Years 3 and 4 English · Key Stage 2 · Reading – comprehension

Years 3 and 4 reading: inference, questions and predicting

Reading well means more than saying the words correctly. In Years 3 and 4 children learn to check that a text makes sense, ask questions about it, work out things the author never states (such as how a character feels and why) and make sensible predictions. Each of these is backed up with evidence from the text, which is what turns a guess into a good answer.

Inference, questioning and prediction, explained

Inference means working out something the writer hasn’t told us directly. If a story says that a girl stayed at the gate after the bell and pulled her sleeves over her hands, we infer that she is nervous, even though the word “nervous” never appears. The curriculum asks children to infer characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and then to justify the inference with evidence. The second half matters as much as the first: “I think this because the text says…”.

Prediction works in the same way. Children make an informed guess about what will happen next, using details that are stated and details that are only hinted at. A prediction isn’t right or wrong when it is made, and a good reader happily changes theirs as they read on. What matters is that it is based on clues rather than on a wild guess.

Questioning is the third strand. Children learn to ask questions as they read: Who is this character? Why did she do that? What might happen if…? Asking questions keeps a reader thinking, and it shows up the places where understanding has slipped. This links to the first requirement in the curriculum: in books they can read on their own, children check that the text makes sense to them and talk about what they have understood. A reader who notices that something doesn’t add up can go back, re-read, or ask someone.

Children also practise explaining the meaning of words in context: working out what an unfamiliar word means from the sentences around it. Teachers often use the same short passage for several of these skills, asking a question, then a prediction, then a ‘how do you know?’. The skills don’t change much as children get older. What changes is how complicated the writing is, so the best way to build them is to keep talking about books at home.

Words your child will hear

Infer: Work out something the writer hasn’t said outright, using clues in the text.
Evidence: The words or details in the text that back up an idea.
Predict: Say what you think will happen next, based on clues.
Motive: A character’s reason for doing something.
Context: The words and sentences around a word or event, which help explain it.
Retrieve: Find information that is stated directly in the text.

What the National Curriculum says

In Years 3 and 4, pupils should be taught to:

Understand what they read, in books they can read independently, by checking that the text makes sense to them, discussing their understanding, and explaining the meaning of words in context
Understand what they read by asking questions to improve their understanding of a text
Understand what they read by drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence
Understand what they read by predicting what might happen from details stated and implied

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

A worked example: reading between the lines

Read the passage, then say how Mina is feeling and how you know. “Mina stood at the school gate long after the bell had gone. She pulled her sleeves over her hands and watched the other children disappear inside. Her bag, which she usually swung onto her shoulder first thing, lay by her feet.”

Start with what the text says directly. Mina is at the gate after the bell, her sleeves are over her hands, she watches others go in, and her bag is on the ground.
Notice what it doesn’t say. The writer never tells us how Mina feels, so this is an inference question. The answer can’t be copied from one line: it has to be worked out from several clues.
Link the clues to what we know about people. Someone who is happy to go in doesn’t usually hang about after the bell. Pulling sleeves over hands is something people do when they feel nervous or want to hide. The phrase “usually swung onto her shoulder” tells us that leaving the bag on the ground is out of character.
Say it with evidence, using a sentence starter such as “I think… because…”. Name the clues, don’t just quote the lot.
Ask a question the passage leaves open. Why doesn’t Mina want to go in? The text doesn’t say yet, so it is a good question to carry into the next paragraph, and looking for the answer keeps your child reading closely.
Predict. Perhaps a teacher or friend will come out to ask what is wrong, or Mina will turn and walk away. Either is reasonable because it fits the clues. Be ready to change the prediction when you read on.

Mina feels anxious and doesn’t want to go in. I know because she stays at the gate after the bell, pulls her sleeves over her hands, and leaves her bag on the ground when she would usually pick it up.

Common mistakes and how to help

Giving a feeling with no evidence, such as “she’s sad” and nothing more

Children often decide on a feeling from their own experience or from the picture, and don’t see the need to point to the words.

What helps: Use the sentence starter “I think… because the text says…” and ask for the exact words or detail. Going back to the text is the key habit.

Saying there is no answer because it isn’t written in the text

Children are used to questions where the answer can be found word for word, so a question with no matching line feels impossible.

What helps: Explain that some questions ask you to find a fact and others ask you to work something out. Ask “What would a person who feels like that do or say?” and compare it with the text.

Carrying on reading when something doesn’t make sense

Children worry about losing their place or fluency and hope the confusing part will sort itself out.

What helps: Pause and ask a question: Who is this? What does this word mean here? Re-read the sentence before and after, and talk about it. Stopping to check is a sign of a good reader.

Treating a prediction as something that must be right

A child may feel they’ve ‘failed’ if the story goes a different way, so they play safe or refuse to guess.

What helps: Praise predictions that are supported by clues, whether or not they turn out right. Ask “What made you think that?” and “Does it change now?”

How to help at home

Stop and wonder. Pause at an exciting or puzzling point in a story and ask “What do you think will happen? What makes you say that?” Come back to the prediction later and see how close it was.
Swap questions. Take turns to ask each other questions about a chapter: one about a fact, one about why a character acted as they did, and one starting “What if…?” Asking is as valuable as answering.
Read the picture. Look at an illustration in a picture book or a family photograph. Talk about how the people might be feeling and which details make you think so. The skill is the same as with a text.
Guess the word. When a word is new, cover it, read the sentence around it and guess what it might mean. Then check in a dictionary. Compare how close your guess was.
Keep it conversational. Chat about books the way you’d chat about a film. Ask “Why do you think she did that?” rather than testing. Short, relaxed talk builds more understanding than a quiz.

Builds on

Year 2: Stories, poems and non-fiction
Year 2: Favourite words and poems by heart
Year 2: Understanding what we read
Year 2: Discussing books and poems

Leads on to

Years 5 and 6: Reading widely and recommending books
Years 5 and 6: Themes, comparisons and poetry
Years 5 and 6: Inference, prediction and summarising
Years 5 and 6: Figurative language, fact and opinion
Years 5 and 6: Discussing and debating books