How to Use Text Clues to Make Inferences

Khan Academy

In this engaging animated lesson, a narrator visits the study of "Sherlock Bones," a fictional dog detective residing at 221B Barker Street, to learn the art of making inferences. Through a playful homage to Sherlock Holmes, the video demystifies the cognitive process of inference by comparing it to detective work. Sherlock Bones demonstrates how to observe details to deduce facts about a person, and then applies this same logic to reading a text passage, showing students how to combine textual evidence with their own background knowledge to understand implied meanings. The video explores key themes of reading comprehension, specifically the skill of "reading between the lines." It distinguishes between explicit statements and implicit conclusions, using a specific text example involving a character named Uncle Paleo and a house fire. The lesson breaks down the formula for inference: Text Clues + Background Knowledge = Inference. It emphasizes that while an inference is a conclusion based on evidence, it must be the most likely explanation among several possibilities, supported by the strongest clues. For educators, this video serves as an excellent hook or foundational lesson for teaching inference and close reading skills. The detective metaphor provides a concrete, relatable framework for an abstract mental process. It models the exact internal monologue a proficient reader should have—questioning the text, identifying evidence, and connecting it to real-world understanding. This resource is particularly effective for visual learners and students who struggle to move beyond literal comprehension.