In a think-aloud reading of an informational text, a teacher demonstrates inferring conclusions from details. Which term best describes this strategy?

In a think-aloud reading of an informational text, a teacher demonstrates inferring conclusions from details. Which term best describes this strategy?

• A. Making inferences
• B. Making connections
• C. Visualizing
• D. Predicting

Answer: (A)

Inferring is using clues in the text to reach a conclusion that isn’t stated outright. In a think-aloud with informational writing, the teacher models this by verbalizing how the details point to a deeper meaning or a conclusion about what happened, why it’s happening, or what it implies. For example, if the text mentions that the river is muddy, fish are scarce, and there’s a lot of runoff soil, you can infer that recent rain has caused sediment to wash into the water, affecting the ecosystem. This kind of reasoning shows how evidence from the text leads to a conclusion beyond what is explicitly written. Making connections would be about linking the reading to prior knowledge or other texts, not about drawing a new conclusion from the details themselves. Visualizing is about creating mental pictures from descriptions. Predicting is about guessing what might happen next. The act of forming a conclusion from details fits inferring best.

Inferring is using clues in the text to reach a conclusion that isn’t stated outright. In a think-aloud with informational writing, the teacher models this by verbalizing how the details point to a deeper meaning or a conclusion about what happened, why it’s happening, or what it implies. For example, if the text mentions that the river is muddy, fish are scarce, and there’s a lot of runoff soil, you can infer that recent rain has caused sediment to wash into the water, affecting the ecosystem. This kind of reasoning shows how evidence from the text leads to a conclusion beyond what is explicitly written.

Making connections would be about linking the reading to prior knowledge or other texts, not about drawing a new conclusion from the details themselves. Visualizing is about creating mental pictures from descriptions. Predicting is about guessing what might happen next. The act of forming a conclusion from details fits inferring best.