The Definition of Reading

For the purposes of The Partnership for Reading, the National Reading Panel, and the Reading First law, reading is defined as:

A complex system of deriving meaning from print that requires all of the following:

• the skills and knowledge to understand how phonemes, or speech sounds, are connected to print;
• the ability to decode unfamiliar words;
• the ability to read fluently;
• sufficient background information and vocabulary to foster reading comprehension;
• the development of appropriate active strategies to construct meaning from print;
• the development and maintenance of a motivation to read.