How to Teach Inference
Question Stems to aid Inferring Word Meanings
3H Reading Strategy – Hidden Question Stems
A reference sheet of question stems to aid in learning how to infer word meaning from contextual clues.
How to Use this Guide:
– when running a Guided Reading Session have these question stems next to you and formulate appropriate questions as you see a context
– hand these question stems to your group and ask them to generate questions for the other group members
– have other groups answer the questions.
Working Out Word Meaning from Clues in Text
– I wonder what this word could mean? (Take an ‘educated guess’)
What clues from the text support this inference?
– We can assume ‘….. word…..’ means (insert meaning ) because …
– We can conclude ‘….. word…..’ means (insert meaning) because of what clues from the text?
– How do you know ‘… word…’ means (insert meaning)?
– In this sentence the word (insert word) most likely means…
b) … insert definition…
c) … insert definition… because…
– Show me the part of the text that leads you to infer this word means (insert meaning) .
– What clues in the text lead you to make this inference?
– (Insert word) has three meanings in the dictionary. Which is the most appropriate meaning here? Why?
– From the ‘contextual clues’ (hints in the text) what could (insert word) mean?
– Can you see any smaller words in the bigger word that might give you a hint. e.g.‘emotion’ in ‘emotive’.
Huge Hint!!! Read past the word to get more clues!!!
– I feel there isn’t enough information here to predict the meaning of this word.
3H Reading Strategy – Hidden Question Stems
Would you agree? What is our next course of action?
– Is it crucial that we understand the meaning of this word? Why?
– Will I/we lose a significant amount of meaning from the text if I don’t know this word?– Substitute a similar word & see if the sentence makes sense i.e. use a synonym for the unknown word.
– What should I/you think about to infer the meaning of this word?
– What is happening in the text that might give me/us a clue about the word’s meaning?
– What are people saying, doing, or feeling that might give us a clue about the meaning of the words?
– Authors (people who write books) often put word definitions in brackets after a ‘tricky’ word. Write the words to go in the brackets after (insert word).
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