What does the Curriculum for Excellence say about comprehension?
The Curriculum for Excellence has no statutory requirements; it is intended to be a responsive curriculum. Comprehension skills are an important part of the experiences and outcomes for literacy across learning as well as individual areas of learning within literacy.
The Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes for literacy do not use the word comprehension, but the skills required to read text, process it and understand its meaning are a vital part of all literacy learning.
Experiences and outcomes for reading are divided into several sections: enjoyment and choice; tools for reading (including vocabulary, punctuation and grammar); finding and using information; understanding, analysing and evaluating.
Elements of comprehension are mainly covered in the last two elements. For example, the experiences and outcomes for understanding, analysing and evaluating texts include the following expectation at second level:
“To show my understanding across different areas of learning, I can identify and consider the purpose and main ideas of a text and use supporting detail. (LIT 2–16a)
To show my understanding, I can respond to literal, inferential and evaluative questions and other close reading tasks and can create different kinds of questions of my own. (ENG 2–17a)
To help me develop an informed view, I can identify and explain the difference between fact and opinion, recognise when I am being influenced, and have assessed how useful and believable my sources are. (LIT 2–18a)”
As the extracts above show, experiences and outcomes for literacy place a particular emphasis on critical literacy, which involves analysing and evaluating information as well as understanding it.
Related Background Questions
- What is reading comprehension and why is it important?
- How is word reading related to reading comprehension?
- What are some of the challenges to good reading comprehension?
- What are the factors associated with good comprehension?
- Why is vocabulary development important for comprehension?
- How can reading comprehension best be taught?
- Does the amount of time children spend reading have an impact on their comprehension skills?
- Is there a difference between reading on screen and reading on paper in terms of comprehension?
- How is reading comprehension assessed in Scotland?