COMPREHENSION Reading comprehension occurs when there is mastery of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, and fluency. It is an intentional, active, and interactive process that occurs before, during, and after a person reads a text. “Comprehension involves constructing meaning that is reasonable and accurate by connecting what has been read to what the reader already knows and thinking about all of this information until it is understood. Comprehension is the final goal of reading instruction” (Gambrell, Block, & Pressley, 2002, p. 4). A student with strong reading comprehension uses different strategies to make meaning of the text that they engage with (Baker & Brown, 1984; Pressley, Beard El-Dinary, & Brown, 1992), and it is tied to effort as much as it is to ability. In other words, a student must be motivated to try multiple strategies if they do not initially understand the text. A confident reader is able to apply comprehension strategies without the direction of a teacher or parent.
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SCHOLASTIC F.I.R.S.T. FOUNDATION PAPER
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