Inference Instruction Intervention

Inference Instruction Intervention is a small-group reading comprehension program for sixth- and seventh-grade students with below-average reading comprehension, particularly English learners. Students meet in groups of 3-6 for 40-minute sessions, 2-3 times per week over 14 weeks (24 total sessions). The intervention uses the novel Wonder (Lexile 790L) and teaches students to generate text-connecting and gap-filling inferences through explicit instruction, teacher modeling via think-aloud, guided practice, and inference-eliciting questions during reading. Simple graphic organizers scaffold inference generation by making visible the integration of text information with background knowledge. Students learn to notice gaps in text, identify clue words, integrate information within text, activate background knowledge, and use context clues to infer word meanings. For the first 10 sessions, students read aloud and answer multiple-choice inference questions with immediate feedback via scratch-off answer sheets. In the remaining 14 sessions, students read silently (at least every other page) and answer open-ended inference questions. Tutors receive 4 hours of training before implementation.