English Language Arts and Reading.4.8.A

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The student is expected to

infer basic themes supported by text evidence;

multiple genres TEKS talk image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Multiple genres: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--literary elements. The student recognizes and analyzes literary elements within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse literary texts.
to arrive at a conclusion, a generalization, or prediction based on the examination of various details and pieces of information
Themes are universal ideas presented in a text that speak to a common human experience. Examples of basic themes presented in a text might include loneliness, friendship, and bravery. Students should be able to infer the themes that relate to a character or group of characters and events in a story or drama. They should also determine how the theme within a text defines the plot of a story, the relationships among characters, and the way characters face and solve a conflict and change throughout the text.
paraphrased or directly quoted information from a source that supports an inference, thesis, claim, or analysis

Research

1. Nokes, J. D. (2008). The observation/inference chart: improving student's abilities to make inferences while reading nontraditional texts: paintings, movies, historical artifacts, and other nontraditional texts are easier to understand when students are skilled in making inferences. These skills transfer to traditional texts as well. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 51(7), 538+. Retrieved from https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A178358714/PROF?u=tea&sid=PROF&xid=842641e2

Summary: The author demonstrates how an observation/inference chart can help inexperience readers make good inferences. The author explains how to observe and make inferences from those observations, provides examples of modeling making inferences, and gives examples to support both guided practice for students and students' individual practice. Although the study was conducted on secondary students, the process can be adapted to primary classrooms.

2. 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.