One way to teach inference is to pose four specific questions that facilitate inference-based discussion. This model is based on a set of assumptions you should teach ESL students ahead of time. Remind them that people need to find clues to get some answers, which they then add to information they already have. Additionally, because there can be more than one correct answer, inference-based answers need support. To encourage questioning, read a simple text that requires inference, such as a riddle. When they answer correctly, ask them what inference they made and what information they used in the process. Teach them to question the effectiveness of their thinking and to change their thinking patterns when needed to make inferences. This type of questioning works as an introductory activity.
ESL students benefit from explicit teacher modeling. Modeled instruction gives students a clear model of a skill like making inferences. Start by breaking down inference into its critical elements -- connecting new knowledge with experience and drawing conclusions based on the two. To model, read a text aloud and draw a conclusion, describing your thinking process out loud so that students understand what goes into making inferences. Draw their attention to the textual clues and your experiences that led to the conclusion. Model in this manner at least three times, using both inference examples and direct comprehension examples so that students understand the difference between the two.
Guided practice refers to activities that allow students to practice a new skill, such as inferring, under the direct supervision of the teacher. Teachers get the opportunity to informally assess students and guide them individually. ESL students at this time particularly gain from this individualized help. To use this strategy for inferences, provide students with situations that involve inferring. For example, give them a card that states the facts that they are home alone, they are hungry for a turkey sandwich and meat is stored in a cold place. They then write where they logically go next. The key element of this practice is to have the students think aloud themselves as you did in the model.
ESL students especially need a lot of independent practice. Start with worksheets. Design ones that mirror your guided practice or research one on the Internet; ESL Printables has free examples. Make sets of inference task cards like the one described above. ESL students can work with non-ESL partners and think aloud the strategy together. Since inferring is a necessary skill in different classes, set up a science-based activity that includes mystery objects students attempt to identify using inference skills. Finally, since students are more likely to retain knowledge when they're having fun, let them make a game of their new skill through the use of inference cards that you provide or that they even create themselves.