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Take a look at the sentence below.
Jack screamed and hugged his arm as he fell over.
How is Jack feeling here?
To answer this question, you used your inference skills.
Inference is where we use clues and evidence from a story to help us answer a question.
Lots of people call it reading between the lines as the answer isn’t actually written down.
To infer something, you must think like a detective.
Can you see the clues telling us that Jack is in pain?
The sentence doesn’t use the words pain or hurt, but he’s doing things people do when they are in pain.
He is screaming and hugging his arm after falling over.
In this activity, we will infer character’s feelings from the story below. Make sure you have your detective thinking-cap on and give the story a careful read before you move onto the questions.
A Triathlon to Remember
Jay looked into the saltwater lagoon. It was sparkling under the sun like a diamond ring. He had spent six months training for this triathlon and finally, the moment had arrived. Carefully, Jay tested the water, listening for the starting horn. As the horn sounded, Jay dived into the water like a dolphin searching for food. His powerful arms pulled him forwards with every stroke. When he heard the splashing of other swimmers getting nearer, he pushed himself harder. Quickly reaching the finishing line, Jay pulled himself out from the water to see that he was in first place. The water lapped up and down on the rocks like it was giving him a well-done clap before he began the next section of the race.
Running over to his bike, the sand crunched beneath Jay’s feet. He quickly pedalled away. The bike’s wheels spun like a windmill in a hurricane. Looking out at Lanzarote’s lava fields, Jay remembered why he picked this location for his race. It was beautiful. The black and red fields were full of craters like the surface of the moon. In the distance, Jay could see his next challenge. He gulped as he saw the steep hill. Struggling to climb the hill in the heat, Jay slowed down. Two other cyclists overtook him on the hill. He watched them disappear like sports cars in the distance. Trying not to feel upset, Jay pedalled on, knowing he could try and catch them once he was at the top. When he finally reached the top of the mountain, it felt like a victory. Jay knew he had to catch up. He whizzed down the other side of the mountain like a jet. As the road flattened at the base of the mountain, Jay saw the second cyclist. He powerfully pedalled until his legs burned like lava to get ahead of him.
Jay began the 10 km run, which was the final task of the triathlon, in second place. He just had to overtake one more person to win. Victory was in sight. With each stride across the crumbly, black earth, Jay thought about his family who were waiting at the finish line for him. Jay was relieved that this stretch of the triathlon was flat. The finish line was in sight and it was his last chance to push past the runner in first place. He fixed his eyes on the finish line and ran like he had never run before. Just before he crossed the line, he managed to step in front of the other runner. A roar of applause erupted around him. This was the best race he’d competed in.
