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Making Inferences Worksheets

19 free PDFsUS Letter PDFsAnswer key includedNo login

Read the clues, add what you know, and figure out what the author does not say, with original stories and answer keys.

Download the making inferences worksheets

2nd grade: clues, feelings, and a mystery story

An anchor chart, who-where-what riddles, feelings from actions, and a short mystery story to solve with clues.

3rd grade: best inferences and the clues behind them

Choose the best inference, find the clue that proves it, fill in an inference organizer, and read a story about characters' feelings and traits.

4th grade: character clues and evidence from the text

Infer character traits from dialogue and actions, and use details from a story and a science text to explain inferences.

5th grade: motive, theme, and quoted evidence

A full anchor chart, best-evidence practice, a character motive organizer, and a story about motive and theme with quoted evidence.

Print at 100% (actual size) for the cleanest tracing lines.

About these making inferences worksheets

To make an inference is to figure out something the text does not say by putting together clues from the text and what you already know. Suppose a story says, "Leo came in with a dripping umbrella and muddy boots." It never says it is raining, but you know that people carry umbrellas in the rain and that rain makes mud, so you can infer that it is raining outside. Clues plus what I know equals an inference.

Readers infer all the time: who a character is, where a scene takes place, how someone feels, why a character acts the way they do, and what lesson a story is teaching. A good inference is one the clues really support, not a wild guess, and it is not something the text already says out loud.

These worksheets build the skill step by step. Second graders solve who, where, and what riddles and read feelings from actions. Third graders choose the best inference, point to the clue that helped them, and fill in an inference organizer. Fourth graders infer character traits from dialogue and draw inferences from a science text, and fifth graders quote evidence to infer a character's motive and a story's theme.

Every passage and paragraph is written just for these pages, and every sheet with a right answer has an answer key. Written answers on the keys are examples, so accept any answer the clues support.

Standards

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.1Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.1Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.1Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.3Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.1Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.1Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.

How to use them

  1. Start with the anchor chart for your grade. Read the example together and talk about which words were the clues.
  2. Do the short paragraph pages next. Ask your child to say the clue out loud before circling an answer.
  3. Move on to the organizers and full stories, where children write their own inferences and back them up with details from the text.
  4. Check with the answer key, and praise any written answer that is supported by the text, even if it is worded differently.

Teaching tips

  • Ask "How do you know?" after every answer. Pointing to the clue matters as much as the answer itself.
  • Teach the difference between an inference and a fact: if the text already says it, it is not an inference.
  • Use real life. Muddy shoes by the door, a sleepy sibling, or a smell from the kitchen are all chances to infer.
  • For older children, ask for two pieces of evidence. One clue can mislead, but two clues that agree make a strong inference.

Questions teachers and parents ask

What is an inference?

An inference is a conclusion you reach by combining clues in the text with what you already know. For example, if a character yawns and rubs her eyes, you can infer that she is tired, even though the text never says so.

What is the difference between an inference and a prediction?

An inference figures out something that is true now but not stated, like how a character feels. A prediction is a guess about what will happen next. Both use clues from the text.

What grade learns to make inferences?

Children start making simple inferences about characters and settings in the early grades. By 4th grade, standards ask them to refer to details when drawing inferences, and by 5th grade to quote the text accurately to support them.

Are there answer keys?

Yes. Every sheet with a right answer has a key on the last page. Written answers on the keys are examples, so accept any answer the text supports.