Instructional models for foreign language reading and listening comprehension are outlined and synthesized, and an instructional procedure based on immediate recall, a standardized method for assessing first-language comprehension, is proposed. First, the interrelated processes of reading and listening comprehension, as currently defined in the research literature, are discussed. Differences in the processing of oral and written texts and the role of individual language comprehension strategies are examined. Second, the instructional procedure itself is described and examples of student responses to the protocols for reading and listening are provided. Implications of differential student responses for lesson planning are discussed. Finally, issues in comprehension testing and scoring are addressed. (MSE)