The Art of Inference

Inferencing can be tricky. Most of your students are able to easily use implied information to help them comprehend text. But it can be a complex skill to separate one’s own experience from information that is actually implied in text. Shared picture book experiences to can help students become proficient at making credible inferences based on the text they're reading.

AH HA! By Jeff Mack

With just two letters and bright, colorful, fun illustrations, Jeff Mack wrote a perfect book to use when teaching students about making inferences. A frog is having a delightful escapade in a river when he encounters a dog, a crocodile and a turtle. His scary adventure is captioned only with words using the letters A and H. Young children will giggle their way through the book as they use word and picture clues to understand what is going on with the frog and how he’s feeling about the whole experience.

Red, A Crayon's Story by Michael Hall

Red is a crayon with an identity crisis. He’s labeled red but he can’t help acting like blue. Everyone wants to help him – the teacher encourages him to try harder, the scissors tell him his label is too tight, and the pencil tells him that he’s not sharp enough. No matter how hard Red tries, he just can’t get the hang of being red. Fortunately, a new friend helps him to realize that although he’s labeled Red, inside he’s blue. As your students make inferences about labels, people’s expectations, and the need to be oneself, they will probably also find numerous opportunities to identify with the book’s message.

Blackout by John Rocco

In a loud, hot city everyone was very, very busy. Until, the lights went out. Then the city became dark and quiet. And all the very, very busy people went to the starlit rooftop and the partying street. Then the lights came back on….. This is another book where the illustrations and the words create an opportunity for students to use inferencing skills to understand characters’ motivation and actions. It’s also a great book for teaching themes.

Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

This adorable book is about Spoon who is a bit dismayed because he can’t cut like Knife, he can’t go everywhere like Fork, and isn’t cute and exotic like Chopsticks. When Spoon overhears the other utensils lamenting how lucky he is to “know the joy of diving headfirst into a bowl of ice cream,” he realizes (and so will your students) that we all need to celebrate what makes us special. While this book is great for teaching students to make inferences, it’s also a pretty uplifting story about appreciating who we are.

Bring Me a Rock by Daniel Miyares

Okay, so I didn’t think I was going to like this book when I started reading it. It’s the story of an obnoxious grasshopper king who commands his bug subjects to bring him rocks to build a throne. Of course, the littlest bug can only carry a pebble. And naturally, I predicted that something would happen in which the little bug’s pebble would save the day. But it’s better than that….and that’s where the inferencing skills of your students will make a difference.

Bonus Book for Chapter Book Inferencing:

Frindle by Andrew Clements

This is the best chapter book I’ve ever encountered for encouraging students to make important inferences. It’s the story of Nick, a kid who creates the word Frindle, and Mrs. Granger, the teacher who discourages Nick from using and sharing his new word. Or so you think. In the end, your students really need to use inferencing skills proficiently to understand that Mrs. Granger’s negative attitude toward the word “frindle’ actually helped make it a new word that would finally be included in the dictionary.

Other good books to use to teach inferencing: Neville by Norton Juster and Clancy the Courageous Cow by Lachine Hume.