Reading Comprehension | Social Studies | Fiction/Nonfiction Pairing | Gold Rush Supports Best Practices in Reading by Pairing History-Based Nonfiction Stories with Fiction Stories on the Same Topic! Each exciting and fact-filled story is accompanied by a dynamic, colorful, realistic illustration that brings the story to life and enhances the content. The nonfiction story gives a detailed, historic explanation of the topic. The matching fiction story makes the topic relatable to everyday life. Reading Skills Follow-up questions and activities help build important comprehension skills and strategies shared by and unique to nonfiction and fiction stories. By reading the stories and completing the accompanying activities, students will have a much greater understanding of these two key genres of reading. “Gold Rush” The nonfiction story sets up the fiction story with interesting facts about the thousands of people who came to California hoping to strike it rich by finding a gold mine. “Moving On” The fiction story tells about a family that experiences the “boom” and “bust” associated with the California gold rush. They started with a successful business and ending up with nothing and having to move on. Questions & Activities Each story is followed by who, what, when, where, why, and how type questions. Additional skill-specific questions for each story include: Main Idea, Locating Information, Fact or Opinion, Sequencing, Cause & Effect, Conclusion, Inference, Summarizing, and Picture Interpretation. Vocabulary activities include: vocabulary matching, word search, and context. Details: Each short story is about 345 words and is written at a 3.3 to 4.6 reading level according to the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Scale. The interest level is grades 4 and up. Contents Include: • 2 high-interest, illustrated, short stories • 10 pages of questions and activities • Glossary • Answer Key • 18 total pages

Reading Labels & Packaging | Life Skills | Comprehension Activities | Visual Lessons. These practical activities will give your students a chance to practice real-life reading opportunities that are sure to prepare them for the real world. Whether grocery shopping, doing laundry, or receiving a package in the mail, reading labels and packaging is a part of everyday life. However, some students need specific instruction and practice before they are able to understand, interpret, and use what they have read in these unique and complex formats. Contents Include: 10 Full-Color, Realistic Labels & Packaging Cards (measure 8.5"x11"). Print these or display them on your whiteboard or digital device. 100 Follow-up Comprehension Questions (10 questions per card). 10 Black/White, Realistic Labels & Packaging Cards (for easy printing) This visually exciting unit provides the practice students need to build confidence, while increasing reading comprehension and essential life skills. Each of the 10 highly visual “cards” portray a specific real-life reading challenge. Follow-up questions require students to refer back to the card as they read, interpret, and use the information. Great for individual students or small groups! Reading Level 3-4 | Interest Level 4-12

Life Skills | Environmental Print | Maps | Directories | Guides | Special Education | Locating Information | Reading Comprehension. Practice real-life reading opportunities with these ready-to-use activities designed to prepare students for the real world. Students get tons of practice interpreting and understanding highly-visual signs and charts then learn to apply what they have read in their everyday lives. Whether finding a store at the mall, taking a road trip, or looking for tonight’s football game on your TV schedule, reading directories, guides, and maps is an essential part of everyday life. However, some students need specific instruction and practice before they are able to understand, interpret, and use what they have read in these unique and complex formats. These colorful lessons are sure to motivate even the most reluctant learners while they improve their essential life skills. Contents Include: 10 Full-Color, Realistic Environmental Signs/Graphics. (measure 8.5"x11"). Print these or display them on your whiteboard or digital device. 10 Black/White, Realistic Environmental Cards (for easy printing) 10 Follow-Up Comprehension Activities for EACH card. 100 Comprehension Questions! SUMMARY: This visually exciting unit provides the practice students need to build confidence, while increasing reading comprehension and essential life skills. Each of the 10 highly visual “cards” portray a specific real-life reading challenge. Follow-up questions require students to refer back to the card as they read, interpret, and use the information. Great for individual students or small groups! Reading Level 3 - 4 Interest Level 4 - 12

