Reading Strategies—Inferring

Content code

e0126

Slug (identifier)

reading-strategies-inferring

Parent content

Reading Strategies

Grades

Secondary I

Secondary II

Secondary III

Secondary IV

Secondary V

Topic

English Language Arts

Content

Contenu

Content

Corps

Inferring is reading between the lines.

Corps

When to do it

While reading the text

After reading the text

Reading intention

Find deeper meaning

Find additional information

Draw conclusions

Outcome

Better understanding

Author's intent & stance

Identifying themes

Insight into the text’s message

Corps

How to Do It

Look for clues
Connect the dots
Draw conclusions

Contenu

Corps

Authors leave clues in their writings, some intentionally and some unintentionally. These clues point to their intent, their message, their stance and even to real world elements around them.

Clues can be found almost anywhere in a text.

Text elements that often contain clues are:

Word Choice & Phrasing
Character Actions & Dialogue
Structure & Format
Setting & Surroundings

Title (level 2)

Word Choice & Phrasing

Title slug (identifier)

word-choice-phrasing

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Looking at the choice of words and the phrasing of a sentence can reveal layers of implied meaning.

Example A
Look for clues	“What a big cat!” thought Jim.
Connect the dots	Word choice: big → Describes the cat’s size with basic vocabulary
Connect the dots	Punctuation: exclamation mark → Expresses surprise
Draw conclusions	The cat is a regular cat that is larger than what the character is used to.
Example B
Look for clues	“What a huge cat!” thought Jim → Describes the cat’s size with richer vocabulary
Connect the dots	Word choice: huge → Implies the cat is bigger than just the adjective big
Connect the dots	Punctuation: exclamation mark → Expresses surprise
Draw conclusions	The cat is a regular cat, but is much larger than what the character is used to. Possibly one of the largest he has ever seen.
Example C
Look for clues	“That’s a really, really big cat,” thought Jim, “Really big.”
Connect the dots	Word choice: really (adverb) + big (adjective) → Describes the cat’s size → Implies the cat is bigger than just the adjective big
Connect the dots	Phrasing: repetition → Implies the character talking is surprised by the size of the cat
Draw conclusions	The size of the cat is unsettling to the character. This is not just a cat. Something else is going on.

Title (level 2)

Character Actions & Dialogue

Title slug (identifier)

character-actions-dialogue

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Corps

Paying attention to what characters do and say can point to implied development, story themes, plot points, foreshadowing and so on.

Example A
Look for clues	The cat stretched, jumped down and walked. “Hello, Jim. How do you do,” he then added.
Connect the dots	Greetings → The cat knows and was expecting Jim. → They are meeting for the first time (“how do you do”). → The cat can talk.
	Tone → Friendly
Draw conclusions	This cat is special: it can talk. The cat knowing Jim implies it has more knowledge than Jim.
	The cat could be an ally or setting a trap or Jim.
Example B
Look for clues	The cat stretched, then started licking its paw. “You are late,” he said without looking at Jim, still invested in cleaning its paw.
Connect the dots	Greetings → The cat was expecting Jim (“you are late”). → The cat is annoyed/impatient.
	Tone → Annoyed/impatient
Draw conclusions	This cat is special: it can talk. The cat knowing Jim implies it has more knowledge than Jim.
	The cat wants Jim to feel his annoyance/impatience (licking his paw, intentionally not making eye contact)

Title (level 2)

Structure & Format

Title slug (identifier)

structure-format

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Looking at how text elements are organized can give insight into the author’s intentions.

Example A
Look for clues	The cat cleared its throat and said: “Such magnificence likely unattainable for, a cat you aren't.”
Connect the dots	Poem → haiku format
Connect the dots	Meaning: expresses that cats are better.
Draw conclusions	The character using a haiku poem suggests the character’s knowledge and sophistication, most likely a little superiority complex too.
Example B
Look for clues	The cat cleared its throat and recited: “kingdom: Animalia phylum: Chordata class: Mammalia order: Carnivora family: Felidae species: Felis catus common name: cat.”
Connect the dots	Informational text → animal classification
Connect the dots	Meaning: provide specific information on the animal classification of the cat.
Draw conclusions	The character reciting the animal classification with Latin words suggests encyclopedic knowledge. It is likely the character has a vast array of facts memorized. It is also likely the character likes to show it off.

Title (level 2)

Setting & Surroundings

Title slug (identifier)

setting-surroundings

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Looking at where and when a story takes place will provide extra information and context for the storytelling.

Example A
Look for clues
Connect the dots	Comfortable and welcoming
	Set in the future
	Active and lively
Draw conclusions	The author likely wants the reader to feel at ease. There is an effort to establishing a sense of wonder and hope.
	Unknown technology presented as everyday life is likely to present challenges for the main character.
	It could be a used for: → conflict—man vs. machine → comedy—fish out of water → plot device—MacGuffin (an object driving the plot)
Example B
Look for clues
Connect the dots	Sets a creepy mood Feels unfamiliar & uncomfortable Seems closed off from the rest of the world
	Looks like a primitive world, maybe set in the past
	Magic elements provide a source of power, conflict, technology stand-in
Draw conclusions	The author likely wants to destabilize the readers, wanting them to expect something bad to happen.
Draw conclusions	The author uses the tropes of the primitive magical world for the reader to quickly understand the surroundings.

Title (level 2)

Reading Strategies At a Glance

Title slug (identifier)

reading-strategies-at-a-glance

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Corps

To learn more about a strategy, click its name.

Previewing	Skimming & Scanning	Questioning
Get an overview of the text.	Quickly search & find information	Ask yourself questions
Visualizing	Making Connections	Inferring
Create mental pictures	Relate to the text	Read between the lines
Annotating	Decoding	Summarizing
Write down notes & comments	Understand challenging words	Sum up main idea & key elements
Synthesizing	Evaluating	Analyzing
Explore sources to come up with new perspectives	Form an opinion on the quality of the text	Look at the structure and techniques used

Title (level 2)