Comprehension processes grow impressively in such places as these, where children learn to connect prior knowledge, predict dire or good consequences, draw inferences from every danger-filled corner, monitor gaps in their understanding, and interpret how each new clue, revelation, or added piece of knowledge changes what they know. To practice these skills, they learn to unpeel the layers of meaning in a word, a phrase, or a thought. That is, in this long phase of reading development, they leave the surface layers of text to explore the wondrous terrain that lies beneath it.
