Comprehension, or understanding what a text is communicating, is the goal of reading and is the reason we read. While there are several important pieces that contribute to comprehension, for example background knowledge and knowledge of the text structure, the other Big 4 are also building blocks of comprehension. It is not uncommon for teachers to choose to teach comprehension skills (main idea, inferring, sequencing, etc.) which have been found to have minimal impact on reading comprehension (notation), without realizing that a lack of fluency, decoding skills and vocabulary may be the factors that are impeding a student’s comprehension.

If students cannot hear that words are made up of sounds (PA), they will not be able to recognize them in text. If students are not able to decode, they will not be able to understand what is on the page (Phonics). If students do not understand the words they are reading, even though they can decode them, they will not be able to comprehend (Vocabulary). Finally, if students are not able to read quickly and accurately, they will have trouble moving past the text to the message the author is trying to convey (Fluency).