Chapter 5: Learning to Make an Inference

I found this chapter to be pretty straightforward. It makes sense that in order for kids to be fully engaged in a text that they must be able to make inferences. It found the “Step Inside a Classroom” section gave a great image of what it looks like when kids can and cannot inference. The ones who could make inferences were able to carry on conversations about the text and read into the text. Yet, this image also shows a great divide between Honors English classes and regular English classes. The honors class was able to go more in depth and become involved with the text, thus getting more out of the class. The regular class with the students who have not passed the reading portion of the TAAS shows how they are not being engaged in their texts and not furthering their knowledge. I feel like it’s almost like the saying “The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.” These kids who struggle to make inferences need to be guided how to make them as well as be exposed to people who know how to make inferences. It can almost be an argument for why tracking hinders kids. Because the struggling students are not being exposed to the students who know how to make inferences, they cannot learn from their peers. In the opposite respect, the students in the honors class who can inference do not know how to defend their inferences against someone who cannot see their inferences.