If decoding is adequate but comprehension remains weak, instruction should target which of the following?

• A. Phonemic awareness and decoding practice.
• B. Fluency rate improvements.
• C. Vocabulary knowledge, background knowledge, and cognitive strategies.
• D. Spelling accuracy only.

Answer: (C)

When decoding is already solid, helping students understand what they read hinges on building meaning-making skills. Focus on expanding vocabulary so students know the precise meanings of words and phrases, enhancing background knowledge so they can connect new text to what they already know, and teaching cognitive strategies that guide comprehension—such as predicting, questioning, clarifying, visualizing, inferring, and summarizing. Instruction might include explicit vocabulary instruction before and during reading, rich experiences that broaden content knowledge, and guided practice with modeling and feedback on using those strategies. For example, before a passage, introduce key terms, connect to relevant experiences, and demonstrate how to ask questions and paraphrase what was read. Focusing on decoding or fluency alone won’t fully boost understanding when the reader already recognizes words; spelling practice similarly targets accuracy rather than meaning-making.