Levels of Comprehension

Comprehension

“Capacity of the mind to perceive and understand”(Webster’s Dictionary).

Comprehension is not something done after reading (Fountas, 2000).
It is the interaction between the text being read and the reader’s existing prior knowledge
and expectations will generate meaning and comprehension (Leu and Kinzer, 1995).

Level Description Question Asked

This level is knowing what
Level one is actually stated. Which Common questions used to illicit this type
LITERAL include facts and details, of thinking are who, what, when, and
rote learning and where questions.
memorization.
This level involves surface
understanding only.
When they first approach
brand new information,
readers are at literal level
The reader gleans what is
The types of questions asked are open-
Level two implied or meant, rather
ended, thought-provoking questions like
INTERPRETIVE than what is actually
why, what if, and how.
stated.
This level involves drawing
inferences or reading
between the lines.
Readers tap into prior
knowledge/ experience
and attach new learning to
old information.
Readers make logical
leaps and educated
guesses.
Readers are attempting to
understand what the
author meant by what
he/she said in the story.
This involves taking what Common questions may include:
was said (literal) and then In what ways…If these are…If you
Level three what was meant by what were…
APPLIED was said (interpretive) and These questions ask one to go beyond
then extend (apply) the literal and interpretive
concepts or ideas beyond reading by applying
the situation.
Readers analyze or
the information one has just read to
synthesize information and
another similar or familiar situation.
apply it to other
information.
 Readers can attempt to
answer this question: How
would the author’s
message apply to other
situations given what you
memorized and
understood at the other
two levels.

Different Kinds of Readings Extensive

Skimming Extensive reading involves learners

Skimming is reading rapidly in order to
get a general overview of a material.
It is the action of reading quickly so as
to note only the important points.
Skimming tells you what general
information is within a section.
Skimming to save time
Skimming can save you hours of
laborious reading. However it is not
always the most appropriate way to
read. It is very useful to preview to a
more detailed reading or when
reviewing a selection heavy in content.
Scanning
Scanning is reading rapidly in order to
find specific facts.
Scanning involves getting your eyes to
quickly to scuttle across sentences.
Use scanning in research to find
particular facts, to study fact-heavy
topics and to answer questions requiring
factual support.
Scanning for research and study
Scanning, too, uses keywords and
organizational cues. But while the goal
of skimming is a birds-eye view of the
material, the goal of scanning is to
locate and swoop down on particular
facts.
reading texts for enjoyment and to
develop general reading skills.
It is an approach to second language
reading. When learners read
extensively, they read very easy,
enjoyable books to build their reading
speed and fluency.
Another way to say this is students learn
to read by actual reading rather than
examining texts, studying vocabulary,
grammar and phrases.
Intensive
Used a shorter text in order to extract
specific information
It includes very close accurate reading
for detail.
Used to grasp details of specific
situation.
Developmental Reading Stages
Stage 0: Reading Readiness/Pre-Reading (0-
Age 6)
This stage is characterized by learning
to recognize the alphabet, imitation
reading, experimentation with letters,
and learning the sounds associated with
the letters.
The children need to have many
learner- centered activities that
encourage them to experiment with
language and to have an opportunity to
 make the connection between their non-
visual information and the visual
information of the text.
Stage 1: Intial Reading or Decoding (Age 6-7,
Grades 1-2)
The children begin gluing to print and
sounding out words. Even words that
were easily recognized in stage 0 may
now be sounded out by the stage 1
readers.
Children in this stage are beginning to
utilize their knowledge of consonants
and vowels to blend together simple
words.
Over time and with guidance, the
children at this stage will eventually
move to reading whole words.
Stage 2: Fluency (Age 7-8, Grades 2-3)
Children consider this to be the “real”
reading stage.
In this stage it helps to have children
reread books fluently.
The learners in this stage need the
opportunity to hone the skills of reading
in comfortable text and comfortable
reading situations.
Stage 3: Reading for Learning the New
Stage: A First Step (Age 9-13, Grades 4-2nd
Year )
Readers at this stage have mastered
the code and find it easy to sound out
unfamiliar words and read with fluency.
Learners are now ready to begin the
study of subject matter and the use of
information text. Readers need to bring
prior knowledge to their reading.
The readers in this stage must use
reading as a tool for acquiring new
knowledge.
Stage 4: Multiple Viewpoints (High School,
Ages 14-18)
Readers are instructed in reading/study
skills, and reading strategies for
success.
The successful Stage 3 readers grows
in their ability to analyze what they read
and react critically to the different
viewpoints they encounter.
Stage 4 readers are able to deal with
the layers of facts and concepts and
have the ability to add and delete
schema previously learned.
Stage 5: Construction and Reconstruction
Stage (College; Ages 18 and up)
Stage 5 readers know what not to read,
as well as what to read.
Readers have acquired the ability to
construct knowledge on a high level of
abstraction and generality.
Learners now have the ability to
synthesize critically the words of others
and are able to form their own educated
stance on the subject.
Reading Models
Bottom-up Reading Model
It is a reading model that emphasizes
the written printed text.
It emphasizes the ability to decode or
put into sound what is seen in the text.
Readers derive meaning in a linear
manner.

Top-down Reading Model
It is a model in which TOP is the higher
order mental and BOTTOM as the
physical text on the page.
It is where meaning take precedence
over structure.
Interactive Reading Model
Combination of Bottom-up and Top-
down processes.
Good readers are both good decoders
and good interpreters of the text.
Emerging Reading Models
Rumelhart Model (1977)
States that successful reading is both a
PERCEPTUAL and COGNITIVE
process.
Orthographic Knowledge
Lexical, Syntactic and Semantic
Knowledge
Stanovich Model (1980)
Interactive Compensatory reading
model.
Readers who rely both Bottom-up and
Top-down processes are depending on:
 Reading purposes
 Motivation
 Schema
 Knowledge of the subject
Anderson and Pearson Schema-Theoretic
View
It focuses on the role of schemata
(knowledge stored in memory) in text
comprehension.
Schema Theory
a. relationship among concept
b. role of inference
c. reliance on knowledge of the content
Person and Tierney R/W Model
Considers Pragmatic Theories which
state that: “utterance is an action”.
Context is important:
Interactive Roles
 1. Planner - creates goal, use existing
knowledge, decides how to align with
the text
2. Composer - searches for coherence in
gaps with inferences about the
relationship within the text .
3. Editor – examines his interpretation
4. Monitor – directs the other 3 roles

Mathewson’s Model of Attitude Influence

Attitude toward reading may be modified

by a change in reader’s goal.
Attitude has tri-componential construct:
- cognitive component
- affective component
- conative component

Maintains that feedback may affect attitude

and motivation during the reading process.

1. Satisfaction with affect developed

through reading.
2. Satisfaction with ideas developed
through reading.
3. Feeling generated during the reading
process.
4. Ideas constructed from the information
read.
5. How the reading affects the values,
goal, and self concept