What does the discourse or deep structure cueing focus on?

The focus of discourse or deep structure cueing is primarily on the relationship between vocabulary and background knowledge. This approach emphasizes the importance of activating students' prior knowledge to make connections with new concepts and language. It allows learners to enhance their comprehension by linking new vocabulary to familiar experiences or information, thereby facilitating deeper understanding.

By utilizing this strategy, educators help students relate the text to their own experiences, which can significantly improve retention and meaning-making. This approach is crucial for building comprehension, particularly for English learners who may struggle with language nuances or unfamiliar contexts. Engaging with background knowledge ensures that learners are not just decoding words, but are also able to synthesize and analyze the information being presented in a broader context.

This method contrasts with aspects such as reading fluency, which may focus more on the speed and accuracy of reading without as much emphasis on comprehension or connection. Analyzing sentence structure could involve focusing on grammar rather than the contextual understanding of vocabulary. Encouraging silent reading, while beneficial for certain skills, may not directly address the relationship between vocabulary and prior knowledge in the same way that deep structure cueing does.