The JRX Academy Reading + Comprehension Guide

Reading gives you access to more of the world than almost any other skill you build.

• ◆Stories and culture.
• ◆History and other people’s experiences.
• ◆Science and mathematics.
• ◆Instructions and manuals.
• ◆Ideas, arguments, and research.
• ◆Laws, careers, and opportunities.

The stronger your reading becomes, the more of the world you can enter for yourself.

Reading develops through connected capabilities. Development is not always perfectly linear — an older reader may still need to strengthen an earlier skill.

• ◆Sound + word recognition
• ◆Decoding
• ◆Fluency
• ◆Vocabulary
• ◆Comprehension
• ◆Inference
• ◆Analysis
• ◆Evidence
• ◆Synthesis
• ◆Application

Finding an earlier skill that needs work is useful information, not a judgment.

Phonemic awareness is your ability to notice and work with the sounds inside spoken words.

• ◆Recognizing beginning sounds.
• ◆Identifying ending sounds.
• ◆Blending sounds together.
• ◆Separating sounds apart.
• ◆Changing one sound for another.

If this is a skill you are building, you are building the foundation every strong reader stands on. There is nothing childish about strengthening a foundation.

Phonics helps you connect written letters and letter patterns with sounds.

• ◆Letter-sound relationships.
• ◆Blends and digraphs.
• ◆Vowel patterns.
• ◆Syllable patterns.
• ◆Prefixes and suffixes.
• ◆Other word structures.

What pattern is helping me read this word?

Decoding is figuring out unfamiliar written words accurately.

• ◆Look through the whole word.
• ◆Notice known letter patterns.
• ◆Break the word into parts.
• ◆Identify prefixes and suffixes.
• ◆Divide longer words into syllables.
• ◆Blend the sounds.
• ◆Reread the sentence.
• ◆Check whether the word makes sense in context.

Guessing a word from a picture or from context alone is not decoding. Context is your check, not your first move.

Look at the word. Work the word. Check the meaning.

Word parts help you unlock meaning as well as pronunciation.

Root

The central meaning of the word.

Prefix

A part added to the beginning.

Suffix

A part added to the end.

• ◆un-
• ◆re-
• ◆pre-
• ◆bio
• ◆geo
• ◆-ology
• ◆-ful
• ◆-less

What parts of this word do I recognize?

Fluency is reading accurately, smoothly, and with appropriate expression.

• ◆Accuracy.
• ◆Pace.
• ◆Phrasing.
• ◆Expression.
• ◆Automatic recognition of many words.

Fluent reading frees more attention for meaning.

Speed alone is not the goal. Fast reading without understanding is not strong reading.

Practicing fluency

• ◆Repeated reading.
• ◆Reading aloud.
• ◆Echo reading and modeled reading.
• ◆Partner reading.
• ◆Phrase practice.
• ◆Performance reading, poetry, and scripts.

You should sometimes hear what fluent reading sounds like.

Different purposes require different speeds.

• ◆A simple story reads differently from a science textbook.
• ◆A legal argument reads differently from a poem.
• ◆Complex instructions may require the slowest reading of all.

Read at the speed that helps you understand the purpose.

Skilled readers slow down, reread, pause, or move faster depending on the material.

Vocabulary is the collection of words you understand and can use.

• ◆Conversation.
• ◆Reading.
• ◆Direct instruction.
• ◆Word parts.
• ◆Context.
• ◆Study.
• ◆Writing.
• ◆Repeated exposure.

You do not need to stop for every unfamiliar word. You do need to notice which ones matter.

Does this word matter to my understanding?

If yes, investigate it.

Look around an unfamiliar word for help.

• ◆Definitions nearby.
• ◆Examples.
• ◆Contrasts.
• ◆Synonyms.
• ◆Explanations.
• ◆Surrounding ideas.

Context can help. Context does not always give enough information.

When context is not enough, use a dictionary, glossary, teacher, or another reliable source.

Reading comprehension means understanding what a text communicates.

• ◆Who, what, where, when, why, and how.
• ◆Main ideas and supporting details.
• ◆Sequence, cause and effect, comparison.
• ◆Argument, evidence, and meaning.

What is this text actually saying?

