Reading Strategy: Make Inferences

Writers don’t always tell you everything you need to know. Sometimes you need to fill in the missing information, or make inferences, when you read.

Reading Strategy Make Inferences
    How to Make Inferences

  • 1. As you read, notice the details in the text.

  • 2. Think about what the author suggests but does not state directly. What could you add? Write an inference to fill in the information.

  • 3. Think again. Are you sure your information is correct?

  • 4. Keep reading to find more details.

Strategy in Action

Here’s how one student made an inference.

Look Into the Text

If you stand outside on a clear, dark night, far away from any city lights, you may see a pale band of light stretching across the sky. The band of light is the Milky Way. The glow is from a huge number of stars.

What the text says: The Milky Way is a band of light in the sky.

What I think: The Milky Way is far away from Earth.

Long ago, people could use only their eyes to study the sky. Over time, more powerful tools have allowed us to look farther and farther out into the universe. We’ve learned so much about space, but there is much more left to explore.

“I’ll keep reading to find more details about the Milky Way.”

Practice Together

Read the passage again, and make an inference of your own. Follow the steps in the How-To box.