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Literacy · Years 3-5
How can I help children explain an inference using evidence?
Ask children to name a clue, suggest what it might mean and consider another explanation. The four short scenes support inference without treating an uncertain interpretation as a single hidden answer.
Download: Clues and inferences
A4 PDF · 2 pages · free · no sign-up
Print page 1 for the activity and keep page 2 for teaching notes and answers or suggested responses.
Use A4 paper at 100% or Actual size. Choose by the task and your class; the suggested range is a starting point, not a curriculum-alignment claim.
How to use this resource
- Read one scene and list only what it actually says.
- Add a possible interpretation and connect it to a word or action.
- Compare interpretations before trying the remaining scenes.
Make it easier or add challenge
More support
Work with one scene. Offer the sentence frame: I think ___ because the text says ___.
More challenge
Find a second explanation that fits the same clues and identify what extra information would distinguish the two.
What to look for
Does the explanation use a relevant clue? Check that children do not turn a possibility into an unsupported certainty.
Teacher answers and suggested responses
Doorway: Ravi may have come in from rain; dripping umbrella and puddles are clues. It could also be water from another source.
Box: Leah may recognise or welcome the sender or contents. The text does not identify the actual gift.
Game: the player may be pleased with the result. Punching the air and looking at the score support this, but do not prove the team won.
Notebook: Owen may be revising writing for meaning or accuracy. Erasing, replacing a word and rereading are clues.
A useful next step
Printing, access and sharing
Allow drawing, discussion, practical materials or usual communication tools where they support the learning aim. Use separate paper if a child needs more writing or drawing space.
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