?
Although you might hear random names, Charlie should be one of them.
| Clues | + | Background knowledge | = | Inference |
| A golden ticket. A poor boy (we infer he is poor from his worn clothes). | + | I know that in Charlie and the chocolate factory, Charlie, a poor boy, receives a golden ticket to visit the factory. | = | The boy is probably Charlie from Charlie and the chocolate factory. |
Students who have not read or watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory might not be able to answer the question.
Similarly, unless students are familiar with the 1964 movie staging Julie Andrews or the 2018 Marry Poppins Return, they would find it difficult to close-guess who the following character is.
| Clues | + | Background knowledge | = | Inference |
| A woman (inferred from her dress) is floating/flying in the sky/space (inferred from the clouds, planets, and stars), holding a bag and an umbrella. | + | I know that in the movie Mary Poppins, Mary arrives and departs, flying an umbrella and grabbing her bag. | = | This woman could be Mary Poppins. |
Inferring from pictures is a great way to increase the student’s background knowledge. Within 9 illustrations, we had a second-hand experience of winter, autumn, classroom environment, school bus/X-Men, Tom & Jerry/food chain, Roald Dahl and Mary Poppins, and being late for school. And Sundays’ fat mornings.
Images are visual experiences of a moment caught in time.
Takeaways
Images are an absolute necessity when teaching how to make inferences. They help your students become good observers by multiplying their experiences and improving their ability to make inferences. Not only will your class be grateful to have a write-free activity, but by using mesmerizing illustrations, you encourage engagement and playful learning.
Extra tip:
Over the last couple of years, I have used Once Upon Picture thousands of times. The blog’s author has compiled numerous illustrations in the inference collection, and each of them comes with a series of questions that will save you a lot of time.
When you are ready to jump to reading comprehension, take a look at my daily reading comprehension activities.
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