This colorful and engaging series improves academic performance in Reading, Writing, Math and Science and prepares students for a wide variety of cognitive tests commonly used for academic placement. The highly effective verbal and spatial reasoning activities also develop analysis skills, problem-solving, logical thinking, and visual and auditory processing skills. Students learn to analyze relationships between objects, between words, and between objects and words.

• Colorful and engaging series improves academic performance in Reading, Writing, Math, and Science
• Prepares students for a wide variety of cognitive tests commonly used for academic placement
• Highly effective verbal and spatial reasoning activities also develop analysis skills, problem-solving, logical thinking, and visual and auditory processing skills
• Students learn to analyze relationships between objects, between words, and between objects and words

The Balance Math™ & More! activities sharpen your child's critical thinking skills, computational skills, and develop algebraic reasoning. The second book (Level 2) focuses on multiplication and division of whole numbers, but has a few problems involving fractions. The spiraling difficulty level is designed to scaffold a child's conceptual understanding of the targeted operations from beginning to advanced. Try one of these intriguing puzzles -- and then try to stop!

These highly-effective, literature-based critical thinking activities develop the analysis, synthesis, and vocabulary skills students need for exceptional reading comprehension. This 208-page activity book is especially effective at helping students in Grades 7-8 understand challenging critical reading concepts such as making inferences, drawing conclusions, determining cause and effect, using context clues to define vocabulary, and making predictions and generalizations.

Students read and analyze short literature passages and stories that include fiction and nonfiction genres. Then they answer multiple-choice and short-response questions, citing sentence evidence to support their answers. Concepts and skills covered include:

Literary Analysis Skills
• Define vocabulary using context clues
• Recognize figurative language
• Identify main idea, supporting details, and theme
• Recognize literary devices
• Identify story elements: theme, plot, setting, and characters

Reading Detective® B1 includes the following genres:

Award-Winning Literature Excerpts
• The Cay
• Sparrow Hawk Red
• El Güero
• The Moon by Night
• The Giver
• Under the Blood-Red Sun
• The View From Saturday
• The Trolley to Yesterday
• How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin From Just So Stories
• Face to Face
• The Bronze Bow

Stories and Articles
• Mystery
• Humor
• History
• Adventure

Nonfiction Topics
• Science
• Math
• Geography
• History
• Biography
• Inventions
• Sports

The Grades 7-8 (B1) level include mixed-skills throughout. All levels provide an introductory lesson for each skill. Teaching Support Includes: pretests, post-tests, lesson guidelines, and answers with detailed evidence. Reading and literary analysis skills are based on grade-level standards.

• Literature-based critical thinking activities develop the analysis, synthesis, and vocabulary skills students need for exceptional reading comprehension
• Features award-winning literature excerpts
• Help students develop literary analysis skills including defining vocabulary using context clues, recognize figurative language and more
• 208-page activity book

These highly-effective, literature-based critical thinking activities develop the analysis, synthesis, and vocabulary skills students in Grades 3-4 need for exceptional reading comprehension. This 192-page activity book is especially effective at helping students understand challenging critical reading concepts such as making inferences, drawing conclusions, determining cause and effect, using context clues to define vocabulary, and making predictions and generalizations.

Students read and analyze short literature passages and stories that include fiction and nonfiction genres. Then they answer multiple-choice and short-response questions, citing sentence evidence to support their answers. Concepts and skills covered include:

Literary Analysis Skills
• Define vocabulary using context clues
• Recognize figurative language
• Identify main idea, supporting details, and theme
• Recognize literary devices
• Identify story elements: theme, plot, setting, and characters

Reading Detective® Beginning includes the following genres:

Award-Winning Literature Excerpts
• The Barn
• Sable
• Dexter
• The Cricket in Times Square
• The Stories Huey Tells
• Sideways Stories from Wayside School
• Chocolate Fever

Stories and Articles
• Mystery
• Humor
• History
• Adventure

Nonfiction Topics
• Science
• Math
• Geography
• History
• Biography
• Inventions
• Sports

The Grades 3-4 (Beginning) level is organized into single-skills units with a concluding mixed-skills unit. Teaching Support Includes: pretests, post-tests, lesson guidelines, and answers with detailed evidence. Reading and literary analysis skills are based on grade-level standards.

• Reading Detective's standards-based critical thinking activities develop the analysis, synthesis, and vocabulary skills students need for exceptional reading comprehension
• The activities are especially effective at helping students understand more challenging reading concepts such as drawing inferences, determining cause and effect, and using context clues to define vocabulary
• Grade 3 thru 4
• answer guide included
• 192 pages

These highly-effective, literature-based thinking activities develop the analysis, synthesis, and vocabulary skills students need for exceptional reading comprehension. This 192-page activity book is especially effective at helping students in Grades 5-6 understand challenging critical reading concepts such as making inferences, drawing conclusions, determining cause and effect, using context clues to define vocabulary, and making predictions and generalizations.

