Kids love a good mystery, and they won't be disappointed with the 20 "who-dunits" Detective Bree Cody encounters in this captivating skill-based book.Enthusiasm will skyrocket as students join police detective Bree Cody and her cat Rico, on a trek through the adventures of police work. The high-interest stories are sure to involve even the most reluctant readers as they investigate cases of theft, a missing person, arson, and much more! Mysterious characters such as Junkyard Jesse, an old miner from Landpuddle Lake; Mr. Dower, the druggist; and even a shy little pack rat add color and intrigue to the reading passages.Reading comprehension and critical-thinking skills get a workout as students reach each mystery, then follow the clues to their logical conclusions. Clever questions and activities encourage students to find facts, read for details, analyze situations, make inferences, and predict outcomes. 48 pages.Contents Include: * 20 Mysteries plus Follow-up Questions * Story Map * Mystery Template * Progress Chart * Answer Key Reading Level 3.4-6.2 | Interest Level Grade 4-12

Retaining what is heard! Short, bright, read-aloud stories about subjects ranging from “Something to Smile About” to “Making Movies,” are at the core of the 30 lessons in this learning unit. After listening closely to each story, students are given independent activities that focus on drawing conclusions, finding the main idea, and remembering details. By getting youngsters involved in the stories, they will gradually learn more thoughtful listening techniques.

Effective reading and comprehension building exercises.After reading about “jumping beans,” “Clara Barton,” “tidal waves,” “yawning,” “neon signs,” and more, students are challenged with a series of True/False statements.All 25 lessons in this illustrated book encourage young readers to absorb what they read so they have the information needed to determine if the follow-up statements ring true or false. 28-page book includes an answer key. Reading Level 3 | Interest Level 4-8

Critical reading, thinking, and understanding are required in order to answer the questions that follow each of the short articles in this 25-lesson book.Some of the questions call for factual answers found in the text. Other questions are based on the reader’s ability to apply logic, make inferences, recognize cause and effect, draw conclusions, and use reason to come up with answers. Clever illustrations pertaining to the topics are sometimes part of the comprehension process. 32-page book includes an answer key. Reading Level 3-4 | Interest Level 4-8

Being able to determine main ideas is crucial to writing book reports, outlining, reading social studies and science materials, and general reading comprehension. That is why the lessons in this unit are so important.The 26 exercises in found here have been designed to help develop a thinking process for finding the main idea. Students begin by finding topics in sentences, then identify the main idea in a sentence. From here they move on to finding the focus of a paragraph, writing the main idea, and finally coming up with summary sentences for books. 28-page book includes an answer key. Reading Level 3-4 | Interest Level 4-8

Reading Made Fun for Young Minds!“Draw a blue line from the animal to its food.” “Make an X on the hat.” “Circle the title that tells about the picture.”Creative illustrations and comprehension-building directions for executing the 30 lessons in this book are sure to keep students on their toes. Whether “writing a word under its heading” or “circling phrases that do not belong,” children cannot help but hone their reading, writing, and spelling skills.

Understanding the written word - in all its forms.Whether being asked to read an advertisement, decode a message, or follow a recipe, the 30 illustrated activities included in this book provide an intriguing way to boost comprehension skills.From answering questions about a personal letter, identifying true/false statements after reading a paragraph on cats, or completing a crossword puzzle after finishing a story about “Bottle Messages,” the lessons in this book will make honing reading, writing, and spelling skills an enjoyable exercise.

Now you can prepare students for standardized tests easily and thoroughly without disrupting your on-going curriculum!Easily incorporated into your daily routine, E-Z Test Readiness offers small units of practice featuring the concepts, format, and response styles of major standardized tests. These "mini-tests" offer repeated practice of sample items in a standardized testing format. The multiple-choice questions and corresponding bubble sheet are sure to add to the realistic experience.Based on the most widely used national standardized tests, E-Z Test Readiness will: reduce test anxiety, build confidence, improve test scores, increase mastery of content, and more!

Boost test scores to new heights with this practice-packed book!The fun, easy-to-do lessons will guide your students through important skills, one-by-one, while the appealing illustrations are sure to keep interest soaring. Part of the Score Booster Series, this comprehensive, teacher-designed workbook is loaded with high-interest lessons that focus on many of the essential skills students are required to know on standardized tests. Easy to incorporate into the daily curriculum, these high-interest activities are sure to improve the reading, math, and language skills of even the most reluctant learner. 144-page book includes an answer key.

Hone reading skills!Whether being asked to read a short newspaper article about space machines, a description of the different parts of a spider, or a letter written by Daniel Boone, the 30 illustrated activities included in this book provide an interesting way to boost comprehension skills.By answering questions about information presented on “why the eye’s pupils change size,” a short biography of John James Audubon, the different parts of a dollar bill, and much more, students will fine tune their reading, writing, and spelling skills. This 32-page book includes an answer key.

