Comprehension
Domain 6: Comprehension
This domain tests how readers construct meaning from narrative and expository text. Expect questions on text structure, inference, main idea, background knowledge, strategy instruction, and comprehension assessment.
Core rules
- Comprehension depends on decoding, vocabulary, background knowledge, syntax, and strategies.
- Narrative structure: characters, setting, problem, events, resolution. Expository structures: description, sequence, compare-contrast, cause-effect, problem-solution.
- Teach before, during, and after reading: predict, set purpose, monitor, question, visualize, infer, summarize.
- QAR distinguishes right-there, think-and-search, author-and-me, and on-my-own questions.
- Assess with retell, questions, and cloze; retell reveals structure and detail.
Worked example
A student answers "What color was the character's coat?" but misses "Why did she leave the party?" Reasoning: the first is literal; the second requires inference and linking events. Instruction should model think-alouds, use QAR to label the inference, and ask the student to cite text evidence plus background knowledge.
Traps
- Asking comprehension questions without teaching strategies.
- Treating vocabulary knowledge as the same as comprehension.
- Ignoring expository text structure in upper grades.