Read realistic fiction with illustrations
Sometimes authors don’t explain everything that you need to know in a story. So, you may need to make guesses, or inferences, about what happens and why. Making inferences will help you understand the whole story, even the things that the author doesn’t say openly.
Learn with an example
đ„Read the first part of the story.
The Amazing Hair Plaiter
All of Molly’s friends were talking about Neptune Escape, the new space-adventure video game. Molly badly wanted to play it, too, and she asked her mum if she could get it. But her mum said she would have to wait for her birthday.
‘My birthday’s not for another nine months!’ Molly complained.
‘Why don’t you try to earn money to buy it yourself, then?’ her mum suggested.
Molly thought about that. How could she make money?
She went up to her bedroom and dug around in her craft box. She found a bunch of ribbons, colourful beads, silk flowers and rubber bands. Maybe she could make something to sell?
Molly tried stringing beads onto a ribbon to make a bracelet. But it just looked like beads on a ribbon, not a bracelet that anyone would want to buy.
đ„What does Molly’s mum suggest that Molly do?
- find some interesting crafts to do instead of playing video games
- use her birthday money from last year to buy the video game
- borrow the video game from her friends who own it
- make some money so that she can buy the video game
Read this part of the story again:
‘Why don’t you try to earn money to buy it yourself, then?’ her mum suggested.
It tells you that Molly’s mum thinks Molly should make some money so that she can buy the video game herself.
đ„Read the first part of the story.
Explorers and Kings
On his bike, Adriano flew down the hill into the park. He had just scored two goals in his football game, and he couldn’t wait to tell his friends. They were meeting up to play basketball, so he was already planning all the baskets he would make. Adriano was great at every sport and game he tried, and he loved the feeling of winning.
‘Adriano! Over here!’ called Tyler. Adriano’s friends were gathered at a wooden picnic table nearby. Confused, Adriano hopped off his bike and walked it through the park. He wondered why his friends were not at the basketball courts.
In the middle of the table was a game board with a large map showing land and water. There were pictures of creatures like dragons and giants. The game pieces had different signs and shapes. Adriano had never seen this game before, but he immediately wanted to play and see if he could win.
đ„Why is Adriano confused when he gets to the park?
- His friends are nowhere to be found in the park.
- His friends are sitting at a picnic table instead of playing basketball.
- His friends are playing football instead of basketball.
- His friends are playing a board game and don’t invite him to join them.
Read this part of the story again:
‘Adriano! Over here!’ called Tyler. Adriano’s friends were gathered at a wooden picnic table nearby. Confused, Adriano hopped off his bike and walked it through the park. He wondered why his friends were not at the basketball courts.
It tells you why Adriano is confused when he gets to the park.
đ„Read the first part of the story.
The Text
At the end of the school day, Mr Smith posted the list of partners for the student playwriting project. As Bree skimmed the list, her heart sank. She’d wanted to write an exciting play about two superhero friends, but she’d been paired with Peter. He’ll probably want to write a play about getting his teeth cleaned at the dentist, she thought.
Bree wished her best friend, Penelope, were around to complain to, but Penelope was home sick. As soon as Bree got home, she sent Penelope a text: ‘I got paired with Peter!! He is soooooo boring!!!’ She added a scared-face picture and hit Send.
Bree waited for a reply, but no new texts arrived. That’s strange, Bree thought. Penelope always responds to my texts right away. Bree checked her phone again and gasped in alarm. She had thought she had texted Penelope, but instead she had texted Peter! She buried her red face in her hands.
đ„Why does Bree most likely gasp, turn red and cover her face with her hands?
- She feels upset that Penelope didn’t answer her text right away.
- She feels hurt that Peter hasn’t bothered to answer her text.
- She feels embarrassed for sending her text to Peter by mistake.
- She feels ashamed that she has to write a play with someone like Peter.
Think about these details from the story:
- Bree sends Penelope a text about how boring Peter is.
- Bree gasps when she sees that she sent the text to Peter instead of Penelope.
- Bree’s face gets red, and she buries her face in her hands.
Bree realises that she made a mistake and sent her text to the wrong person. Usually people get red in the face or cover their faces when they are ashamed or embarrassed.
So, you can guess that Bree feels embarrassed for sending her text to Peter by mistake.
let’s practice!
Read the first part of the story.
 Explorers and KingsÂ
On his bike, Adriano flew down the hill into the park. He had just scored two goals in his football game, and he couldn’t wait to tell his friends. They were meeting up to play basketball, so he was already planning all the baskets he would make. Adriano was great at every sport and game he tried, and he loved the feeling of winning.
‘Adriano! Over here!’ called Tyler. Adriano’s friends were gathered at a wooden picnic table nearby. Confused, Adriano hopped off his bike and walked it through the park. He wondered why his friends were not at the basketball courts.
In the middle of the table was a game board with a large map showing land and water. There were pictures of creatures like dragons and giants. The game pieces had different signs and shapes. Adriano had never seen this game before, but he immediately wanted to play and see if he could win.