What is a key aspect of comprehension strategies?

Comprehension strategies are essential for understanding texts effectively, and a key aspect of these strategies involves the use of conscious plans to make sense of the material. This means that readers actively engage with the text by employing specific techniques, such as summarizing, questioning, predicting, and clarifying. These methods help learners to actively construct meaning and deepen their understanding, as they are intentional and structured approaches to processing information.

In contrast, relying on unconscious methods to understand text does not facilitate a thorough or mindful engagement with the content, which might lead to superficial understanding. Additionally, simply repeating the text verbatim does not foster comprehension, as it does not require the reader to process or interpret the information meaningfully. While prior knowledge can enhance understanding, it is not sufficient on its own; effective comprehension requires active application of strategies that integrate that knowledge with new information. Thus, the conscious application of strategies is what significantly enhances one's capacity to comprehend written materials.