How Important is Inferring?

      I had always known that inferring was an important strategy for readers to learn, but it wasn't until reading Chapter 9 of Catching Readers Before They Fall did I realize how important it is. In my future classroom, I want kids to think beyond the text and get interested in books. Inferring is a big part of this. It is connected to many other strategies, too, like predicting and connecting to background knowledge.
      The definition of inferring might be be hard for young students to understand, but that doesnt mean they can't do it! The concept of inferring will be easy for them! The example in the book is to read "the children put their mittens and scarves and went out in the snow to play." After you read this line, ask the students what season it is. They'll know it's winter even though the text never explicitly said it. Finding the right examples to introduce kids is important. It is a good idea to teach the concept with small examples like this, and modeling demonstrations rather than teach them the definition first.