Comprehension is a cycle you run, not a single moment.

• ◆Preview — What am I about to read?
• ◆Read — What is the text saying?
• ◆Pause — What did I understand?
• ◆Question — What is unclear or important?
• ◆Retrieve — What can I explain without looking?
• ◆Check — Did I understand accurately?
• ◆Connect — How does this fit what I already know?
• ◆Use — What can I do with this information?

Spend a moment inspecting a text before you read it.

• ◆Title.
• ◆Headings and subheadings.
• ◆Images, diagrams, and captions.
• ◆Vocabulary.
• ◆Questions and summaries.
• ◆Source information.

What do I predict this text will help me understand?

Previewing prepares your brain. It does not replace actual reading.

Why am I reading this?

• ◆Enjoyment.
• ◆Learning.
• ◆Research.
• ◆Instructions.
• ◆Argument or comparison.
• ◆Studying.
• ◆Solving a problem.
• ◆Preparing for discussion.
• ◆Evaluating a claim.

Your reading strategy should match your purpose.

Topic

What the text is about.

Main idea

What the text is saying about that topic.

Topic: Volcanoes.

Main idea: Volcanic eruptions reshape land and can affect communities far beyond the eruption site.

Supporting details

Ask: which details actually support the main idea?

• ◆Facts and statistics.
• ◆Examples and explanations.
• ◆Descriptions and events.
• ◆Quotations and evidence.

Not every sentence is equally important. Practice stating main ideas in your own words.

A summary captures the most important ideas without repeating everything.

Keep the core. Remove the extra.

Practice summarizing a paragraph, a section, a chapter, a lecture, an article, or a story.

Retelling

May include many events and details in order.

Summarizing

Focuses on what matters most.

Both are useful. Know which one the task is asking for.

Sometimes a text does not say everything directly.

What the text shows + what you already know = a reasonable conclusion.

Inference is not random guessing.

Show the evidence.

Text to self

Does this connect to something I have experienced?

Text to text

Does this connect to something else I have read or seen?

Text to world

Does this connect to history, society, science, culture, or current life?

Connections should deepen understanding. They should never replace attention to what the text actually says.

• ◆What does this mean?
• ◆Why did this happen?
• ◆What evidence supports that?
• ◆What is the author assuming?
• ◆What might happen next?
• ◆What is missing?
• ◆What do I disagree with?
• ◆What do I need to research?

Keep a running list of your reading questions. Bring them to discussion or to your specialist.

Annotation is leaving useful marks or notes while you read.

• ◆Underline, highlight, or circle.
• ◆Write questions.
• ◆Identify evidence.
• ◆Summarize in the margin.
• ◆Mark unfamiliar vocabulary.
• ◆Note connections and tag important ideas.

Mark with a purpose.

Highlighting an entire page tells you nothing later.

An optional annotation code

• ◆? = I have a question
• ◆! = Important or surprising
• ◆E = Evidence
• ◆V = Vocabulary
• ◆C = Connection
• ◆M = Main idea

Adapt the system. No single annotation method is required.

Stories, novels, poetry, drama, memoir, and literary nonfiction reward close reading.

• ◆Character.
• ◆Setting.
• ◆Plot and conflict.
• ◆Theme.
• ◆Point of view.
• ◆Structure and symbolism.
• ◆Language and tone.
• ◆The author’s choices.

What is happening? How is it being told? Why might the author have chosen to tell it this way?

• ◆What does the character want?
• ◆What do they fear?
• ◆What choices do they make?
• ◆How do they change?
• ◆What relationships influence them?
• ◆What evidence reveals their character?

People are not one trait. Neither are well-written characters.

A topic might be friendship.

A theme might be: strong friendships require honesty even when honesty is uncomfortable.

Theme is a claim about meaning, so it needs evidence. It is not one-word labeling.

• ◆Who is telling the story?
• ◆What can that narrator see?
• ◆What can they not see?
• ◆What might they misunderstand?
• ◆How does point of view shape your experience as a reader?

Reading point of view is practice for perspective-taking everywhere else.

• ◆Imagery.
• ◆Sound and rhythm.
• ◆Repetition.
• ◆Metaphor and comparison.
• ◆Line breaks.
• ◆Tone and structure.
• ◆Word choice.

