Today, reading and comprehension of the texat is very important in improving the functional literacy of students. Researchers believe that a comprehensive, multifaceted analysis is needed to recognize the text. It is necessary not only to understand the features of the semantic content and compositional structure of the text, but also to take into account the author's position, the author's inner world, creative individuality, worldview, to whom he wrote the work. However, today we get acquainted only with the external content and form of the work, without recognizing and understanding its internal meaning and content. Today's young reader is not accustomed to reading the work in depth. The article demonstrates and theoretically substantiates methods based on increasing students' understanding and cognitive activity through functional learning.