VELS Level 5 and 6 – Comprehension - The Essence of Reading
Comprehension is a complex process. There exist as many interpretations of comprehension as there are of reading. According to Durkin (1993), this may be so because comprehension is often viewed as ‘the essence of reading’. He defines reading comprehension as:
…intentional thinking during which meaning is constructed through interactions between text and reader.(Durkin, 1993)
According to this view, meaning resides in the intentional, problem-solving, thinking processes of the reader which occur during an interchange with a text. The content of meaning is influenced by the text and by the reader’s prior knowledge and experience that are brought to bear on it.
Harris and Hodges (1995) define reading comprehension as follows:
Reading comprehension is the construction of the meaning of a written text through a reciprocal interchange of ideas between the reader and the message in a particular text
(Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read, 2000)
(Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read, 2000)
Level 5 standard Reading
The aspects of the Level 5 standard for the Reading dimension of the VELS English domain that focus on comprehension have been identified with bold text.
At Level 5, students read and view imaginative, informative and persuasive texts that explore ideas and information related to challenging topics, themes and issues. They identify the ideas, themes and issues explored in these texts, and provide supporting evidence to justify their interpretations.
They produce personal responses, for example, interpretive pieces and character profiles. They infer meanings and messages in texts, analyse how social values or attitudes are conveyed, compare the presentation of information and ideas in different texts, and identify cause and effect in informative texts.
Level 6 standard Reading
The aspects of the Level 6 standard for the Reading dimension of the VELS English domain that focus on comprehension have been identified with bold text.
At Level 6, students read, view, analyse, critique, reflect on and discuss contemporary and classical imaginative texts that explore personal, social, cultural and political issues of significance to their own lives. They also read, view, analyse and discuss a wide range of informative and persuasive texts and identify the multiple purposes for which texts are created.
They explain how texts are shaped by the time, place and cultural setting in which they are created. They compare and contrast the typical features of particular texts and synthesise information from different texts to draw conclusions.
(Victorian Essential Learning Standards)
Comprehension in detail
A reader reads a text to understand what is read and to put this understanding to use. A reader can read a text to learn, to find out information, or to be entertained. These various purposes of understanding require that the reader use knowledge of the world, including language and print.
This knowledge enables the reader to make meanings of the text, to form memory representations of these meanings, and to use them to communicate information with others about what was read.
The explicit instruction of text comprehension may be strengthened by teaching students to use specific cognitive strategies or to reason strategically when they encounter barriers to comprehension when reading.
Explicit instruction in these areas is believed to lead to improvement in text understanding and information use, so that readers can effectively interact with text without assistance. Readers who are not explicitly taught these procedures are unlikely to learn, develop, or use them spontaneously.
Reference
Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read – Is an evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction.
Related materials
Previous key concept - Reading for learning (Luke and Freebody, Munro, Rose)
Next key concept - Selecting appropriate texts to support literacy learning - Level 5 & 6