1. CLUSTER FOUR
“Infer Meaning”
Launching Lesson for
Knowledge & Concepts
March 2012

2. The lessons in Cluster 4 will
teach us to…
• Use the context to infer the meaning of
unfamiliar words and concepts
• Merge text clues with background knowledge to
draw a reasonable conclusion
• Infer to interpret the deeper meaning of
language

3. The lessons in Cluster 4 will
teach us to…
• Use text clues and background knowledge to infer
the meaning of subheads, titles, and features
• Infer the answers to unanswered questions
• Infer to surface big ideas and themes supported by
evidence from the text
• Use inferential thinking to read critically

4. INFER MEANING IS
MUCH MORE THAN
GUESSING.
IT REQUIRES…
Merging text clues with background knowledge to
come up with an idea that isn’t written in the text
AND
Using implicit information to create meaning

5. Inferring with nonfiction involves
using evidence from the text and
features to visualize and draw
conclusions about the information
and to synthesize big ideas.

6. Using the Comprehension Toolkit
lessons in this cluster we will learn
how to infer meaning by…
• Using Context Clues to Unpack Vocabulary
• Drawing Conclusions from Text Evidence
• Going beyond the Literal Meaning

7. Using the Comprehension Toolkit
lessons in this cluster we will learn
how to infer meaning by…
• Cracking Open Features
• Reading with a Question in Mind
• Wrapping Your Mind Around the Big Ideas

8. When you learn to infer
meaning, you will use text
evidence and combine it with
what you already know to
determine big ideas that are
not explicitly written in that
text.

9. Language of Inferring
• “I’m thinking that…”
• “This information makes me think…”
• “Maybe…” “Perhaps…” “Probably…”
• “It seems to me…”
• “That’s probably why…what…how…”
• “From the text clues, I can conclude…”
• “The evidence suggests…”