The Simple View of Reading

The Simple View of Reading proposes that reading comprehension depends on two main skills: decoding (recognizing words on the page) and language comprehension (understanding spoken language). To understand what they read, a person must be able to convert text into words and also grasp the meaning behind those words. Both skills are essential; if decoding is weak, reading is slow and difficult, and if language comprehension is weak, even good decoders struggle to understand. Effective reading development, therefore, focuses on improving both decoding skills and language comprehension strategies.