Interpreting written language and translating it into words and sentences that convey thoughts and ideas.

Reading is the recognition of printed letters and their interpretation as words and sentences. Words are used to convey, for example, information, instructions, warnings, and traffic directions. For most people in modern societies, the skill of reading is practiced numerous times during the course of a day.

Reading is a complex process involving vision and many cognitive and memory skills. Infants and toddlers begin to gain an understanding of the relationship between printed letters, words, and their meanings when someone reads aloud to them. Vocabulary is developed through the process of hearing language spoken in context; young children who enter school with rich vocabularies are more likely to be successful in learning to read.

Most schools begin to teach the skills of reading in kindergarten. Students' readiness for reading depends on a number...