{"id":17027,"date":"2025-03-28T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-28T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nwea.org\/blog\/?p=17027"},"modified":"2025-10-29T09:43:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T16:43:09","slug":"how-the-science-of-reading-can-help-you-teach-language-comprehension-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nwea.org\/blog\/2025\/how-the-science-of-reading-can-help-you-teach-language-comprehension-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"How the science of reading can help you teach language comprehension skills"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Last year, I read a parent\u2019s post in a social media discussion about reading. They were seeking information on which schools in my town are teaching phonics only. This parent wanted nothing to do with all that \u201cother stuff,\u201d just phonics. Why? \u201cBecause that\u2019s what the science of reading says works,\u201d they argued.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a problem. I\u2019m all for the science of reading, but I\u2019m not for the version that neglects some parts of it.<\/p>\n

We can\u2019t pick and choose and expect great reading results<\/h2>\n

Improving phonics and decoding instruction<\/a> is a hugely important effort. But decoding isn\u2019t the only thing that matters, and it isn\u2019t the only area where research evidence can inform what works. A critical second piece of the puzzle is the topic of this post: language comprehension. Language comprehension is fundamental for literacy instruction, including for many emergent bilingual students.<\/p>\n

Broadly, the science of reading<\/a> is the converging evidence about what matters and what works in helping kids to read complex texts, including with good comprehension. One way to organize what matters for reading comprehension is through a model called the Simple View of Reading<\/a>. It frames reading comprehension as the product of word recognition, which includes decoding and language comprehension: you can\u2019t get to reading comprehension without fully developing each.<\/p>\n

Decoding means kids can convert printed squiggles into the words we use in speech. But language comprehension means that kids can understand the meaning that those words convey. A child can show language comprehension without decoding, like when you read a book aloud to them. Eventually, we want kids doing both at once, so they can engage with meaning while processing those symbols themselves.<\/p>\n

Even before kids can decode, though, we need to be building their language comprehension. This isn\u2019t work that comes after decoding; it is work that starts in infancy and keeps deepening throughout our lives. Let\u2019s take a closer look at what the science tells us about what matters and what works in developing language comprehension.<\/p>\n

What matters in language comprehension?<\/h2>\n

Several components working together<\/a> within language comprehension matter when building strong readers, and I\u2019ll talk about three here: vocabulary, understanding of sentences and syntax, and knowledge.<\/p>\n

A child\u2019s oral language vocabulary includes the words they can use and understand in speaking and listening. They may not be able to decode or recognize them in writing yet, but they have some understanding of their meaning. Vocabulary knowledge<\/a> is proven to support reading comprehension. In fact, broad vocabularies even help with word decoding by giving kids a way to confirm that what they sounded out is actually a word.<\/p>\n

Knowing the meanings of words matters, but words live in sentences<\/a>. That\u2019s where syntax comes in. P. D. Q. Bach<\/a> gives us a great example in a satirical Christmas carol. What starts off as a patient request\u2014\u201cThrow the yule log on, Uncle John\u201d<\/a>\u2014becomes an exasperated call to arms: \u201cThrow the yule log on<\/em> Uncle John!\u201d Differences in meaning are not always about the words. Handling the subtleties and complexities of syntax is important for understanding, and this starts even before kids are reading sentences for themselves.<\/p>\n

Note that for emergent bilinguals, both vocabulary and sentence-level comprehension are developing in more than one language at once. That leads to an incredible advantage, and it leads there in ways that can differ from what is typical of monolingual development. No \u201cscience of reading\u201d that only focuses on monolingual English development is going to suffice.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s one more piece that I mentioned mattering in language comprehension: knowledge. We gain knowledge from text, but we are also applying our own funds of knowledge<\/a> to text. Knowledge helps us form an overall model of what a text is talking about, and it helps us to make inferences. This happens across sentences, not just within them.<\/p>\n

Words matter, sentences matter, and the interaction of paragraphs with what the reader brings matters in strong reading comprehension. This is why research\u2014focusing on both monolinguals and emergent bilinguals, of course\u2014has delved into what works in helping grow students\u2019 vocabularies, sentence-level understanding, and knowledge. \u00a0<\/p>\n

What works with our younger students?<\/h2>\n

Even before kids can read words, they are developing their future reading comprehension by developing their language comprehension. And this doesn\u2019t just have to be in English. For an emergent bilingual, this is happening across languages as the child builds their full linguistic repertoire. Development in both languages helps bilinguals\u2019 eventual reading comprehension, even when we zoom in on reading comprehension in English.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be really clear about that one: supporting development of a home language<\/a>, too\u2014Spanish, Somali, or whichever language it is\u2014helps kids with English reading comprehension later.<\/p>\n

In class, we can help language comprehension development in two key ways: through oral language and through written language.<\/p>\n

The science points to the importance of lots of high-quality oral language interactions<\/a>, both between teachers and students and between students themselves. When teachers invite, extend, and scaffold kids\u2019 questions and their discussions, children\u2019s engagement with learning grows. When classrooms set expectations that kids will be quiet or answer only simple questions, language growth is dampened.<\/p>\n

Peer-to-peer talk is important, too. Thematic play centers<\/a>, like the veterinary clinic or the grocer, offer opportunities for kids to use new vocabulary words\u2014\u201cappointment,\u201d \u201csurgery,\u201d \u201cvegetables,\u201d \u201creceipt\u201d\u2014and absorb new knowledge. (Some of your emergent bilingual kiddos will use a combination of languages, and even if you only know one, that should be welcomed.) Thematic units can also involve experiments, gardening, expert visitors, field trips, and of course books.<\/p>\n

That brings us to a second key way that we can support language development: through sharing written language. Read alouds<\/a> from books that children can\u2019t read yet offer exposure to new words and more challenging language. Written language is more rich in vocabulary and syntax than what we tend to use in speaking, and it provides a way to stop and unpack words and pieces of knowledge that support inferencing. Even with second-graders who can read some books on their own, interactive read alouds<\/a> are important for offering language at levels beyond what they can decode or understand independently.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind that texts you use for growing literacy don\u2019t have to be different from texts you use to teach content. Use of content-rich literacy instruction<\/a> is a promising literacy practice: use books and passages about the science or social studies kids are learning this month. Be clear in planning for two outcomes: improving content knowledge and improving language and vocabulary.<\/p>\n

Try it out<\/h2>\n

We want kids talking and listening with one another and with you, their teacher. Here are two practices to check out, each with a clear and comprehensive guide from The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk<\/a> in Texas:<\/p>\n