Lesson 20
Reading Comprehension
Skills
Learning Targets
identify the different levels of reading comprehension skills;
differentiate the specific reading comprehension skills; and
construct questions that measure different reading
comprehension
Introduction
Generally, reading has three components: decoding,
comprehension, and retention. Decoding involves
translating the printed word into its sound equivalent. It
entails word identification and word attack skills.
Comprehension is deriving meaning from what is read,
while retention refers to the keeping of the information read
in the long-term memory. Of these three components,
reading comprehension
Five Dimensions of questions
that involve cognitive and
affective dimensions
1. Literal Comprehension
Learners respond to questions whose answers are facts and
information that are directly stated or found in the selection.
Involving the recognition and recall of the information, learners
identify details of the story, state the main idea, determine the
sequence of events, identify and compare character traits, and
state cause-effect relationship.
2. Reorganization
Learners are asked to analyze, summarize, and organize ideas
and information that are directly stated in the reading selection.
Outlining – What is the story all about?
Summarizing – In your own words, retell the story.
Synthesizing – Why is the action of the tortoise expected in the
story?
3. Inferential Comprehension
Learners answer question that require them to think and imagine
beyond the ideas and information found in the selection. To guess and
hypothesize, they rely on the information directly stated, their
understanding, and prior experiences.
Inferring supporting details – Were the tortoise and monkey old
friends?
Inferring character traits – What kind of person does the monkey
represent?
Predicting outcomes – What could have the monkey done when the
4. Evaluation
Learners make a judgement about the ideas, information, and incidents in
the reading selection using criteria. Skills under this dimension include the
judgement of reality or fantasy, fact or opinion, adequacy and validity,
appropriateness, worth desirability, and acceptability.
Judgement of reality or fantasy – Do you think the story can really happen
between the tortoise and the monkey?
Judgement of fact or opinion – Do you think some people behave like the
tortoise or monkey?
Judgment of appropriateness – Was the action of the monkey appropriate?
Was the response of the tortoise correct?
5. Appreciation
Learners, using the previously stated cognitive skills, answer questions that
reflect their emotional reactions and aesthetic consideration of the reading
selection. This set of skills includes the knowledge of and emotional response to
literary techniques, forms, styles, and structures.
Emotional response to the content – Which part of the story do you like the
most?
Identification with characters – Who are you in the story – the tortoise or the
monkey? Why?
Reaction to the author’s use of language – Does the author’s use of the phrase
“cheeks crammed with bananas” help you justify the anger of the tortoise?
ACTIVITY: Make your own
graphic organizer, showing
the five dimensions of
Barrett’s taxonomy of
reading comprehension skills.
THANK YOU ! ! !