Reading Skills Activities | Reading Comprehension | Sequence Improve Overall Reading Comprehension with Targeted Specific Skill Practice! Focusing on one comprehension skill at a time gives students the opportunity to master that skill and improve their general reading and comprehension skills. Sequence: Understanding the sequence of a story means knowing the order in which events happen. A good introduction to this skill, is explaining that sequence is about time. Most events in a story are written in chronological order. There are things that happen in the beginning, middle, and end of a story. Skill Specific Activities There are 15 high-interest, short stories in this selection that include a variety of fiction and non-fiction topics. The follow up questions guide students to find the sequence of event. Key words to look for when reading are: first, last, next, before, after, later, during, then, while and finally. Each story is numbered instead of having a title. The last question for each story asks the students to give the story a title. This important activity helps to determine the student’s level of understanding the story’s main idea. Visual Lesson Each story has an engaging illustration designed to bring the story to life and help capture the interest of reluctant readers. To help sharpen inference skills, students can be asked to use the illustration to predict what the story is about. Teaching Opportunities These targeted activities are great for one-on-one intervention, small groups of students at multiple skill levels or whole class participation. Activities can be used for remediation, review, and transition classes. Details: Each short story is between 140 and 160 words and is written at a 2.0 to 3.5 reading level according to the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Scale. The interest level is grades 4 and up. Contents Include: • 15 high-interest, short stories • 15 pages of skill-specific questions focusing on Sequence • Answer Key

Reading Skills Activities | Reading Comprehension | Finding Facts Improve Overall Reading Comprehension with Targeted Specific Skill Practice! Focusing on one comprehension skill at a time gives students the opportunity to master that skill and improve their general reading and comprehension skills. Finding Facts: Being able to find the facts in a story is a basic, yet essential, comprehension skill. It helps to lay the foundation for success in mastering other comprehension skills. You may want to introduce this skill by explaining to students that facts are small bits of information that make up the whole of a story. Skill Specific Activities There are 15 high-interest, short stories in this selection that include a variety of fiction and non-fiction topics. The follow up questions guide students to find the facts. The facts might be who, what, where, when or why. Or they might be the names of people and places, dates, times, and numbers. Each story is numbered instead of having a title. The last question for each story asks the students to give the story a title. This important activity helps to determine the student’s level of understanding the story’s main idea. Visual Lesson Each story has an engaging illustration designed to bring the story to life and help capture the interest of reluctant readers. To help sharpen inference skills, students can be asked to use the illustration to predict what the story is about. Teaching Opportunities These targeted activities are great for one-on-one intervention, small groups of students at multiple skill levels or whole class participation. Can be used for remediation, review, and transition classes. Details: Each short story is between 140 and 160 words and is written at a 3.0 to 4.5 reading level according to the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Scale. The interest level is grades 4 and up. Contents Include: • 15 high-interest, short stories • 15 pages of skill-specific questions focusing on Finding Facts • Answer Key

Reading Skills Activities | Reading Comprehension | Sequence Improve Overall Reading Comprehension with Targeted Specific Skill Practice! Focusing on one comprehension skill at a time gives students the opportunity to master that skill and improve their general reading and comprehension skills. Sequence: Understanding the sequence of a story means knowing the order in which events happen. A good introduction to this skill, is explaining that sequence is about time. Most events in a story are written in chronological order. There are things that happen in the beginning, middle, and end of a story. Skill Specific Activities There are 15 high-interest, short stories in this selection that include a variety of fiction and non-fiction topics. The follow-up questions guide students to find the sequence of events. Key words to look for when reading are: first, last, next, before, after, later, during, then, while and finally. Each story is numbered instead of having a title. The last question for each story asks the students to give the story a title. This important activity helps to determine the student’s level of understanding the story’s main idea. Visual Lesson Each story has an engaging illustration designed to bring the story to life and help capture the interest of reluctant readers. To help sharpen inference skills, students can be asked to use the illustration to predict what the story is about. Teaching Opportunities These targeted activities are great for one-on-one intervention, small groups of students at multiple skill levels or whole class participation. Activities can be used for remediation, review, and transition classes. Details: Each short story is between 140 and 160 words and is written at a 3.0 to 4.5 reading level according to the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Scale. The interest level is grades 4 and up. Contents Include: • 15 high-interest, short stories • 15 pages of skill-specific questions focusing on Sequence • Answer Key

