ABSTRACT
Comprehension is understanding. It involves thinking and can be likened to a conversation between the reader and the text. It can be basic, as in understanding a general message, or deep, as in inferring and generalizing ideas. Comprehension first develops as listening comprehension in infants and toddlers as they listen to the world around them and begin to respond. Comprehension is important because it is the goal of reading. Before the 1980s, many teachers were very good at testing, not teaching, comprehension. Every student can benefit from comprehension instruction. There are many possibilities from which we might choose a focus during a small-group lesson for comprehension. Emergent readers often stop while reading. The students quickly preview the text by reading the front and back covers, and begin to talk as a small group.
