Reading 11-1: Understanding
Understanding is knowing more than the definition of words. Understanding means you understand the background of a story or article. 
Background is general information needed to understand a story or article. Sometimes the author gives background information, but sometimes the author thinks the reader already knows, so there will be no background information.
If the reader does not understand the background, the reader must do research to learn more.
Context is a word that is used a lot with understanding. Context means that the story or article has a place more information that can connect to it. The more information we know, the more context we know.
Ex.
“It is time to execute,” said the president.
It is difficult to understand what the president is saying without context. The word “execute” most often means “officially kill someone.” Is the president talking about killing someone?
Ex.
“We have many plans we need to see put into action. It is time to execute,” said the president.
With more context, it is easier to understand what the president is saying.
To gain background, context, and understanding you should do research. Sometimes vocabulary is not enough for understanding. You need to know more about a specific person or topic.
Most research can be done online. Search engines like google will provide answers to your research questions.
Ex.
Richard Nixon plays his Piano Concerto.
To understand this, you might need to know two things:
- Who is Richard Nixon?
- What is a Piano Concerto.
Research gives us the answers:
Richard Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974.
and
A piano concerto is a piece of music written for a piano, where the piano is accompanied by either a large body of instruments or a whole orchestra.
You may have to look up other words like “orchestra”, but research helps to complete your understanding of reading.