Drawing Conclusions From Text Clues

When you read a story, the words tell you clues. You can put those clues together to draw a conclusion. A conclusion is your best answer about what is happening, even when the story does not say it in one sentence. This is a fun way to think like a detective while you read!

A conclusion is an idea you build by joining two or more clues from the text. The clues are details the author states, such as what a character says, does, or sees. You do not guess with no reason. You use real details from the story.

For example, a story might say, "Ben's shoes were muddy. Ben's dog was wet too." You can draw a conclusion: Ben and his dog were outside in the mud. You used two stated clues to get one smart idea.

Clues are the small details stated right in the sentences. Look for words that tell you what a character does, says, or feels. Slow down and read each sentence carefully so you do not miss a clue.

Try this short story: "Maya held her stomach. She said, 'I am so hungry!' She ran to the kitchen." Each sentence gives you a clue. Maya holding her stomach is a clue. Maya saying she is hungry is a clue. Maya running to the kitchen is a clue. Put them together, and you can draw a conclusion: Maya wants to eat food right away.

Drawing a conclusion is not enough. You also need to explain why you think it. Good readers point back to the clue that proves their idea. You can use a simple sentence starter to do this: "I think because."

Using the Maya story, you could say, "I think Maya wants to eat food right away because she held her stomach and said she was hungry." This sentence shows your conclusion and the clues that support it. Explaining your thinking helps other people understand your idea, and it helps you check that your conclusion really matches the story.

Clue: A detail the author states, like what a character says, does, or sees.

Conclusion: A smart idea you build after putting two or more clues together.

Details: The small facts stated in a sentence, such as colors, feelings, or actions.

Explain: To tell why you think something, using a clue from the story as proof.

Reason: The clue or fact that supports your conclusion.

Read a short paragraph about a character with sticky hands and an empty ice cream cone. Ask: what two clues do you see? What conclusion can you draw? Then say the sentence, "I think the character ate ice cream because her hands are sticky and her cone is empty."

Try it again with a paragraph about a boy holding a leash with no dog on it, near an open gate. Find the clues, draw a conclusion, and explain your thinking out loud to a partner.

Related lessons

• Making Inferences Using Stated Info