Reading Between the Lines: Stated and Implied Information

Remember from Grade 2

In Grade 2 you read between the lines: you used clues to figure out things the writer didn't say, like how a character felt.

In Grade 3 you will sort information into stated and implied, back up every inference with evidence, and name the thinking skills you used.

Hook: Be a detective

You walk into the kitchen. There are crumbs on the table, the cookie jar lid is off, and your little brother has chocolate on his chin. Nobody told you he ate a cookie. But you know!

You just made an inference. Detectives do it. Doctors do it. And great readers do it on every page.

Stated or implied?

• Stated: The text says it. It was very cold outside.
• Implied: The text hints at it. Mia's breath puffed out in little white clouds, and she couldn't feel her toes.

In the second sentence, the writer never says cold. But you know breath makes white clouds in cold air, and toes go numb in the cold. So it is implied that it is very cold.

Writers often show instead of tell. That makes reading more interesting, and it means you have to think!

Read: The Empty Feeder

Every morning, Grandpa filled the bird feeder in the backyard. Chickadees and blue jays came all day long.

One snowy morning, Lily looked outside. The feeder was swinging back and forth, and it was completely empty. Seeds were scattered all over the snow below it. Next to the seeds were paw prints, and a long scratch ran down the tree trunk beside the feeder.

Grandpa came to the window with his coffee. He looked at the feeder, then at the tracks. He shook his head and chuckled. "Our furry friend with the bushy tail was here again," he said. "Time to buy a squirrel-proof feeder."

Check your inference

A good inference must fit all the clues. Ask:

• Does my inference match the evidence?
• Is there a clue that doesn't fit?
• Could there be another possible answer?

For example, could a bird have emptied the feeder? Birds don't leave paw prints or scratch tree trunks, and they don't have bushy tails. So the squirrel inference fits better.

Thinking skills that help me

When you understand a text, you are using thinking skills. Naming them helps you use them again on purpose.

• Noticing details: paying attention to small clues (the scratch on the tree).
• Connecting: using what I already know (squirrels have bushy tails).
• Inferring: figuring out what isn't said.
• Questioning: asking why? and how do I know?
• Checking: testing my idea against all the clues.
• Comparing: seeing how things are alike and different.
• Visualizing: picturing the scene.