Editing Workshop: Inference Writing
Learn
After writing about your inferences, you need to edit your work. This lesson helps you find and fix common mistakes in inference writing.
Common Problems in Inference Writing
- Retelling instead of inferring: Just repeating what the text says, not making an inference
- No evidence: Making a claim without proof from the text
- No explanation: Giving evidence but not explaining how it supports your inference
- Wrong evidence: Using details that don't actually support your inference
Editing Checklist for Inference Writing
- Did I make an inference (not just retell)?
- Did I include evidence from the text?
- Did I explain how the evidence supports my inference?
- Did I use complete sentences with correct punctuation?
- Did I check my spelling?
Examples
Weak Response (Needs Editing):
"The boy ran. He was fast."
Problems: No inference, no evidence, no explanation
Strong Response (After Editing):
"I can infer that the boy was scared because the text says he ran as fast as he could and kept looking behind him. People usually run fast and look back when they are trying to get away from something scary."
Strengths: Clear inference + evidence + explanation
Practice
Identify problems and choose the best revision for each response.
1. What's wrong with this response? "The dog barked. It was loud."
A) It's an inference without evidence
B) It's just retelling, not inferring
C) The spelling is wrong
D) It has too much detail
Answer
B) - This just restates facts, it doesn't make an inference about what the barking means.
2. Choose the best revision: Original: "The girl was happy."
A) "The girl was very happy."
B) "I can infer the girl was happy because she smiled and jumped up and down when she opened the gift."
C) "Happy means feeling good."
D) "The girl opened a gift."
Answer
B) - This adds inference language, evidence, and specific details.
3. What's missing from: "I think the character is sad because people are sometimes sad."
A) An inference
B) Evidence from the text
C) Complete sentences
D) Correct spelling
Answer
B) - There's no specific evidence from the text to support the inference.
4. Fix this capitalization error: "i can infer that the cat is hungry."
A) "I Can Infer that the cat is hungry."
B) "I can infer that the Cat is hungry."
C) "I can infer that the cat is hungry."
D) "i Can infer that the cat is Hungry."
Answer
C) - Only "I" at the beginning needs to be capitalized.
5. Which response has the best explanation?
A) "The character is tired because he yawned."
B) "The character is tired because he yawned and rubbed his eyes. Yawning and rubbing eyes are signs that someone needs sleep."
C) "The character yawned."
D) "Yawning means being tired."
Answer
B) - It has evidence (yawned, rubbed eyes) AND explains why these are signs of tiredness.
6. What punctuation is needed? "I can infer that she is excited__"
A) Question mark (?)
B) Exclamation point (!)
C) Period (.)
D) Comma (,)
Answer
C) - This is a statement, so it needs a period.
7. Which word is spelled correctly?
A) becuase
B) because
C) becuse
D) becase
Answer
B) because
8. What's wrong with: "The man was angry because the text says the man was angry."
A) Wrong punctuation
B) It's circular - it doesn't give real evidence
C) Too long
D) Misspelled words
Answer
B) - Good evidence would be specific actions or words, not just restating the claim.
9. Choose the best evidence to add: "I can infer the weather is cold because..."
A) "cold weather is not warm"
B) "the characters are wearing heavy coats, hats, and gloves"
C) "I think it's cold"
D) "weather can be cold sometimes"
Answer
B) - This gives specific details from the text that show it's cold.
10. Put these in order for a TEE response: (1) Explanation (2) Topic/Inference (3) Evidence
A) 1, 2, 3
B) 3, 2, 1
C) 2, 3, 1
D) 2, 1, 3
Answer
C) 2, 3, 1 - Topic first, then Evidence, then Explanation (T-E-E).
Next Steps
- Use the editing checklist on your own writing
- Trade papers with a partner and help each other edit
- Continue to the Unit Checkpoint