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Literacy 7-12

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Literacy 7-12 > Factors > Inferencing

Inferencing

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Inferencing, or making connections among outside knowledge, individual experiences, and texts, aids in reading comprehension by helping readers fill in information that may not be literally stated in the text. The ability to make inferences develops with age, as readers begin to make deeper inferences based on their own knowledge, rather than from within the text itself. Understanding content-specific text in middle and high school increasingly calls for higher level Inferencing skills to fully connect Background Knowledge to new information.

Main Ideas

Inferences are made during reading (online inferencing) and after reading (offline inferencing) during metacognitive reflection. This can include making predictions about text as well. Different types of inferences help readers put together a mental image of the text using information found within and outside of a text.

The two main types of inferencing are:

  • Coherence inferences: This type of inference, part of Verbal Reasoning, is the ability to understand the literal meaning of the text. For example, understanding the subject of a sentence when an anaphor (i.e., he, she) is used to replace a noun (antecedent) in a text. This skill becomes more automatic with age but is more difficult with the types of complex texts adolescents read that may have more information between the anaphor and antecedent.
  • Elaborative inferences: This type of inference is higher level and requires readers to use their outside knowledge of the world to create meaning while reading. Adolescent readers need more elaborate Background Knowledge when reading complex content area texts.

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Research-Based Strategies For This Factor

Annotating

When annotating, students engage deeply with a text and make their thinking visible while reading.

Authentic Audiences & Purposes

When adolescents can connect and communicate with authentic audiences about their interests and values, reading and writing become more personally meaningful and relevant.

Composition Projects: Multimodal

For adolescent learners, the Composition process can become more robust, as learners begin to express ideas through multiple media, which includes visual, audio, and digital production.

Debate

When preparing for and debating with peers, students analyze, form, and express verbal arguments, fostering their critical thinking and literacy skills.

Direct Instruction: Comprehension Strategies

As part of a varied curriculum, explicit instruction in reading comprehension strategies from teachers can help older students use strategies meaningfully and flexibly.

Direct Instruction: Vocabulary

Seeing and using new words repeatedly and in many contexts is critical for Vocabulary acquisition.

Discipline-specific Writing

Interpreting and composing discipline-specific texts requires tailoring literacy strategies, like annotating or asking questions, to the disciplinary goals and practices.

Goal Setting & Monitoring

Setting overall goals with actionable steps for achievement can help students feel more confident in their skills and abilities.

Graphic Organizer

Visualizing how ideas fit together helps students construct meaning and strengthens their recall.

Journaling

Journaling allows students to reflect on their thinking and feelings, process their learning, and connect new information to what they know.

Multimodal Instruction

Instruction in multiple formats allows students to activate different cognitive skills and Background Knowledge that are necessary to remember procedural and content information.

Multiple Texts

Providing multiple texts on the same topic or theme allows students to interact with multiple perspectives and develop their critical thinking skills.

Prompts & Questions

Providing guiding prompts and questions for students to use when reading or participating in discussions deepens their understanding of texts and gives them space to question and grapple with issues of power, justice, and equity.

Reading Conferences

Teachers can provide individualized support through one-on-one conferences to assess reading comprehension, understanding of content, and spark further interest in reading.

Rich Library: Diversity

Having culturally relevant reading materials, including multicultural and diverse texts, are critical for supporting all students.

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