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I don’t know a nice way to say this so Imma just come out and say it: a LOT of American adults can’t read beyond the middle school level.
Do they know how to say the words on a page? Yes...but I can read Spanish and still not know a single thing I just “read”. It’s called word calling and able to read something doesn’t mean you comprehend it.
First off, vocabulary is a HUGE shortcoming. People use words incorrectly. The definition might be similar but the context is completely off. For example, someone used resemblance when they meant semblance. Synonyms but contextually different.
Inferring is another area of missed opportunity. Because we attach our own thoughts, ideas and beliefs to what we read (text to self connection), people add to what they’ve read - and what has been added isn’t on the page.
An example of that one: I asked Black men to read to my Black boys based on a 20+ year study on the relative success of men who grew up with father figures in their community. Someone said “So I guess it’s fuck Black girls then?!”
Causation and correlation kicks y’all’s asses as well. Numbers DO lie. It happens every time someone brings up the stat that 72% of Black children are born out of wedlock and fail to fully analyze anything about that percentage.
Finally...a lot of people don’t have the background knowledge to fully grasp what they’ve just read and refuse to ask questions about it. The woman who tried to debate procedural vs conceptual TEACHING in math wasn’t even a teacher but read what I wrote about it and disagreed.
Khan Academy is a great (free) tool for adults to practice reading comprehension ESPECIALLY informational texts. Start in middle school. What you don’t know might surprise you.
Anyways, have a great day and READ!!
