Students should have opportunities to engage with texts that move them from literal comprehension requiring very little inference to more complex texts that require the use of multiple comprehension skills to construct meaning. Once students comprehend a text, they can interact with the ideas the text presents, recognizing the larger themes and messages and how they can apply the knowledge gained to their lives and the world around them. Responses may be oral, written or illustrated.

a verbal or written reaction to something that is read, viewed, written, or heard