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Making inferences is one of the most important reading skills for middle school students to master. It helps them dig deeper into texts, understand implicit meaning, and connect ideas. But let’s face it, teaching inferences can sometimes feel dry.
But it doesn’t have to be boring! Instead, you can use engaging, hands-on activities that make learning active and fun.
This post is packed with making inferences activities for middle school that are creative, engaging, and easy to implement. Whether you’re looking for detailed lessons for inferencing or a quick inference activity to add to your classroom toolkit, you’ll find ideas here that make learning fun and effective.
Keep reading to discover how to help your students confidently approach this active reading comprehension strategy!
This post includes 9 engaging activities to build inferring skills for free but if you’d rather save the time, click here for a complete Making Inferences Unit.
What is an Inference, and Why is it Important?
An inference is a conclusion reached based on evidence and reasoning. In reading, it’s the process of connecting clues from the text with prior knowledge to uncover meaning that isn’t explicitly stated.
Teaching inferences in middle school is essential because it..
- Builds critical thinking skills,
- Enhances reading ‘between the lines’ to understand subtleties in a story or argument.
- Helps students engage more deeply with any type of text or even real-world scenarios.
Understanding how to teach inference in reading can transform how students interact with not only with texts, but the world around them. You’re giving them a lifelong skill that extends far beyond the classroom.
teaching inferencing activities
Below are 9 inference activities for middle school that will help your students build the skills they need for this crucial reading comprehension strategy.
It requires repetition, so to prevent it from becoming tedious, I like to start with quick inference tasks that are hands-on, then progress to pictures or videos before teaching more involved inference lessons that require reading texts.
The activities below are excellent ways to learn how to make inferences without heavy reading. After completing some (or all) of these inferencing activities, you’ll want to transfer this skill to reading a variety of texts, both fiction and non-fiction.
1. “What’s in the Bag?” Mystery
How it works: Place an item (or items) in a bag and provide your students with a list of clues describing the contents. The students must use the clues to infer what’s inside before you reveal it. Another option is to have students each put 3 or 4 items in a bag that represent themselves. Students have to infer the owner of the bag.
Why it works: This tactile activity sharpens reasoning skills and demonstrates how small hints can lead to big conclusions.
2. Crime Scene Investigations
How it works: Set up the classroom while the students are out with various clues scattered to suggest a crime has taken place. Have the students use the clues to make inferences for what happened, who was the victim and criminal and solve the crime.
Why it works: This is an incredibly engaging activity that also brings real-life meaning to inferring activities.
3. Picture Prompt Detective
How it works: Show your class a compelling, wordless image (e.g., an abandoned house, a busy train station). Ask students to list what they see and then infer what might be happening or why. Encourage them to back up their inferences with visible clues.
Why it works: Teaching inferencing with pictures helps students practice this skill without the added complexity of decoding text.
What to use: Chris Van Allsburg images are fantastic for this!
4. Video thoughts
How it works: Show your class a short silent video that leaves a lot to the imagination. Ask students to list what they see and then infer what might be happening or why. Encourage them to back up their inferences with visible clues.
Why it works: Visual prompts help students practice inference-making without the added complexity of decoding text.
What to use: Pixar Shorts on Youtube are a great source.
5. Real-Life Scenarios
How it works: Describe relatable, everyday scenarios in short text messages, phone calls, or sticky notes (e.g., someone rushing out the door wearing mismatched shoes). Have students infer what might have caused the situation.
Why it works: Students see how inference is a skill they already use daily, making it less intimidating.
6. Charades
How it works: Have students act out simple scenarios or emotions. The class must infer what is happening or how the actor is feeling.
Why it works: Students will have a laugh while practising their real-world inferring skills (and you can even get a drama mark out of it!)
7. “I Am” Riddles
How it works: Prepare riddles where students have to infer the answer based on descriptive clues (e.g., I am round, I hang in the sky, and I affect tides. What am I?).
Why it works: This fun game builds inference skills and promotes teamwork when done in pairs or groups.
8. Media Moments
How it works: Provide students with a media advertisement (print, radio, TV, billboards…) and have them ask questions and make inferences about the product, the company, the purpose of the ad, the choices made etc…
Why it works: Double up on your media literacy lessons while students see another real-world example of the need for critical thinking without heavy reading.
9. Character Backstories
How it works: Provide students with a short, ambiguous dialogue or a brief character description. Ask them to infer details about the character’s backstory, motivations, or relationships.
Why it works: It brings inference into the realm of creative thinking while connecting to literature analysis.
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Making Inferences Activities for Middle School: A Recap
When teaching inferring, the key is to keep students engaged and thinking critically. Activities like picture prompts, riddles, and real-life scenarios help middle schoolers practice making inferences in diverse and creative ways.
By incorporating these teaching inferences middle school strategies, you can give your students the tools they need to become confident, active readers.
Ready to get started? Choose one of these activities and watch your students’ inference skills soar! Let us know which one you chose in the comments below.
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