Today is rung 4 of 9 on this topic
Reading between the lines
Can do: Works out what the text implies but doesn't say, and points to the words that gave it away.
Why it matters
From here on, most comprehension questions are inference questions. Children who can only find directly stated answers hit a wall in Grade 3.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Answers only what's literally on the page, or invents an answer with no textual basis at all.
⏱️ Two-minute check
Read a passage where a character slams a door. "How is she feeling? How do you know?"
Solid looks like: A feeling word plus the specific evidence — "she slammed it".
The full activity for this topic · 10 minutes
Detective Reading
- 1Explain the job: the author leaves clues instead of telling you everything.
- 2Read a page and stop. "What do we know that the book never actually said?"
- 3They put a sticky note on the clue that proves it.
- 4Say the sentence stem every time: "I think… because the book says…"
- 5Try it on people, too — guess a stranger's mood from what they're doing.
If it's too hard
Give two options and let them choose plus justify.
If it's too easy
Infer why a character did something, which needs motive rather than just feeling.
Say this
"The book didn't say she was cross. So what made you think it? Show me the clue."