1. We make inferences every day. For example, if
you come home and smell spaghetti sauce cooking,
then you walk into the kitchen and see noodles on
the stove, you can INFER that you’re having
spaghetti for dinner.

2. What can you infer about Fred from this
sentence?
Jim thought Fred would make a good center
when he first saw him walk into the classroom.

3. What can you infer about Fred from this
sentence?
Jim thought Fred would make a good center
when he first saw him walk into the classroom.
Correct! You can infer that Fred is tall because
you know that center is a position on a
basketball team. Basketball players are usually
tall and center is the tallest position.

4. This piece of writing is different. What do you
have to know in order to make an inference
about the names listed?
31 Knoblauch 4
2 Jeter 6
51 Williams 9
21 O’Neill 9
24 Martinez 3
37 Davis DH
22 Brosius 5
20 Posada 2
60 Curtis 7

5. 31 Knoblauch 4
2 Jeter 6
51 Williams 9
21 O’Neill 9
24 Martinez 3
37 Davis DH
22 Brosius 5
20 Posada 2
60 Curtis 7
Yes, you have to know about baseball and how
a lineup is written to know that Jeter, the
person listed second, is batting second, wears
uniform No. 2 and I playing shortstop (6).

6. When you read you
can use two things to
make inferences. The
first, is the text. The
second is whatever
background
knowledge you bring
with you when you
read something.

7. I heard that you’re settled down
That you found a girl and you’re married now
I heard that your dreams came true
Guess she gave you things I didn’t give to you
--“Someone Like You,”
(Laurie Blue Adkins)

8. There’s a green plaid jacket on the back of a chair
It’s like a moment frozen forever there
Mom and Dad had a lot of big plans for their little man
So proud
--“God Is a Bullet”
(Johnnette Napolitano)

9. We gather tonight knowing that this generation of
heroes has made the United States safer and more
respected around the world. For the first time in nine years,
there are no Americans fighting in Iraq. For the first time in
two decades, Osama bin Laden is not a threat to this
country. Most of al Qaeda's top lieutenants have been
defeated. The Taliban's momentum has been broken, and
some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home.
These achievements are a testament to the courage,
selflessness and teamwork of America's Armed Forces. At a
time when too many of our institutions have let us down,
they exceed all expectations. They're not consumed with
personal ambition. They don't obsess over their differences.
They focus on the mission at hand. They work together.
Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed
their example.
--President Barack Obama,
State of the Union Address, 2012

10. I kept thinking about that movie with the muddy hand,
though. I was afraid that if I was watching TV all by
myself late at night, the muddy hand might crawl out
from under the couch and grab my foot or something.
The way I solved the problem was by making a
trail of clothes and other stuff all the way from my
bedroom down to the family room. That way, I was able
to make it downstairs and back without ever touching
the ground.
This morning, Dad tripped over a dictionary I left
at the top of the stairs so he’s mad at me. But I’ll take
Dad being angry over the alternative any day of the
week.

11. My new fear is that the hand is gonna crawl up on my
bed and get me in my sleep. So lately, I’ve been covering
my whole body with the blanket and leaving a hole so I
can breathe.
But that strategy has its OWN risk. Roderick got
into my room today, and I had to spend the morning
trying to wash the taste of a dirty sock out of my mouth.
--Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days,
By Jeff Kinney

12. My new fear is that the hand is gonna crawl up on my
bed and get me in my sleep. So lately, I’ve been covering
my whole body with the blanket and leaving a hole so I
can breathe.
But that strategy has its OWN risk. Roderick got
into my room today, and I had to spend the morning
trying to wash the taste of a dirty sock out of my mouth.
--Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days,
By Jeff Kinney

13. My teacher is Miss Bonkers,
She’s bouncy as a flea.
I’m not certain what she teaches,
But I’m glad she teaches me.
“Look! Look!” she chrips. “I’ll show you how
To tell a cactus from a cow,
And then I shall instruct you why
A hippo cannot hope to fly.”

14. It’s miserable in Flobbertown,
They dress in just one style.
They sing one song, they never dance,
They march in single file.
They do not have a playground,
And they do not have a park.
Their lunches have no taste at all,
Their dogs are scared to bark.
--from, Hooray for Diffendoofer Day!
by Dr. Seuss