Poetry often requires slower reading and rereading.

What do I notice? — before — What does it mean?

Textbooks, articles, reports, manuals, essays, reference materials, websites, primary documents.

• ◆Central idea.
• ◆Structure.
• ◆Evidence.
• ◆Vocabulary.
• ◆Claims and examples.
• ◆Diagrams.
• ◆Source quality.

Sequence

What happens in order?

Cause + effect

What caused what?

Compare + contrast

How are things similar or different?

Problem + solution

What problem exists and what response is proposed?

Description

What qualities or characteristics are explained?

Recognizing the structure makes comprehension easier.

Claim

What someone says is true.

Evidence

What supports the claim.

Is the evidence strong enough?

This is the same reasoning you will use in research, writing, Law, and civic life.

Fact

A claim that can be checked against evidence.

Opinion

A personal belief, preference, or judgment.

Interpretation

An explanation of what evidence may mean.

Interpretations can be stronger or weaker depending on the evidence behind them. They are not all equally supported.

• ◆Inform.
• ◆Explain.
• ◆Argue or persuade.
• ◆Entertain.
• ◆Describe or instruct.
• ◆Reflect or document.
• ◆Challenge.

What does the author appear to be trying to accomplish? What evidence makes me think that?

Audience

• ◆Who was this written for?
• ◆What does the author assume the audience already knows?
• ◆What language choices reflect that audience?
• ◆What might a different audience need?

This is where reading and Writing + Communication meet.

Tone is the attitude or feeling conveyed through language.

• ◆Serious.
• ◆Humorous.
• ◆Critical.
• ◆Hopeful.
• ◆Angry.
• ◆Formal.
• ◆Conversational.
• ◆Uncertain.

Name the tone, then point to the word choice and structure that show it.

Writers, organizations, and readers all carry perspectives. Bias does not automatically mean false.

• ◆What perspective is present?
• ◆What interests might influence the source?
• ◆What information is emphasized?
• ◆What might be missing?
• ◆What evidence can I verify elsewhere?

This is reading as Read the Field: notice the position a source is speaking from.

Primary source

Direct evidence from the time, person, event, or original research.

• ◆Letters.
• ◆Interviews.
• ◆Photographs.
• ◆Laws and speeches.
• ◆Original datasets.
• ◆Diaries.

Secondary source

Analysis or explanation created using primary and other sources.

• ◆Textbooks.
• ◆Historical analysis.
• ◆Many articles.
• ◆Documentaries.

Both can be useful. Know which one you are holding.

One source may give you information. Multiple independent sources can strengthen confidence.

• ◆Do other strong sources support this?
• ◆Do they disagree?
• ◆Why might they disagree?

Use the Source Comparison Tool later in this guide when a question actually matters.

Online reading requires additional awareness.

• ◆Author.
• ◆Organization.
• ◆Date.
• ◆Evidence and links.
• ◆Sources.
• ◆Advertising.
• ◆Purpose.
• ◆Corrections and context.

The first search result is not automatically the strongest source.

Headlines

A headline is an invitation to read. It is not the entire story.

Short clips + quotes

• ◆What came before?
• ◆What came after?
• ◆What was the full conversation?
• ◆What source is this from?
• ◆Could this change meaning outside its context?

Context matters.

AI can support your reading.

• ◆Define vocabulary.
• ◆Explain a difficult passage.
• ◆Generate questions.
• ◆Compare interpretations.
• ◆Summarize after you have read.
• ◆Create practice activities.

AI can also misunderstand a text, invent details, oversimplify, or be simply wrong.

Use AI to support understanding, not replace reading.

• ◆Did I read the source?
• ◆Can I explain it myself?
• ◆Did I verify important claims?

What am I being asked to do?

• ◆Action words.
• ◆Number of required parts.
• ◆Format.
• ◆Deadline.
• ◆Materials.
• ◆Restrictions.
• ◆Success criteria.

Many mistakes begin before the academic content, because the instructions were not fully read.

Describe

Tell what something is like.

Explain

Show how or why.

Compare / Contrast

Show similarities / show differences.

Analyze

Break something apart and examine relationships.

