The fourth comprehension strategy that all good readers use is inference, a life skill we must all develop. In everyday life we use body language, expression, and gestures to determine the true meaning of what people say. This is just part of maturity in communication. Without these skills, adults “just don’t get it.” Inference is a crucial skill in reading, but without body language, expression, or gestures, we must learn to interpret the meaning and implications of phrases appropriately to completely understand text.
What does inference look like to a preschooler? Let’s begin with pictures. Choose pictures from anywhere: family albums, coloring books, books, or just random pictures. Have children determine emotions or judgments based on the pictures. The people are happy, sad, lonely, excited, naughty, helpful, etc.
As your preschooler develops this skill include text. “Goldilocks knocked at the door of the Three Bears house. Nobody answered, but since the door was unlocked, Goldilocks entered the house anyhow.” What does this tell you about Goldilocks? Later, add vocabulary: What can you infer about Goldilocks from her actions? This is a skill called indirect characterization which is crucial to understanding characters in stories. Good readers need to be able to judge the content of characters’ character from their actions and words, not just from the direct text that is specifically stated by the author.
Remember, this is not just a reading skill; this is an important life skill. Children need to be savvy in their development of reading people on a day-to-day basis, not to walk around criticizing and judging others, but to be able to make wise decisions in choosing friends, discerning appropriate behavior, and eventually understanding how to respond appropriately in conversation, whether it involves “chit chat” or resolving conflict.
Language arts are built on four components: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. All four skills must interrelate and interact to produce communication synergy. No matter what path your child chooses in life, proficient communication skills are paramount to success.
This is the School Marm,
Ringing her bell.
School’s out!
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