Decoding:
* Focus: Recognizing words and their sounds.
* Skills: Sounding out words, identifying letters and their sounds, using phonics.
* Example: A child reading "cat" by sounding out each letter.
Comprehension:
* Focus: Understanding the meaning of the text.
* Skills: Inferring meaning, connecting ideas, identifying main ideas, making predictions, drawing conclusions, remembering information.
* Example: A child reading "The cat sat on the mat" and understanding that a furry animal named "cat" is sitting on a floor covering called a "mat."
Beyond Decoding to Comprehension:
* Meaningful Engagement: You move from simply recognizing words to actively engaging with the text to extract its meaning.
* Critical Thinking: You go beyond the literal level and start analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating the text.
* Increased Knowledge: You acquire new information and insights from the text, expanding your understanding of the world.
* Enhanced Communication: You are better able to discuss and share your thoughts and opinions about the text with others.
* Improved Reading Fluency: Comprehension helps you read faster and more smoothly, as your brain is actively processing the information.
Think of it like this: Decoding is like learning the alphabet. Comprehension is like learning to write a story with the alphabet.
Ultimately, moving beyond decoding to comprehension empowers you to become an active and engaged reader who can critically analyze and understand the world around you.