Praxis Reading

Praxis Reading is a foundational subject that prepares future educators to master reading comprehension, analysis, and practical application for the Praxis teacher certification exam.

Basic Concepts

Reading Comprehension Fundamentals

What is Reading Comprehension?

Reading comprehension is the ability to process text, understand its meaning, and integrate it with what you already know. It's more than just recognizing words—it's about making sense of what the author is saying and why.

Key Skills for Success

  • Identifying Main Ideas: Spotting the central point in a passage.
  • Supporting Details: Picking out facts or examples that back up the main idea.
  • Making Inferences: Reading between the lines to understand what isn't explicitly stated.

Why It Matters

Strong reading comprehension skills help you engage with texts in meaningful ways—vital for both teaching and learning. On the Praxis exam, you'll encounter passages where you need to showcase these skills.

Tips for Improvement

  • Ask yourself, “What is the author’s main point?”
  • Summarize paragraphs in your own words as you read.
  • Use context clues to figure out unfamiliar words.

Examples

  • After reading an article about renewable energy, a student summarizes that the main point is the importance of reducing carbon emissions.

  • While reading a story, you realize that a character is upset, even though it’s not directly stated.

In a Nutshell

Reading comprehension means understanding, analyzing, and making sense of written texts.

Key Terms

Main Idea
The central thought or message of a text.
Inference
A logical conclusion drawn from evidence and reasoning.