Now Accepting Applications for Summer 2026 Reading Cohort 📖

By: Keara Holmes | Revised 3/6/2026

"Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I truly believe in."

reading comprehension | the ultimate goal of reading

According to Read Naturally, "comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading." It is the ability to extract meaning from what we read. After all, if a student can read the words on a page but has no idea what they just read, what is the point? We read to gather information, experience new worlds, and learn.

But here is the catch—and it is a big one: You cannot force reading comprehension if the foundation isn't there. Before a student can truly focus on comprehending a text independently, they must have a solid foundation in the first three components: Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Fluency. If a child is spending all their brainpower just trying to decode (sound out) the words, there is no cognitive space left to actually understand the story.

Once those foundational decoding skills are taught and pretty much mastered, the doors to deep comprehension swing wide open.

THE GREAT DEBATE | DECODABLE READERS VS LEVELED TEXTS

Let’s clear up some confusion about the types of books we use to teach reading, because it can feel like you're navigating a maze!

Decodable Readers: When students are first learning to read, we use decodable books. Teachers and parents choose these books based on the specific phonics skills a student is currently learning. For example, if you are teaching the short "o" sound, you choose a book filled with short "o" CVC words. So during this stage, phonics and reading comprehension go hand and hand.

Can you still ask comprehension questions with decodable books? Absolutely! Even with simple texts, you can ask who the characters are or what happened at the end. But the primary focus here is practicing the decoding code.

Leveled Texts (Lexile Levels): Lexile is a measure of how difficult a text is based on vocabulary and sentence complexity. Leveled texts are not controlled for phonics rules; they include a wide variety of words.

When do we use them? Leveled readers absolutely have their place, but only after foundational decoding skills have been mastered. This is where students can dive into more in-depth comprehension questions and apply advanced reading strategies.

UNDERSTANDING TEXT STRUCTURE | FICTION VS NON-FICTION

Before we dive into specific comprehension strategies, we need to talk about text structure. According to Read Naturally, understanding how a text is organized helps readers recognize patterns and see the relationships between ideas. When we explicitly teach text structure, we give students a mental framework to organize information, making it much easier for them to comprehend and retain what they read.

But not all texts are built the same! The way a fictitious story is put together is very different from the way an informational book is organized.

🔗Link to one of my household's favorite bedtime stories!

FICTION | TELLING A STORY

Fiction texts follow a narrative structure. When students read fiction, they need to learn how to track the specific elements that make up a story. This includes:

Characters, Point of View, and Setting: Who is the story about, who is narrating it, and where/when does it take place?
Goal/Motivation: What does the main character want?
Problem/Conflict & Plot/Action: What is the issue, and what happens as the characters try to solve it?
Turning Point/Climax & Resolution: The peak of the action and how the problem is finally solved.
Symbols/Themes: The deeper meaning, message, or lesson of the story.

🔗Link to one of my household's favorite Nonfiction Texts!

NONFICTION | SHARING INFORMATION

Nonfiction (or informational) texts are a whole different ballgame. Instead of following a character's journey, nonfiction texts are structured to deliver facts, concepts, and evidence. Common nonfiction structures include:

Description/Definition: Explaining what something is.
Sequence/Process or Cycle: Explaining how something happens in a specific order (like the life cycle of a frog).
Compare and Contrast: Looking at how two or more things are alike and different.
Cause and Effect: Explaining why something happened and what the result was.
Problem and Solution: Presenting an issue and explaining how it can be fixed.
Categorization, Question-Answer, and Claim-Evidence: Grouping information, answering specific queries, or providing proof to back up a statement.

If a student tries to read a nonfiction text about sharks using a fiction "story" framework, they are going to struggle. Teaching them these distinct structures gives them the exact map they need for the reading journey!

5 KEY READING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES

Reading is not a passive activity. Students must be explicitly taught how to think about texts, whether it's fiction or nonfiction texts. Here are five essential strategies to help students understand what they are reading:

📌Pin this image for later.

1. Accessing Prior Knowledge (Background Knowledge) I think this is the most crucial reading comprehension component to teach. As an educator, I've noticed that not all students have the same life experiences. Previewing a text helps them tap into what they already know, creating an anchor for them to learn and understand new information.

2. Predicting Students are much more invested in the outcome of a story when they make predictions. They aren't just reading; they are thinking critically about logical sequencing and adjusting their thoughts based on new information. It keeps them hooked!

3. Main Idea & Summarizing Stories and passages throw a lot of information at the reader. Summarizing helps readers weed out the fluff and determine what is actually important, as well as the author's purpose. It teaches them to find the core message while still appreciating the creative elements.

4. Making Inferences Teaching students how to infer is hard! It is especially challenging for students with language or processing difficulties. Inferring means reading between the lines to find information not explicitly stated. A lot of grace is needed in the early stages of teaching this strategy. As students gain more life experience and background knowledge, inferencing becomes easier.

5. Visualizing I like to tell my students that visualizing is "painting a picture in your head." We do fun exercises where they close their eyes while I describe an object's color, texture, and taste, and they have to guess what it is. I explain that this is exactly what my brain does when I read. Think about it like driving a car on a familiar route: sometimes you arrive at your destination and don't even remember the drive! But if you are charting new territory, you have to pay careful attention, or you will get lost. The same applies to reading. A student might read the words perfectly, but without actively visualizing the story, they will get completely lost in the text.

COMPREHENSIVE READING PROGRAMS

If you are looking for open-and-go resources that beautifully embed comprehension right alongside foundational decoding skills, I highly recommend looking into comprehensive, Direct Instruction programs. Two of my absolute favorites are:

All About Reading: This program is incredibly thorough and ensures students are mastering the code while simultaneously building their ability to understand and analyze texts.

Funnix: A fantastic, computer-based Direct Instruction program that takes the guesswork out of teaching both phonics and comprehension.

LITERATURE STUDIES | A DEEP DIVE INTO COMPREHENSION

The watsons go to birmingham

Roald dahl matilda

the magic treehouse series

Another incredible way to build comprehension—especially for younger learners or those still working on decoding—is through Literature Studies (Take a look at my top three favorite picks above)! You don't have to wait until a child can read Harry Potter independently to discuss complex themes! By utilizing read-alouds or audiobooks, you can guide students through rich texts, exposing them to advanced vocabulary, story structure, and critical thinking questions long before they can read at that Lexile level themselves.

FREE RETELL RUBRIC: FICTION & NONFICTION

ficiton retELL rubric

nonfiction retELL rubric

Grab a copy of this free fiction and nonfiction retell rubric to go along with your lessons here.

So, in conclusion, comprehending what you read is the whole point of reading. What reading comprehension strategy do you think is the most important for students to learn? Why? Leave your comments below—I would love to hear from you!

Loved this post? Share the love! ❤️ Don't forget to follow Holmes Tutoring on Facebook for your weekly dose of reading confidence.

Page updated

Report abuse