Reading Skills Activities | Reading Comprehension | Drawing Conclusions Improve Overall Reading Comprehension with Targeted Specific Skill Practice! Focusing on one comprehension skill at a time gives students the opportunity to master that skill and improve their general reading and comprehension skills. Drawing Conclusions: Being able to draw a conclusion is a higher-level comprehension skill. It can be confusing. A conclusion is not something that is directly stated in a story. Students must conclude something based on reading the details of a story. Introduce students to the concept of drawing a conclusion by explaining that this means making a decision about something you have read based on information in the story. Conclusions can fill in the meaning of a story. Skill Specific Activities There are 15 high-interest, short stories in this selection that include a variety of fiction and non-fiction topics. The follow-up questions guide students to draw a conclusion based on specific details in the story. Each story is numbered instead of having a title. The last question for each story asks the students to give the story a title. This important activity helps to determine the student’s level of understanding the story’s main idea. Visual Lesson Each story has an engaging illustration designed to bring the story to life and help capture the interest of reluctant readers. To help sharpen inference skills, students can be asked to use the illustration to predict what the story is about. Teaching Opportunities These targeted activities are great for one-on-one intervention, small groups of students at multiple skill levels or whole class participation. Activities can be used for remediation, review, and transition classes. Details: Each short story is between 140 and 160 words and is written at a 2.0 to 3.5 reading level according to the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Scale. The interest level is grades 4 and up. Contents Include: • 15 high-interest, short stories • 15 pages of skill-specific questions focusing on Drawing a Conclusion • Answer Key

Reading Skills Activities | Reading Comprehension | Draw Conclusions Improve Overall Reading Comprehension with Targeted Specific Skill Practice! Focusing on one comprehension skill at a time gives students the opportunity to master that skill and improve their general reading and comprehension skills. Drawing Conclusions: Being able to draw a conclusion is a higher-level comprehension skill. It can be confusing. A conclusion is not something that is directly stated in a story. Students must conclude something based on reading the details of a story. Introduce students to the concept of drawing a conclusion by explaining that this means making a decision about something you have read based on information in the story. Conclusions can fill in the meaning of a story. Skill Specific Activities There are 15 high-interest, short stories in this selection include a variety of fiction and non-fiction topics. The follow up questions guide students to Draw Conclusions. Each story is numbered instead of having a title. The last question for each story asks the students to give the story a title. This important activity helps to determine the student’s level of understanding the story’s main idea. Visual Lesson Each story has an engaging illustration designed to bring the story to life and help capture the interest of reluctant readers. To help sharpen inference skills, students can be asked to use the illustration to predict what the story is about. Teaching Opportunities These targeted activities are great for one-on-one intervention, small groups of students at multiple skill levels or whole class participation. Can be used for remediation, review, and transition classes. Details: Each short story is between 140 and 160 words and is written at a 3.0 to 4.5 reading level according to the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Scale. The interest level is grades 4 and up. Contents Include: • 15 high-interest, short stories • 15 pages of skill-specific questions focusing on Drawing Conclusions • Answer Key