Students read and analyze short literature passages and stories that include fiction and nonfiction genres. Then they answer multiple-choice and short-response questions, citing sentence evidence to support their answers. Concepts and skills covered include:

Literary Analysis Skills
• Define vocabulary using context clues
• Recognize figurative language
• Identify main idea, supporting details, and theme
• Recognize literary devices
• Identify story elements: theme, plot, setting, and characters

Reading Detective® A1 includes the following genres:

Award-Winning Literature Excerpts
• Fudge-A-Mania
• Mr. Popper's Penguins
• Maniac Magee
• Owls in the Family
• Blue Willow
• The Jungle Book
• Island of the Blue Dolphins
• Where the Red Fern Grows

Stories and Articles
• Mystery
• Humor
• History
• Adventure

Nonfiction Topics
• Science
• Math
• Geography
• History
• Biography
• Inventions
• Sports

The Grades 5—6 (A1) level include mixed-skills throughout. All levels provide an introductory lesson for each skill.

• These fiction and nonfiction activities use higher-order thinking to develop reading comprehension
• Students answer multiple-choice and short-response questions then provide sentence-level evidence for their answers
• Each reproducible book contains goals, pretests and posttests, 50 activities, a glossary of terms, and answers with evidence and detailed explanations
• answer guide included
• 112 pages

These highly-effective, literature-based critical thinking activities develop the analysis, synthesis, and vocabulary skills students need for exceptional reading comprehension. This 192-page activity book is especially effective at helping underperforming students in Grades 6-12+ understand challenging critical reading concepts such as making inferences, drawing conclusions, determining cause and effect, using context clues to define vocabulary, and making predictions and generalizations.

Students read and analyze short literature passages and stories that include fiction and nonfiction genres. Then they answer multiple-choice and short-response questions, citing sentence evidence to support their answers. Concepts and skills covered include:

Literary Analysis Skills
• Define vocabulary using context clues
• Recognize figurative language
• Identify main idea, supporting details, and theme
• Recognize literary devices
• Identify story elements: theme, plot, setting, and characters

Reading Detective® Beginning includes the following genres:

Award-Winning Literature Excerpts
• The House on Mango Street
• The Face on the Milk Carton
• Sarny
• River
• Out of the Dust
• Sing Down the Moon
• Call of the Wild

Stories and Articles
• Mystery
• Humor
• History
• Adventure

Nonfiction Topics
• Science
• Math
• Geography
• History
• Biography
• Inventions
• Sports

The Grades 6-12+ remedial (Rx) level is organized into single-skill units with a concluding mixed-skills unit and provides an introductory lesson for each skill. Rx activities are prescriptive to help under-performing students in Grades 6-12+ improve their comprehension skills. Reading level is Grades 4–6; story content is Grades 6+. Teaching Support includes pretests, post-tests, lesson guidelines, and answers with detailed evidence. Reading and literary analysis skills are based on grade-level standards.

• These fiction and nonfiction activities use higher-order thinking to develop reading comprehension
• Students answer multiple-choice and short-response questions then provide sentence-level evidence for their answers
• Each reproducible book contains goals, pretests and posttests, 50 activities, a glossary of terms, and answers with evidence and detailed explanations
• Grades 6-12
• 112 pages

Foster your kindergartner's critical thinking skills and see confidence soar! Children are naturally inquisitive from infancy, yet creative and problem-solving skills need to be nurtured as children grow. Like reading and math skills, critical thinking skills require practice.

The variety of fun and creative activities in this series will challenge your child to use higher-order thinking skills based on Bloom's Taxonomy. Every page provides a new and interesting activity that will help your child:
• Think outside the box and use higher-order thinking skills through open-ended questions and challenges
• Tap into his or her creativity with art projects and hands-on activities
• Become a better learner by practicing critical thinking skills in cross-curricular activities (based on science, math, social studies, and language arts content)

The 100+ activities are organized around these kindergarten themes:
• Animals: Cats and Dogs; Insects
• Transportation: Bikes, Trikes, and Wagons; Cars, Trucks, and Buses
• Plants: Flowers; Trees
• Places: Oceans and Deserts; Mountains and Plains

Kindergarten activities include tracing, counting, dot-to-dot, and drawings that involve critical thinking skills such as:
• Analyze
• Solve
• Identify
• Differentiate
• Create, and more!

Plus, each page lists the critical thinking skill(s) so that you know what your child is practicing. Use Skill Sharpeners: Critical Thinking for enrichment at home and help your child become a confident problem solver!
Includes answer key.

• Help your child become a confident problem solver
• Includes over 100 activities
• Grade K
• 144 pages

Foster your first grader's critical thinking skills and see confidence soar! Children are naturally inquisitive from infancy, yet creative and problem-solving skills need to be nurtured as children grow. Like reading and math skills, critical thinking skills require practice.

