In this activity, your child will use what they already know and clues from the text to make a smart guess, or inference, about a story.
Learning Area(s): Reading and Writing
MATERIALS
short stories (provided in the following section)
LET'S PLAY
Choose two or three stories from the following for your child to read aloud. Tell your child, “You’re going to read some short stories today. Like a detective, you will pay close attention to the important clues in each story. When you’ve found as many clues as you can, you’ll follow them to make a smart guess about the story.” Have your child read aloud one story at a time and assist as needed. At the end of each story, ask your child the questions that follow. You can celebrate a smart guess by saying something like, “You found the clues and solved the case! Great detective work!”
Click the button to open each story.
Using clues in text to make a smart guess is called making an inference. Making inferences is an important skill that children use when they read to figure out things that the author doesn’t say. Children who can make inferences often have a deeper understanding of what they read.
TIPS
To keep practicing making inferences, check out the Stories with Holes series by Nathan Levy.