Week 16

Comprehension- Inferring

My 4th grade teacher facilitated a wonderful learning experience for her students with a great explanation about the difference between inferring and predicting.  The teacher brought all of her 4th graders to the carpet and reviewed what they knew about inferring and predicting.  As they struggled with the words to articulate the difference, she reassured them that she would give them a great way to remember the difference.  She presented them with a bag of puzzle pieces and asked them to infer what the puzzle was.  The kids passed the bag around and were able to make "inferences" based on what they saw.  For example, the students said they saw whiskers and it was pink, so it had to be a Hello Kitty puzzle.  The teacher then asked them if they would be able to confirm that inference.  The kids said yes because they would know what type of puzzle it was once they put it together.  The teacher then shared with them that what they had done was make a prediction because a prediction can be confirmed.  She then explained that sometimes inferences and predictions overlap, but in this case, they had made a prediction.  The teacher then shared with them a piece of art and asked them to infer what the art was (see picture below).  The students said the picture was anywhere from an airplane to a blue whale.  The teacher probed further and asked if they would be able to confirm their inference.  The teacher shared that their thoughts were inferences because without the author there, they would not be able to confirm their inferences.  An inference is based upon their schema and the context clues and may or may not be confirmed.  The kids really seemed to grasp the concept and the difference between the two.  I have taught inferring for years, but this simple demonstration made it much clearer for the students!