5 Types of Reading Comprehension

Reading Comprehension is the ability to easily and efficiently read text for meaning. It is the last
step of the reading process taught to children, after they've learned phonics, fluency, and
vocabulary.

Five levels of reading comprehension can be taught to children.

1. Lexical Comprehension
2. Literal Comprehension
3. Interpretive Comprehension
4. Applied Comprehension
5. Affective Comprehension

To really understand these different levels, let's take a familiar text and see how different types of
questions probe different understandings of the same story.

The fairy tale Cinderella tells the story of a young girl, whose evil stepmother won't let her go to
the ball. Cinderalla's fairy godmother, however, magically whisks her off for the night and
Cinderella eventually marries her Prince Charming.
(Source: http://www.handinhandhomeschool.com/resources/reading/levels-of-comprehension.php)
Essential Reading Comprehension Skills
Reading Comprehension

Comprehension in reading means understanding what is being read. Many students are strong at
recognizing words in print but struggle with making meaning from what they read. They may not
understand the difference between a main character and someone who is only present for one
interaction. Or they may have trouble choosing important events in a story and putting them in
the correct order. These and other skills are important aspects of comprehension.

Components of Reading Comprehension

For many students, reading comprehension skills can be challenging. Teachers may hear students
read with fluency and accuracy and assume they're doing well in reading. But if asked questions
about what they read, those same students may struggle.

Reading comprehension is comprised of several levels:

 Literal
 Interpretive
 Critical
 Creative
When students read, they need to be able to understand text on all of these levels. Sometimes
they're reading for literal information, such as a recipe or directions. Other times, they may need to
get deeper than surface area knowledge and ask questions about what the author may mean,
using interpretive skills. They may also need to read with a critical eye, fact-checking information.
Finally, some reading calls for students to be creative in their understanding and make judgments
about their thinking in relation to the author's writing. Let's take a closer look at each of these
strands.

Literal Comprehension

Jimmy is at the very beginning stage of understanding what he reads. If he picks up a book with a
dog and cat on the cover, he can understand the book will be about a dog and cat. If he reads,
'The dog runs,' Jimmy knows that means the dog runs. He is able to read and understand text on a
literal level, understanding what the words mean in a very basic way. Students at this level
understand the words on the page as they are written.

At this basic level, students can answer basic, fact-related questions. Jimmy's teacher may ask him
about a fact from the book, such as who the characters are or the setting of the story. In
nonfiction, Jimmy may be able to understand concepts such as sequence, or the order of steps in
directions. This level of comprehension relies on a student's ability to recall facts and figures from
what is read and is a low-level thinking skill.
Interpretive Comprehension

At the interpretive level, students are able to read beyond the literal words on the page and find
understanding. They use an important skill called inferring. When students infer, they go beyond
the text to find meaning. The information they understand isn't found in the text, which requires
them to imagine what a character is feeling or what the author means by words or actions.

Skills used in the interpretive level include:

 Identifying the main idea

 Understanding the author's purpose
 Determining point-of-view
 Predicting or summarizing events

Another student, Mary, is working on her interpretive skills in comprehension. She's reading the
book The Outsiders with some other students. Their teacher asks questions to improve their
understanding, such as 'Why do you think Ponyboy ran away?' and 'What point of view is this
section taking?' These and other questions help students read between the lines and develop a
deeper understanding of text.
Critical Comprehension

When students read at the critical level of comprehension, they are moving further beyond the
text and making judgments as they read. Students at this level make decisions, such as whether
the text or author is accurate and reliable, or discern if a statement is a fact or opinion.

If reading an article about climate change, students may take part in a discussion and use skills on
the critical level. They will need to be able to determine if the facts given are true and accurate or
read information and decide if it is based on data or the opinion of the author. This requires high-
level thinking skills, such as the ability to analyze or evaluate.

Creative Comprehension

Finally, the creative level of comprehension requires students to use the highest level of skills.
They will read, think, and make decisions in relation to text. After determining the accuracy of the
climate change article, students may then debate what steps to take using the information given.
Should the government intervene? Who is responsible for making changes? How can this be
accomplished? At this level, students use their understanding of a topic and think creatively about
how to use and apply information to their lives or the real world.
(Source: https://study.com/academy/lesson/essential-reading-comprehension-skills.html)