Reading Skills Activities | Reading Comprehension | Facts and Opinions Improve Overall Reading Comprehension with Targeted Specific Skill Practice! Focusing on one comprehension skill at a time gives students the opportunity to master that skill and improve their general reading and comprehension skills. Fact & Opinion: Being able to tell a fact from an opinion is an important reading skill to master. It allows the reader to make a sound judgment about the information presented in a story. To introduce this skill, explain the difference between a fact and an opinion. Fact: a fact is something that is true about a subject. It can be tested and proven. Opinion: an opinion is what someone thinks or feels about a subject. Skill Specific Activities There are 15 high-interest, short stories in this selection include a variety of fiction and non-fiction topics. The follow up questions guide students to Facts and Opinions. Each story is numbered instead of having a title. The last question for each story asks the students to give the story a title. This important activity helps to determine the student’s level of understanding the story’s main idea. Visual Lesson Each story has an engaging illustration designed to bring the story to life and help capture the interest of reluctant readers. To help sharpen inference skills, students can be asked to use the illustration to predict what the story is about. Teaching Opportunities These targeted activities are great for one-on-one intervention, small groups of students at multiple skill levels or whole class participation. Can be used for remediation, review, and transition classes. Details: Each short story is between 140 and 160 words and is written at a 2.0 to 3.5 reading level according to the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Scale. The interest level is grades 4 and up. Contents Include: • 15 high-interest, short stories • 15 pages of skill-specific questions focusing on Facts and Opinions • Answer Key

Reading Skills Activities | Reading Comprehension | Facts and Opinions Improve Overall Reading Comprehension with Targeted Specific Skill Practice! Focusing on one comprehension skill at a time gives students the opportunity to master that skill and improve their general reading and comprehension skills. Fact & Opinion: Being able to tell a fact from an opinion is an important reading skill to master. It allows the reader to make a sound judgment about the information presented in a story. To introduce this skill, explain the difference between a fact and an opinion. Fact: a fact is something that is true about a subject. It can be tested and proven. Opinion: an opinion is what someone thinks or feels about a subject. Skill Specific Activities There are 15 high-interest, short stories in this selection include a variety of fiction and non-fiction topics. The follow up questions guide students to Facts and Opinions. Each story is numbered instead of having a title. The last question for each story asks the students to give the story a title. This important activity helps to determine the student’s level of understanding the story’s main idea. Visual Lesson Each story has an engaging illustration designed to bring the story to life and help capture the interest of reluctant readers. To help sharpen inference skills, students can be asked to use the illustration to predict what the story is about. Teaching Opportunities These targeted activities are great for one-on-one intervention, small groups of students at multiple skill levels or whole class participation. Can be used for remediation, review, and transition classes. Details: Each short story is between 140 and 160 words and is written at a 3.0 to 4.5 reading level according to the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Scale. The interest level is grades 4 and up. Contents Include: • 15 high-interest, short stories • 15 pages of skill-specific questions focusing on Facts and Opinions • Answer Key

This is an essential addition to any reading unit! Each of the 15 short, high-interest stories is followed by comprehension questions that specifically help students use context clues to determine the meaning of words. Having a strategy to understand new words is important for reading success. To become fluent readers, students must be able to understand the relationship between the words, phrases, and sentences in a story. And this unit will help students do just that! 15 Stories Features Include: Short stories (140-155 words) High-interest fiction & nonfiction topics Engaging illustrations that bring stories to life Follow-up, skill-specific comprehension questions Contents Include: To the Teacher List of Reading Levels and Word Counts for each Story Answer Key 15 Stories 15 Context Clues Activities Reading Level 3.0-4.5 | Interest Level 4-12 Total Pages 32 Pages Answer Key Included

This is an essential addition to any reading unit! Getting the main idea is an essential comprehension skill, and mastering this skill can be difficult for some students. Each of the 15 short, high-interest stories is followed by comprehension questions that specifically lead students to find the main idea of the story. 15 Stories Features Include: Short stories (140-160 words) High-interest fiction & nonfiction topics Engaging illustrations that bring stories to life Follow-up, skill-specific comprehension questions Contents Include: To the Teacher List of Reading Levels and Word Counts for each Story Answer Key 15 Stories 15 Main Idea Activities Reading Level 3.0-4.5 | Interest Level 4-12 Total Pages 32 pages Answer Key Included

This is an essential addition to any reading unit! Getting the main idea is an essential comprehension skill, and mastering this skill can be difficult for some students. Each of the 15 short, high-interest stories is followed by comprehension questions that specifically lead students to find the main idea of the story. 15 Stories Features Include: Short stories (140-160 words) High-interest fiction & nonfiction topics Engaging illustrations that bring stories to life Follow-up, skill-specific comprehension questions Contents Include: To the Teacher List of Reading Levels and Word Counts for each Story Answer Key 15 Stories 15 Main Idea Activities Reading Level 2.0-3.5 | Interest Level 4-12 Total Pages 32 pages Answer Key Included

