Making Inferences seems to be a tall task for kindergartners, but it isn’t really that hard…if you step it out correctly. AND I mean step it out. Students CAN infer as long as you start at an easily understood level. Shoes are the perfect example. I first spoke about inferring in the blog post: Inferences for Kindergartners…Teaching Them to Use What They Know.

Inferences: Students Know Shoes

Students know shoes…you don’t have to teach much background knowledge. Usually, it’s one of the first words they say. AND students know you wear different shoes for different reasons. If you put a pile of shoes in the middle of the floor and asked them to give you shoes for dancing, they’ll hand you a pair of tap shoes or ballet shoes. If you tell them to give you shoes for the farm, they’ll give you boots. They understand shoes. So making the leap to inferring, isn’t really a leap. It’s a step. Students can be shown posters with shoes and asked who would wear those shoes? They are using what they see (pictures) and what they know (about the shoes) to determine who wears the shoes…and that is the inference. In the pictures, using the posted or task cards, students can make inferences without involving text.

Inferences: Using Words

Once we use text, students are asked to use what they see in the text (words) and what they know about the topic (shoes) to make the inference about who is wearing the shoes. The whole group flip books, like the picture above move the child to rely on the text for one part of inferring.

Inferences: Resources to Teach

If you’re ready to teach your kindergarten, first or second grade students about inferring in a fun way you can grab the Making Inferences Shoes Edition here. This resource includes all 3 ideas and everything you need.

The Making Inferences Sets are available individually, as a small bundle, and as a Reading Comprehension BIG BUNDLE.