Inferences are NOT Guesses
It's so easy to teach that we take what we read, combine it to what we know, to arrive at a "guess" of what the author is writing. I HATE the word guess. Guess implies a sort of recklessness. It implies that we don't have to carefully study the text to arrive at our conclusion.
In reality, making an inference is arriving at a provable conclusion. Imagine what it would be like if every student thought it was acceptable to take everything with a light hearted guess, never referencing the text. Students would never take the time to dig deeper and search for meaning- such an important skill in reading!
Example:
Authors Show, They Don't Tell
Inferring has to be connected through the lense of writing. Authors show instead of tell. Readers would never need to make inferences if authors simply told what they meant; however, this would make REALLY boring writing. I think that the best thing readers can do during a week of making inferences is studying show, don't tell in their writing. Confused?Example:
- Telling: Megan was cold outside.
- Showing: Megan clutched her fluffy coat closed. She still shivered and shook. It wasn't snowing yet, but she could feel the weather deep in her bones.
When the author tells, I, as a reader, do not have to infer she was cold. The author told me she was cold! When the author shows, I do have to make an inference, but the writing is way more interesting. Crossing these two skills allows the students to gain a better access to WHY readers make inferences and WHY writers don't tell the reader everything.
Our Job: Made Easier
If you're like me, you want an easy way to introduce this concept to students without a bunch of extra work. I created and LOVE this lesson that uses a PowerPoint to guide students through this entire concept.
No comments:
Post a Comment