Reading Labels & Packaging | Life Skills | Comprehension Activities | Visual Lessons. These practical activities will give your students a chance to practice real-life reading opportunities that are sure to prepare them for the real world. Whether grocery shopping, doing laundry, or receiving a package in the mail, reading labels and packaging is a part of everyday life. However, some students need specific instruction and practice before they are able to understand, interpret, and use what they have read in these unique and complex formats. Contents Include: 10 Full-Color, Realistic Labels & Packaging Cards (measure 8.5"x11"). Print these or display them on your whiteboard or digital device. 100 Follow-up Comprehension Questions (10 questions per card). 10 Black/White, Realistic Labels & Packaging Cards (for easy printing) This visually exciting unit provides the practice students need to build confidence, while increasing reading comprehension and essential life skills. Each of the 10 highly visual “cards” portray a specific real-life reading challenge. Follow-up questions require students to refer back to the card as they read, interpret, and use the information. Great for individual students or small groups! Reading Level 3-4 | Interest Level 4-12

Life Skills | Environmental Print | Maps | Directories | Guides | Special Education | Locating Information | Reading Comprehension. Practice real-life reading opportunities with these ready-to-use activities designed to prepare students for the real world. Students get tons of practice interpreting and understanding highly-visual signs and charts then learn to apply what they have read in their everyday lives. Whether finding a store at the mall, taking a road trip, or looking for tonight’s football game on your TV schedule, reading directories, guides, and maps is an essential part of everyday life. However, some students need specific instruction and practice before they are able to understand, interpret, and use what they have read in these unique and complex formats. These colorful lessons are sure to motivate even the most reluctant learners while they improve their essential life skills. Contents Include: 10 Full-Color, Realistic Environmental Signs/Graphics. (measure 8.5"x11"). Print these or display them on your whiteboard or digital device. 10 Black/White, Realistic Environmental Cards (for easy printing) 10 Follow-Up Comprehension Activities for EACH card. 100 Comprehension Questions! SUMMARY: This visually exciting unit provides the practice students need to build confidence, while increasing reading comprehension and essential life skills. Each of the 10 highly visual “cards” portray a specific real-life reading challenge. Follow-up questions require students to refer back to the card as they read, interpret, and use the information. Great for individual students or small groups! Reading Level 3 - 4 Interest Level 4 - 12

Life Skills | Practical Application | Business Math Students Learn the Practical Application of a Wide Range of Math Skills Related to Running a Business Through the use of real-life story-problem scenarios, students get plenty of practice with analyzing the information in word problems and applying the correct math operations to solve the problems. Business Math includes four pages of colorful, realistic images, photos, and information that focus on the income and expenses of four different businesses. The corresponding word problems were designed to develop math proficiency and to help students understand why mastery of essential math skills is so important to success in the real world. Businesses include: Rainbow Falls Summer Camp, Sandler’s Restaurant, Golden Shores Resort, and Creative Concepts Print Shop. Questions Students are asked to use the four colorful pages describing each business to find the information they need in order to solve the math word problems. When solving a problem, students may need to use the answer from another problem on the same page. Problems progress in difficulty as students work through the questions for each menu. The first activity page introduces students to the business information by asking comprehension questions. Answering these questions will familiarize students with the information they will need to solve the word problems Skills A wide range of math skills is covered in this program. Students will solve word problems that involve addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division as well as money, time, measurement, percents, decimals, and fractions. Some of the word problems are simple, one-step problems while others involve multiple steps that require students to really think about the problem. Each activity page lists the math skills covered at the top of the page. Details Total of 90 Pages Includes: •16 Full-Color Business Information Pages • Activity Pages • Step-by-Step Learning Tools • Bonus Pages

