When I started dating my husband, I was texting him one night and used the line “Put Me in Coach.” First, he is a coach and second, I love a good pun. I love my husband with all of my heart, but flirty one liners are not always his jam. Even better, I texted my friend that he did not get my line and I was annoyed…. Wait for it…. I actually texted him that. Guess what, we are married and now we laugh about this. Making inferences can sometimes be like pick-up lines that fall flat. 

Inference is a skill that I teach over and over again during my English Language Arts block in my classroom. It is not a one and done skill. We review this skill all year. Making inferences is tough when your brain is used to thinking concretely! But it’s not impossible to get students on the right track.

Teach your students the formula My Life + The Book = An Inference  

You already know what I’m going to say.  The best way to teach inferencing skills is with picture books! 😉

These 3 picture books are my favorite for inference lessons. 

🚲 Drawn Together–  tells the story of a boy and his grandfather who struggle to communicate because they speak different languages. Through drawing and art, they discover a special way to connect and build a strong relationship.

🐠 Paul Meets Bernadette – follows Paul, a fish who only notices ordinary things around him, until he meets Bernadette, who helps him see beauty and wonder in the world. By the end of the story, Paul learns to look at life in a whole new way.

🪀A Bad Case of Stripes–  is about a girl named Camilla who worries so much about fitting in that she develops colorful stripes all over her body. In the end, she learns the importance of being herself and not caring so much about what others think.

Making Inferences with Paul Meets Bernadette

🐠 Model – When you make an inference, you are a detective looking for clues. On the first page of Paul Meets Bernadette, model what making an inference looks like. Ask your students, “How do we know he’s sad? What clues do the text and picture give us?” Then, show them how to make an inference.

🐠 Practice Together – As you continue to read the book, stop at key moments to make inferences together. You might ask, “How can you tell Bernadette helps Pual notice new things around him? What words or pictures help us understand the outside world?” Then work together, out loud, to make an inference.

🐠 Practice Solo – Give students a chance to practice on their own! I have a free Inference resource you can pair with the story to help students apply their inference skills.

Make your inference-unit planning easy by grabbing my Comprehension Vault. There’s no fluff or busy work. Instead, you’ll find engaging ways to practice inference with activities, guiding questions, and games. 

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