Barrett’s Taxonomy 1.

Literal Comprehension
Focuses on ideas and information,
   
Appreciation   which are explicitly stated in the
reading comprehension.

Evaluation   • Who is the author?

• Locate and identify the individuals who
caused the disturbance.
Inferential   • Find the page where _______ is
Comprehension   described.
• Who is the main character?
Reorganisation   • What is the setting?

label list recall

name relate repeat
Literal  Comprehension  
state

2. Reorganization 3. Inferential Comprehension

Requires the student to analyse, Uses the ideas and information
synthesize and or reorganize ideas or explicitly stated in the text and
information explicitly stated in the intuition or personal experience
text. as a basis for hypothesis.

• Summarize the main ideas. • Does this story remind you of another
• What do you think the author’s story?
message is? • What is the main idea?
• Describe what happened in your own • Was there anything in this book that
words. was not the same as you’ve heard
• Tell me the story of ___. before?
• Did you ever have an experience like
classify regroup reorganize this?
rearrange assemble collect
categorize predict infer guess

4. Evaluation
Compares ideas in the story
with evaluative criteria
provided.
• What kind of book is this?
• Is there a lesson in this story?
• Do you agree or disagree?
• Is this fact or opinion?
• Was this a good story?
• Do you know anyone like (character)?
• What could you do to find out whether
this is true or not?
5. Appreciation
Involves all previously cited cognitive
levels with added appreciation
including knowledge of an emotional
reaction to literary techniques, forms,
styles and structures.
• Do you trust what you read?
• What was the best part of the story for
you?
• What about this story made you feel
happy or sad?
• Do you think your classmates will
believe what they read?

analyse evaluate justify critique appraise comment

reason criticise judge appreciate

  © Jenna Swano