Life Skills | Practical Application | Consumer Math Students Learn the Practical Application of a Wide Range of Math Skills Related to Making Purchases Through the use of real-life story-problem scenarios, students get plenty of practice with analyzing the information in word problems and applying the correct math operations to solve the problems. Consumer Math includes four pages of colorful, realistic images, photos, and information that create a sale flyer for a particular store. The corresponding word problems were designed to develop math proficiency and to help students understand why mastery of essential math skills is so important to success in the real world. Advertisements include sale flyers for four different stores: Winston Supply Depot, East Valley Drugstore, Nature’s Best Farmer’s Market, Hansen’s Sport Shop Questions Students are asked to use the four colorful pages for each sale flyer to find the information they need in order to solve the math word problems. When solving a problem, students may need to use the answer from another problem on the same page. Problems progress in difficulty as students work through the questions for each menu. The first activity page introduces students to the contents of the sale flyer by asking comprehension questions. Answering these questions will familiarize students with the information they will need to solve the word problems Skills A wide range of math skills is covered in this program. Students will solve word problems that involve addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division as well as money, time, measurement, percents, decimals, and fractions. Some of the word problems are simple, one-step problems while others involve multiple steps that require students to really think about the problem. Each activity page lists the math skills covered at the top of the page. Details Total of 90 Pages Includes: •16 Full-Color Sale Flyer Pages • Activity Pages • Step-by-Step Learning Tools • Bonus Pages

Life Skills | Reading Menus | Reading Recipes | Visual Lessons | Cooking Prepare students for the ‘real world’ with these realistic reading opportunities! Whether ordering pizza, sitting in the drive-thru, or making dinner in your kitchen, reading menus and recipes is a part of everyday life. However, some students need specific instruction and practice before they are able to understand, interpret, and use what they have read in these unique and complex formats. These appetizing lessons are a great way to help students master these essential skills. Contents Include: 10 Full-Color, Realistic Menus or Recipe Cards (measure 8.5"x11"). Print these or display them on your whiteboard or digital device. 10 Black/White, Realistic Menu or Recipe Cards (for easy printing) 100 Follow-Up Comprehension Questions This visually exciting unit provides the practice students need to build confidence, while increasing reading comprehension and essential life skills. Each of the 10 highly visual “cards” portray a specific real-life reading challenge. Follow-up questions require students to refer back to the card as they read, interpret, and use the information. Great for individual students or small groups! Reading Level: 3 - 4 Interest Level: 4 - 12

Being Safe - Taking Care of Yourself Is last week’s pasta safe to eat? How do I help someone who is choking?Living a safe life is more than just knowing first aid … but the last thing on a teen’s mind is the inherent danger in certain situations. Paying attention, thinking ahead, and making good decisions can be challenging for most teens. These relevant and engaging lessons highlight everyday safety situations in a non-threatening and easy-reading style. What does it mean if I’m light-headed while hiking? Is it heatstroke? What should I do in case of a fire? How can I help a friend who drinks too much and passes out… Should I call 911? What should I say?These relevant lessons teach students how to keep themselves and others safe and take more responsibility for their own well-being. It’s empowering to know that you’re not helpless and are prepared for an emergency. For teens, the information and friendly advice found in this book can mean the difference between them taking action or doing nothing at all. STANDARDS-BASED READING & WRITING ACTIVITIES: • Locate Information • Summarize • Generalize • Compare & Contrast • Cause & Effect • Form Opinions • Draw Conclusions • Main Idea • Make Inferences • Use Context Clues • Sequence • Determine Author’s Viewpoint • Analyze, Evaluate & Apply Topics Include: • What does that sign mean? Should I pay attention to it? • How do I know if I’m dehydrated? Do I have heatstroke? • We’re at a party, my friend is acting weird. What should I do? • When should I call 911 and what should I say? • What should I have in a first aid kit and how do I use it? • What should I do in case of a fire or natural disaster? • How do I know when having fun becomes risky business? • How can I make sure I’m safe in the water? Reading Level: Grades 3-4 Interest Level: Grades 6-12