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.
