This series uses highly-effective, literature-based critical thinking activities to develop the analysis, synthesis, and vocabulary skills students need for exceptional reading comprehension. The activities are 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 in the series 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® products include the following genres:

Award-Winning Literature Excerpts
     •  See individual products for lists

Stories and Articles
     •  Mystery
     •  Humor
     •  History
     •  Adventure

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

The Grades 3–4 (Beginning) and Grades 6–12+ remedial (Rx) levels are organized into single-skills units with a concluding mixed-skills unit. The Grades 5–6 (A1) and 7–8 (B1) levels include mixed-skills throughout. All levels provide 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.