English Language Arts and Reading.4.6.F

The student is expected to

make inferences and use evidence to support understanding;

comprehension TEKS talk image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Comprehension skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses metacognitive skills to both develop and deepen comprehension of increasingly complex texts.

Readers must be able to make connections within and beyond a text to be able to come to conclusions about information or ideas not explicitly stated in the text. Students should use context presented in the text, prior knowledge or experience, text features, and/or other comprehension tools to make reasonable, logical assumptions about the intended meaning of a text. For example, a student reading an informational text about the end of the cattle boom in Texas could reasonably infer from a graph showing the sudden decline of the cattle population that some unexpected event, such as disease or bad weather, played a role in the end of the cattle boom.
Students should be able to consider the context presented in the text, their prior knowledge or experience, text features, and/or other comprehension tools to make reasonable, logical assumptions about the intended meaning in a text. Evidence that corroborates understanding can be any relevant details, facts, or information that helps students understand what they are reading.

Research

1. Mahzoon-Hagheghi, M., Yebra, R., Johnson, R. D., & Sohn, L. N. (2018). Texas Journal of Literacy Education, 6(1) 41–50. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1183979.pdf

Summary: The value of using children's literature in the science classroom is examined. The use of literary strategies like questioning for comprehension and inference are transferable skills that are also important in science instruction. The author's provide examples of good choices in children's literature for science instruction and guidance to teachers for a successful implementation.

2. Barth, A. E., & Elleman, A. (2017). Evaluating the impact of a multistrategy inference intervention for middle-grade struggling readers. Language, Speech, & Hearing Services in Schools, 48(1), 31+. Retrieved from https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A490475287/PROF?u=tea&sid=PROF&xid=85a8099a

Summary: This study examines the effectiveness of multiple inference intervention strategies that were designed to increase inference-making and reading comprehension for struggling readers. The study focused on using text clues, activities and integrating prior knowledge, understanding character and author's purpose, and responding to inference questions. Details and lesson examples are available in the Appendix.