Reading Comprehension

Understanding stories and reading between the lines — 72 skills across 10 years. Every skill below shows what it builds on and how to tell your child has it.

English72 skillsages 4–14

Grouped by the age children typically start each skill. Ages are typical, not deadlines — follow your child’s pace.

Around age 4

Predicting what happens nextages 4–10AC ✓

Around age 5

Book Features and Author's Reasonsages 5–8AC ✓ Characters, settings, and eventsages 5–8AC ✓ Comparing Characters Across Storiesages 5–9AC ✓ Connecting reading to experienceages 5–7AC ✓ Different Types of Textsages 5–7AC ✓ Discussing Texts as a Groupages 5–10AC ✓ Listening to Texts Read Aloudages 5–10AC ✓ Main Topic of Informational Textsages 5–7AC ✓ Pictures and Text Working Togetherages 5–9AC ✓ Reading between the linesages 5–10AC ✓ Self-Correcting While Readingages 5–11AC ✓

Around age 6

Characters' Viewpoints and Responsesages 6–8AC ✓ Expressive and Sensory Languageages 6–9AC ✓ Main Topic & Key Detailsages 6–10AC ✓ Non-Fiction Text Featuresages 6–9AC ✓ Retelling Stories with Structureages 6–8AC ✓ Story Sequence and Central Messageages 6–8AC ✓

Around age 7

Forms of Poetry and Performanceages 7–10AC ✓ Inferring Characters' Feelings and Motivesages 7–10AC ✓ Main Ideas & Note-Takingages 7–10AC ✓ Story Lessons and Moralsages 7–8AC ✓ Text Features & Presentationages 7–10AC ✓ Themes and messagesages 7–10AC ✓

Around age 8

Character Traits and Motivationages 8–9AC ✓ Connecting Ideas in Textsages 8–9AC ✓ Morals in Fables, Folktales and Mythsages 8–9AC ✓ Structural terminologyages 8–9AC ✓ Why the author wrote itages 8–9AC ✓

Around age 9

Combining information from textsages 9–10AC ✓ Cultural Allusions and Word Meaningages 9–10AC ✓ Explaining Events & Ideasages 9–10AC ✓ Finding Theme and Summarisingages 9–11AC ✓ Firsthand and Secondhand Accountsages 9–10 How authors support their pointsages 9–10AC ✓ In-Depth Character and Setting Analysisages 9–10AC ✓ Interpreting visual information in textsages 9–10AC ✓ Narrator's Point of Viewages 9–10AC ✓ Poems, Drama & Proseages 9–10AC ✓ Recommending Booksages 9–10AC ✓ Structure of information textsages 9–10AC ✓ Text & Media Connectionsages 9–10AC ✓ Themes Across Cultures and Traditionsages 9–10AC ✓

Around age 10

Comparing Booksages 10–11AC ✓ Comparing Characters, Settings and Eventsages 10–11AC ✓ Comparing Structure in Information Textsages 10–11AC ✓ Different viewpoints in textsages 10–11AC ✓ Explaining Relationships in Textsages 10–11AC ✓ Fact vs opinionages 10–11AC ✓ How Authors Treat Similar Themesages 10–11AC ✓ How Language Choices Affect the Readerages 10–11AC ✓ How Parts Build a Whole Textages 10–11AC ✓ Justifying Views About Textsages 10–11AC ✓ Multimedia elements in textsages 10–11AC ✓ Multiple Accounts of Eventsages 10–11AC ✓ Quoting Accurately from Textsages 10–11AC ✓ Summarising Non-Fiction Main Ideasages 10–11AC ✓ Supporting ideas with evidenceages 10–11AC ✓ Synthesising across multiple textsages 10–11AC ✓ Using Multiple Sourcesages 10–11AC ✓

Around age 11

Analysing Text Structureages 11–14AC ✓ Critical comparison across textsages 11–14AC ✓ Evaluating Arguments in Non-Fictionages 11–14AC ✓ Figurative Language and Literary Devicesages 11–14AC ✓ Narrative Perspective and Unreliable Narratorsages 11–14AC ✓ Plot Structure and Character Developmentages 11–14AC ✓ Poetic forms and conventionsages 11–14AC ✓ Purpose, audience, and contextages 11–14AC ✓ Tracing Theme Across a Textages 11–14AC ✓ Understanding drama and performanceages 11–14AC ✓ Using and Evaluating Textual Evidenceages 11–14AC ✓ Wide Independent Reading Across Genresages 11–14AC ✓

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