People walking around at night near Shinjuku in Tokyo

Graphic images

Understanding that visual images convey meaning on different levels supports the development of understanding that words in written text can do the same thing – the viewer/reader can infer meaning from the message created by the author.

Group of children reading

Reading for inference – the beginnings

Reading for inference, inferential thinking, begins well before children are required to draw meaning from written and visual texts at school. This type of thinking, making inferences about our world, is used all the time by everyone. We learn to make considered – and often not quite so considered – judgements and assumptions about people,…