Jimmy is at the very beginning stage of understanding what he reads. If he picks up a book with a dog and cat on the cover, he can understand the book will be about a dog and cat. If he reads, ‘The dog runs,’ Jimmy knows that means the dog runs. He is able to read and understand text on a literal level, understanding what the words mean in a very basic way. Students at this level understand the words on the page as they are written.

At this basic level, students can answer basic, fact-related questions. Jimmy’s teacher may ask him about a fact from the book, such as who the characters are or the setting of the story. In nonfiction, Jimmy may be able to understand concepts such as sequence, or the order of steps in directions. This level of comprehension relies on a student’s ability to recall facts and figures from what is read and is a low-level thinking skill.