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The Simple View of Reading, explained.
The Simple View of Reading is one of the most useful ideas in reading, and it fits in a single line: reading comprehension is word reading multiplied by language comprehension. It was set out by researchers Gough and Tunmer in 1986, and decades of work have supported it. It is simple, but it changes how you find what a struggling reader actually needs.
The formula
Reading comprehension equals decoding times language comprehension. Decoding is turning print into words. Language comprehension is understanding those words as spoken language. Reading comprehension is what happens when both work together.
Why it multiplies, and does not add
The two halves multiply, so if either is near zero, reading comprehension is near zero. A child who decodes perfectly but does not understand the language cannot comprehend, and a child who understands language well but cannot decode cannot read it independently. You cannot make up for a missing half with more of the other.
The four profiles
Both strong
Decoding and language comprehension are both solid, and reading comprehension follows.
Weak decoding, strong language
The pattern often linked with dyslexia: the child understands when read to, but cannot get the words off the page.
Strong decoding, weak language
The child reads accurately but does not understand, which points to the language side.
Both weak
Both halves need building, usually starting with decoding while language grows alongside.
What it means for helping a child
Before choosing what to do, find which half is weak. A decoding gap calls for structured, explicit phonics; a language gap calls for vocabulary, background knowledge and talk about text. Our guides on reading without understanding and structured literacy follow from this. A fuller picture of the strands inside each half is the Reading Rope.
Source: the Simple View of Reading, Gough and Tunmer (1986); overview at Reading Rockets.
See it in action. In the Lillory app, the games build the word-reading half of this formula directly and in order, from single sounds up to multisyllable words.