Comprehension of Literary and Informational Text
What this domain tests
This domain covers constructing meaning from literary and informational text, using text structure, monitoring understanding, and selecting evidence. Questions often contrast literal and inferential understanding or ask which strategy fits a text type.
Core rules and concepts
- Comprehension is interactive: reader knowledge, text features, task, and context all matter. Prior knowledge and vocabulary are strong supports.
- Literary text calls for story elements-character, setting, plot, conflict, theme, point of view-and figurative language. Informational text calls for main idea, supporting details, and structures such as description, sequence, compare/contrast, cause/effect, and problem/solution.
- Teach strategies explicitly: predicting, questioning, visualizing, monitoring, summarizing, and using text structure. Model with think-alouds, guide practice, then release responsibility.
- Text-dependent questions require evidence from the text. QAR and reciprocal teaching can structure discussion, but strategies are means to comprehension, not the goal.
- Close reading should return students to the text for evidence rather than replace it with a personal response.
Worked example
A student summarizes the events of a story accurately but cannot explain why the character lied. Literal comprehension is intact; inferencing is weak. The teacher should model a think-aloud that links the character’s words to a motive and ask the student to cite two details. A phonics intervention would miss the comprehension need.
Traps that cost marks
Do not confuse topic with theme; do not ask questions answerable without the text; do not teach a strategy as an end in itself; do not ignore informational text structure; do not front-load so much background that the text becomes unnecessary.