Evaluate

Judge using criteria and evidence.

Justify

Give reasons and evidence.

Summarize

State the most important ideas.

Interpret

Explain meaning using evidence.

Synthesize

Combine information to build a larger understanding.

Know what the question is asking before you answer it.

Mathematics

Word problems, symbols, graphs, tables, diagrams, definitions, formulas.

• ◆What information do I have?
• ◆What is being asked?
• ◆What information matters?
• ◆What relationship exists?
• ◆What mathematical language needs interpretation?

Science

Specialized vocabulary, processes, diagrams, data, cause and effect, claims, evidence.

Move between text, diagram, table, graph, and explanation.

History + Humanities

• ◆Who created this? When? Why? For whom?
• ◆What was happening at the time?
• ◆What perspective is represented?
• ◆What evidence does it provide?
• ◆What can this source not tell me?

Law + Civics

Laws, court decisions, policies, constitutions, regulations, arguments, testimony.

• ◆Definitions and conditions.
• ◆Rights and responsibilities.
• ◆Exceptions.
• ◆Claims, evidence, and reasoning.

This is educational reading practice, not legal advice.

What do I need to learn before I can act well?

• ◆Instructions.
• ◆Research.
• ◆Examples.
• ◆Manuals.
• ◆Biographies.
• ◆Articles and policies.
• ◆Data.
• ◆Expert guidance.

Reading becomes preparation for action.

Keep meaningful evidence of your reading development.

• ◆Baseline reading samples.
• ◆Fluency progress.
• ◆Annotated texts.
• ◆Comprehension responses and summaries.
• ◆Research notes and source comparisons.
• ◆Vocabulary growth.
• ◆Analytical responses.
• ◆Reading reflections.

Learning should leave a trail.

Reading and writing strengthen each other.

• ◆Vocabulary.
• ◆Sentence structures.
• ◆Arguments and evidence.
• ◆Styles.
• ◆Organization.
• ◆Ideas.

Read like a writer.

• ◆What did this writer do?
• ◆Why did it work?
• ◆What could I learn from it?

Reading stamina is the ability to sustain useful attention while reading. It grows gradually.

• ◆Read for a manageable period.
• ◆Pause.
• ◆Reflect.
• ◆Return.

Stamina is not a contest over who can sit still longest. Understanding remains the purpose.

When your mind wanders

Sometimes you are looking at words without processing them. That is normal.

• ◆Stop.
• ◆Go back.
• ◆Find the last place you understood.
• ◆Read again.

Skilled readers notice when meaning disappears.

Rereading is a strategy, not a failure.

• ◆Meaning is unclear.
• ◆Vocabulary is difficult.
• ◆The passage is complex.
• ◆Evidence matters.
• ◆The first reading revealed something worth revisiting.

Identify

What is making it difficult? Vocabulary? Sentence structure? Background knowledge? Decoding? Concepts? Length?

Support

• ◆Glossary or dictionary.
• ◆Teacher or Academic Specialist.
• ◆Audio support.
• ◆Background reading.
• ◆Chunking.
• ◆Guided questions.
• ◆Partner reading.

Return

Try again with more support.

Audio can support access and learning.

• ◆Access complex content.
• ◆Hear fluent reading.
• ◆Support vocabulary.
• ◆Follow along with the text.
• ◆Review.

When the goal is specifically to develop decoding or independent print reading, your Academic Specialist may require direct reading practice. Know the learning target.

• ◆Alternate reading.
• ◆Ask questions.
• ◆Compare understanding.
• ◆Clarify vocabulary.
• ◆Discuss evidence.
• ◆Summarize.

Partner reading should increase thinking, not let one person do all the work.

Enter discussion with three things

• ◆Claim — What do I think?
• ◆Evidence — What in the text supports it?
• ◆Reasoning — How does the evidence support my thinking?

Be willing to update your interpretation when stronger evidence appears.

Two careful readers can interpret the same text differently.

What evidence supports your interpretation? What evidence supports mine?

The goal is not always immediate agreement. The goal is stronger reasoning.

Humility

Be willing to admit when you do not understand.

Excellence

Read carefully enough to understand what the task requires.

Assertiveness

Ask questions and request clarification.

