As we prepare for teaching, it is common to consider two types of knowledge that are necessary for students’ reading success. The first type is declarative knowledge, often referred to background or prior knowledge. This knowledge represents the content of learning—science, mathematics, literature—and we must ascertain that students have a sufficient foundation of declarative knowledge on which to learn new declarative knowledge. Declarative knowledge is the focus of our school tests and assessments. The second type of knowledge is procedural knowledge, or strategic knowledge. Students must have strategies for processing the texts they read so that they can construct meaning. Teaching reading strategies helps students gain this procedural knowledge. While declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge are essential for student learning, there are three additional types of knowledge worthy of our focus: conditional, disciplinary and epistemic. Conditional knowledge includes comprehension monitoring, metacognition and executive functioning. This knowledge is a hallmark of all accomplished readers and it permits our student readers to read independently and successfully. Disciplinary knowledge includes students’ understanding of fields of inquiry—how scientists, historians, and literary critics read within their special areas. This knowledge influences the nature of reading and related inquiry. The fifth and final type of knowledge is epistemic knowledge, which assists readers in adopting a stance towards the texts they read. Epistemic knowledge helps readers determine if they should read critically, read to construct a literal meaning, read to evaluate, or read to expand their thinking. Combined, these five types of knowledge equip our student readers with the means to successfully and

independently read, learn and grow.