Teaching humor! It’s not at all absurd. In fact, absurdity is at the core of both critical cause-and-effect thinking and basic humor.Example: “We took our dog to training classes so he could learn to chase cars.” The reasoning here is absurd. Can you rewrite the sentence to make a little more sense?From slapstick comedy to abstract puns, absurdity plays a key role. Research now offers evidence of the value of humor as a tool for promoting emotional balance, stimulating intellectual growth, and improving physical well-being. In this learning unit, you’ll find 24 “absurdly” enlightening lessons. The step-by-step exercises are sure to improve thinking and logic skills.

Just the facts please!The 23 lessons in this unit are designed to provide a variety of sources from which students extract factual information. The practical yet interesting formats encourage students to analyze signs, product packaging, advertisements, diagrams, receipts, and more. Example: Smith’s Bicycle Shop displays a “Store Hours” sign in the window. “How many hours longer is the shop open on Friday than Saturday?”From money math and word problems, to shoe sizes and calendar questions, student will develop the thinking skills of analysis, comprehension, and application. They will also use language and math skills in practical, everyday situations.

Putting basic logic into practice! Because logic is the basis for all reasoning skills, it is important to teach it in as many different formats as possible. The 24 lessons in this unit involve the basic skills of language, math, and visual perception. Students must analyze each problem, evaluate possible solutions, and follow sequential steps to arrive at a conclusion. Example: Choose the ending that is most logical: “My bike has a flat tire, so: A) I need a new bike. B) I should fix the tire. C) I’ll ride it anyway.”The sequential activities featured here will most certainly help young learners develop critical thinking skills.

Putting knowledge to work. Comprehension implies the understanding of information and the ability to see basic relationships. The 26 lessons in this unit provide plenty of practice in areas that emphasize comprehension. Students are involved in interpreting verbal and visual communications (A dinosaur “size chart” is provided. “How long was the Tyrannosaurus?”), making comparisons (Using the Table of Contents provided: “Which chapter is shorter?”), and finding relationships with the “big picture” (Using the map of the Lone Star Camp: “Where does the trail from the cabin lead?”). The sequential activities featured here are sure to develop critical thinking skills.

Promote thinking!Analysis is the ability to break a whole into its component parts and understand how each functions as part of the whole. The ability to reason logically is a major skill at this step of the critical thinking process. The 27 lessons in this unit include a variety of analogies and puzzles. As students work the exercises they learn to examine the whole, make judgments about the pieces, and finally see how these pieces relate to each other.Example: “Hoot. Clang. Creak. Yelp. Whinny…: A door that needs oiling would ____. A hungryHorse would ____. A frightened puppy would ____.”These sequential activities are sure to improve thinking and logic skills. And, because they seem more like games than work, students will have loads of fun.

“Synthesis” is the ability to combine parts of a whole in new and different ways. It requires students to think flexibly, determine alternatives, and find new ways to accomplish a given task. A more advanced level of abstract thinking is needed for synthesis. The 25 lessons in this unit encourage students to go beyond the obvious to more original thoughts. Example: An illustration of a bulb connected to a battery is presented. “Electricity is stored in a battery.” Look at the accompanying pictures of batteries, wires, and light bulbs. “Which bulbs do you think will light up?”The sequential activities featured here are sure to develop critical thinking skills.

Informed thinking! “Knowledge” is defined by Bloom’s Taxonomy as “the obtaining and recall of information.” As such, it is an important step in building effective thinking and problem solving skills. When students are able to absorb information or easily recall it, their ability to effectively think and reason is expanded.The 26 lessons in this unit provide plenty of practice in areas that emphasize knowledge.Classifying shapes and words: (“Things you put air in: beach ball, saw, tires, skis…”), analyzing images: (“If the sentence is a FACT you can prove by the picture, write FACT on the line.”), distinguishing real from make-believe (“Mr. Bibble sent his nephew a monkey that could make a banana cream pie.”) are just some of the exercises featured.

“Evaluation” is the most abstract and complex level of critical thinking. To evaluate or make judgments, students must accept a given criteria as the standard before being able to come to an accurate conclusion.The 25 lessons in this unit provide practice with personal values, accuracy of facts, recognizing bias, and using reference sources.Example: “You want to go to a summer camp. What makes a good one?”The sequential activities featured here are sure to develop critical thinking skills.

Test logical thinking! Solving the oodles of picture problems and word logic puzzles in this book will keep students’ minds active and promote logical thinking. Children must learn to organize the clues presented so they can reach the logical solutions. In all, there are 25 exercises that progressively increase in difficulty.