Before teaching students how to infer when they read, I taught many lessons where they had the opportunity to practice inferring without actually reading any text. I recall using a variety of hooks to engage my students to infer and also learn that inferring is a skill we use in our daily lives. Some examples of hooks I used are: playing games, watching video snippets, using picture images and even dressing up. In first grade, we used the Headbanz game to practice inferring-it also was a great team-building activity. The video clips and picture images really allowed a great entry point for all my learners. The children also enjoyed when I dressed-up in a simple costume (wearing an apron, holding a mixing bowl). All of these hooks were highly engaging to my students and certainly put some joy into learning this tricky reading skill. These hooks also gave the students memorable experiences to connect further learning to.