Respect

Represent authors, ideas, and other readers accurately.

Trust

Do the reading you claim to have done.

Awareness

What am I noticing in the text and in my own understanding?

Expression

Can I explain what I read?

Intention & Impact

What was the author trying to do, and what effect did the text have?

Organization

How is the text structured?

Unity

How do ideas, evidence, context, and perspectives connect?

Identity

What do I believe about myself as a reader?

Purpose

Why am I reading this?

Values

How do honesty, curiosity, and responsibility affect how I read?

Systems

What reading strategies help me?

Environments

Where do I read with strong attention?

Relationships

Who helps me develop as a reader?

Legacy

What knowledge am I gaining that I may eventually use or pass forward?

Reading is how you understand systems: claims, evidence, history, rules, data, perspectives, arguments, and sources.

• ◆Economics → Prosperity
• ◆Education → Knowledge
• ◆Entertainment → Joy
• ◆Labor → Service
• ◆Law → Justice
• ◆Politics → Truth
• ◆Religion → Peace
• ◆War → Love

Every field you will ever read about keeps records. Learn to read them.

There is no such thing as a bad reader. There are readers at different points of development.

• ◆What can I already do?
• ◆What am I developing?
• ◆What support works for me?
• ◆What progress has occurred?

Say “I am developing…” instead of using permanent labels.

Reading level

A reading level helps adults estimate which texts may give you appropriate access or challenge. It is not your identity.

• ◆What should I practice?
• ◆What can I access independently?
• ◆Where might I need support?
• ◆What challenge am I ready for?

If your reading development needs targeted support, you should be able to answer:

• ◆What skill am I building?
• ◆Why is it important?
• ◆What will we practice?
• ◆How often?
• ◆Who will help?
• ◆How will progress be measured?
• ◆When will we review?

Specific examples

• ◆Decoding multisyllabic words.
• ◆Increasing fluency.
• ◆Building vocabulary.
• ◆Identifying main ideas.
• ◆Strengthening inference.
• ◆Improving informational-text comprehension.

If you are demonstrating advanced readiness, you may move into:

• ◆More complex texts.
• ◆Advanced literature.
• ◆Independent research.
• ◆Specialized academic reading.
• ◆Primary sources and scholarly articles.
• ◆Comparative analysis.
• ◆Philosophy and advanced humanities.
• ◆Discipline-specific texts.

Greater complexity, depth, independence, and application — not simply more pages.

Your Academic Specialist may use this guide with you to identify the specific reading skill you are developing.

• ◆Decoding.
• ◆Fluency.
• ◆Vocabulary.
• ◆Comprehension.
• ◆Inference.
• ◆Informational reading.
• ◆Literary analysis.
• ◆Evidence.
• ◆Research reading.

A strong reading goal names the actual skill. “Get better at reading” is not a goal.

Early reading is built on language, sound, and story.

• ◆Language and sounds.
• ◆Phonemic awareness and phonics.
• ◆Decoding and fluency.
• ◆Vocabulary.
• ◆Stories and comprehension.
• ◆Reading aloud and discussion.
• ◆Play and curiosity.

What happened? What did you notice? What word did you learn? What do you think?

• ◆Independent reading.
• ◆Vocabulary.
• ◆Informational text.
• ◆Literary analysis.
• ◆Main ideas and inference.
• ◆Evidence and summarizing.
• ◆Source comparison and research reading.
• ◆Annotation and stamina.

You should increasingly know your own reading goals and the strategies that work for you.

• ◆Advanced coursework and college reading.
• ◆Trades and certifications.
• ◆Employment and professional documents.
• ◆Contracts.
• ◆Research and technical manuals.
• ◆Civic life.
• ◆Career-specific reading.
• ◆Independent learning.

Can I understand the reading demands of my next opportunity?

• ◆What reading skill improved?
• ◆What evidence shows it?
• ◆What kind of text is easiest for me?
• ◆What kind of text challenges me?
• ◆Which strategies actually help?
• ◆What vocabulary did I gain?
• ◆Can I identify main ideas more accurately?
• ◆Can I support my thinking with evidence?
• ◆Can I compare sources?
• ◆Where do I still need support?
• ◆What am I ready to read next?