The variety of fun and creative activities in this series will challenge your child to use higher-order thinking skills based on Bloom's Taxonomy. Every page provides a new and interesting activity that will help your child:
• Think outside the box and use higher-order thinking skills through open-ended questions and challenges
• Tap into his or her creativity with art projects and hands-on activities
• Become a better learner by practicing critical thinking skills in cross-curricular activities (based on science, math, social studies, and language arts content)

The 100+ activities are organized around these 1st grade themes:
• Animals: Cats and Dogs; Giraffes and Elephants
• Plants: Trees and Flowers; Fruits and Vegetables
• Transportation: Cars, Trucks, and Buses; Planes and Trains
• Places: The Playground and the Beach; Home and School

Grade 1 activities include puzzles, word problems, drawings, and matching that involve critical thinking skills such as:
• Analyze
• Solve
• Reason
• Decode
• Create, and more!

Plus, each page lists the critical thinking skill(s) so that you know what your child is practicing. Use Skill Sharpeners: Critical Thinking for enrichment at home and help your child become a confident problem solver!
Includes answer key.

• Help your child become a confident problem solver
• Includes over 100 activities
• Grade 1
• 144 pages

The mind-building lessons and activities in this 176-page book teach topics and skills drawn from state and national science standards to prepare students for more advanced science courses and new assessments that measure reasoning, reading comprehension, and writing in science.

Students read lessons that include a variety of charts, tables, and graphs. Then they answer critical thinking questions to improve their understanding of the science concepts and develop their reading comprehension, inferential and deductive thinking skills. Students can't just scan the story for answers—they must carefully analyze and synthesize the information from the text and the charts, tables, and graphs to explain and support their answers.

Many questions in this book ask students to use complete sentences to explain their thinking. The ability to express their thoughts—supported by evidence—in writing, is not only important in science assessment, it is essential when communicating with other people in school and work. It also promotes better understanding of the concepts being studied. The questions in Science Detective® A1 are modeled after questions found on science assessments but require more critical thinking. There is a growing trend to evaluate responses to open-ended questions in the context of logical reasoning, and many science students score poorly on these test items. The carefully designed questions in this book will not only develop thinking, reading, and writing skills, but will also familiarize your students with questions found on contemporary science assessments.

Teaching Support
Includes teacher and student introductions, a chart of topics and key ideas to help select activities, and detailed answers.

Concepts covered in Science Detective® A1 include:

Physical Science:
Measuring Matter: Mass, Volume, and Density
Physical and Chemical Properties of Matter
Physical and Chemical Changes in Matter
Atoms, Elements, and Compounds
Chemicals: Helpful and Harmful
Kinetic and Potential Energy
Force and Motion
Simple Machines: Inclined Plane, Lever, Machines
and Work
Simple Machines: Wheel-and-Axle
and Pulley
Thermal Energy
Sound and Light Energy
Static Electricity
Circuits
Electromagnets
Electric Energy
Energy Sources and Conversion

Life Science:
Cells
Cell Parts and Functions
Reproduction and Growth of Cells
Genetics
DNA
Uses of Genetics
Skeletal and Muscular Systems
Circulatory and Respiratory Systems
Nervous System
Digestive System
Reproductive System
Classification of Organisms
Function of Plant Parts
Reproduction in Plants
Invertebrates
Vertebrates
Earth's Biomes
Ecosystems

Earth Science:
Plate Tectonics: Mountains, Volcanoes,
and Earthquakes
Rock Cycle, Erosion, and Deposition
Properties of Rocks and Minerals
Geological Time
Natural Resources
Ocean Exploration Ocean Resources
Earth, Moon, and Sun
Weather: Measurement, Causes,
and Changes
Classification of the Sun and Other Stars
Inner and Outer Solar System

• The mind-building lessons and activities in this 176-page book teach topics and skills drawn from state and national science standards
• Grade 5 thru 6
• Advanced science courses and new assessments that measure reasoning, reading comprehension, and writing in science.
• Answer guide included
• 416 pages

Reluctant readers of all ages are sure to have fun while they improve their reading sills with Mini Mysteries. Kids love a good mystery, and they won't be disappointed with the 26 who-dunits detective Sam Sherlock encounters in this reading comprehension-listening-thinking skills book. Question pages encourage fact-finding, analyzing, predicting outcomes, and more! 56 pages. Please note: Contains some mysteries that may be more appropriate for mature students.

• Reluctant readers of all ages are sure to have fun while they improve their reading sills with mini mysteries
• Grade level: 3-6, Interest level: 3-6, Reading level: 2.5-5.5
• Contains 26 who-dunits mini mysteries
• All ages are sure to have fun while they improve their reading sills with mini mystery