How it works

How it works...

Once you purchase lessons from us, they become your property forever. You will gain instant access to a download (issued via the purchase completion page and email delivery) that you can save to a disk or your computer's hard drive. You can then print and use your lessons with your students for as long as you like. So, theoretically speaking, if you teach for thirty years, you can use your Read Theory lessons every year, reusing them as much as you want. That's tremendous value! Just remember that your lessons are non-transferrable to other teachers. If other teachers want to use them, they'll need to purchase them too.

What you get...

Each of our reading comprehension assessments consists of 1 passage, 1 high quality image, multiple choice questions, short answer questions, and detailed answers and explanations. Each of our assessments is hand crafted with love by a member of the Read Theory team, and has undergone rigorous testing and refinement in a real classroom setting. Our assessments represent the best available resources in reading comprehension, and are guaranteed to improve your students' ability to think critically, understanding of scope, structure, intention, memory, and vocabulary. Our lessons make for excellent state assessment and standardized test preparation.

Want to know more about how our lessons meet national benchmarks and core standards? View our How it Works page and scroll down to see our list of Frequently Asked Questions.

Note that we use zipped files in value packs. This makes them much easier to download. If you don't already have a zip program on your computer (most do), you'll need to download one to open these files.

Still have questions? Don't hesitate to contact us! We'll get back to you right away with an answer.

Our program meets national benchmarks and supports the common core...

We provide high-quality, engaging content, designed to help students develop the critical skills outlined by national benchmarks and specified by the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Per CCSS guidelines: "With students, parents, and teachers all on the same page and working together toward shared goals, we can ensure that students make progress each year and graduate from high school prepared to succeed in college, career, and life." By using Read Theory, students and teachers accomplish this goal. Below is a list of significant English Language Arts milestones outlined by CCSS and followed by the specific manner in which they are supported by use of our program.

• An alignment with college and career expectations

Our grade level 1-8 materials help prepare students for state assessment exams. Our grade level 9-12 materials help prepare students for the ACT, SAT, and GRE standardized tests. All upper level materials have been designed to emulate the style and approach students will find on major tests administered in the U.S. Read Theory helps students to perform better on these tests and compose essays required by the majority of college entrance applications. The content and presentation of our upper level materials also mimics that found on the materials students will be required to tackle once they've reached the college classroom.

In terms of life after college, Read Theory will enhance the student's ability to not only read and understand high level texts, but perhaps more importantly, to approach them critically. Our program teaches students to question what they read using the critical thinking toolkit — principles of logic they can use to quickly and easily identify sound argumentation and reasoning. This way, students will be better prepared to delineate among the diverse range of materials found in the real-world setting.

• The ability to digest informational texts with speed and accuracy

Although our content covers a wide range of text types (narrative, documentary, argumentative, comparative, to name a few), the highest concentration is in informational texts. This means that when a student gets served a text, that text has the highest likelihood of being informational. According to CCSS, students today have the highest probability of encountering this type of text in their academic studies and careers. We've made careful note of this and structured our content in accordance with this idea.

• A range of reading in terms of text complexity and subject matter

Our content (over 1,000 reading comprehension passages and questions) is broken down evenly across the twelve grade levels, allocating each grade level just under 100 quizzes in total. Since our program adapts to the student's performance, it is likely that the student will be served texts with a varying range of complexity. This enables the student to be exposed to a wide range of text complexity, encouraging him or her to journey away from his or her established comfort zone.

Not only does our content cover a wide range of complexity, but it also covers a wide range of subject matter. Each quiz consists of a passage, image, and questions. Content of our reading comprehension passages includes everything from mock itineraries, imaginary movie reviews, argumentative essays, proposals, informational essays, research studies, résumés, newspaper articles, and more. At any given time, a student may find him or herself reading a request for funding study abroad to learning about the woes of password fatigue. We are continually writing more content, ensuring that it meets top quality standards, and promptly uploading it to our website.

• A focus on remembering or finding details in a text

Our Research question types have been engineered for this purpose. In a research question, the reader is asked about information that is explicitly stated by the author. The answer to these questions can be directly pinpointed in the passage. Absent the ability to rely on memory alone, these questions will require the reader to reexamine the passage, or perform "research" into the origin of a question. This being the case, it is helpful to establish a mental outline of the passage while reading it. This way, the reader will have a better idea about where to look to find such details.

Examples:

"How many shells does Anna find on the beach?"

"How much will the new addition cost?"

"Which of the following happens first in an oxidation reaction?"

• An understanding of underlying concepts and structure

Our Reasoning question types have been engineered for this purpose. In a reasoning question, the reader is asked to form his or her own conclusions regarding what is almost certainly true given information presented in the passage. This often requires the student to consider the passage, or an element of the passage, as a unified whole. The student needs to step back and look at the big picture, or general idea being conveyed. These questions typically involve summarizing information related to the author's overall purpose, focus, idea, tone, intention, or goal.

Examples:

"In paragraph 4, the author writes, "The pink flamingo is becoming increasingly rare." This statement is intended to..."

"If the author wanted to paint a portrait, he or she would most likely use which kind of brush?"

"The author's tone in this passage is best described as..."

• An elevated vocabulary and breadth of native terminology

Our Vocabulary question types have been engineered for this purpose. In a vocabulary question, the reader is asked to infer the meaning of a specific word in the passage using context. Vocabulary questions may involve finding the best synonym, antonym, or definition of a word. In addition, they may involve understanding word groups, word parts, or how to properly apply the word in other, related contexts. Remember that, like all our reading comprehension questions, everything necessary to infer the meaning of a vocabulary word is included in the passage. We'll never require students to know the meaning of a vocabulary word absent the use of contextual clues.

Examples:

"As used in paragraph 5, the word noxious most nearly means..."

"As used in paragraph 1, which is the best antonym for chaotic?"

"Based on its use in paragraph 2, it can be inferred that the word deleterious belongs to which of the following word groups?"

• An ability to synthesize disparate ideas into a cohesive whole

Students who use Read Theory are exposed to a large variety of written passages. At first, this may seem jarring. But we've found that after a few sessions, students begin to settle in. They come to view each passage through a lens that allows them to break down the text into pieces, anticipate questions, and view specifics as variables. In short, they begin to think critically. In time, it becomes natural for students to not simply read a passage, but to analyze it. And while the actual subject matter of a given passage may be interesting or intriguing, this absorption of knowledge becomes a byproduct of their learning.

Read Theory is an educational resource that can be implemented in the classroom or used at home to support reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. By learning to read, write, and think critically, students are better prepared to go to college, perform well on standardized tests, and meet national literacy benchmarks.

Make the most of it...

Before we publish a new lesson, we test it in a real classroom setting. In doing this, we've discovered a few strategies that has really enabled us to get our students engaged with the lesson. We recommend you try these strategies in your own classroom—we think they're likely to add value. They are as follows:

• In lower grade level and ESL classes, start by having students read the passage aloud together. An easy way to do this is to break the passage up into paragraphs (paragraph distinctions have been made more apparent on lower level lessons), and ask for volunteers to read while the class follows along. A similar method can be used to answer multiple choice questions. If there is any confusion, reference the answer key to make correct choice explanations clear. For short answer questions, have students work alone. Allow roughly 4-8 minutes for students to answer each question (so if you have three questions, allow roughly 12-24 minutes). After students have finished writing, ask them about their answers. If there is any disagreement, use this as an opportunity to start a friendly and open discussion. Coach students to use the information in the passage, logic, and personal experience to support their respective opinions and answers.
• In mid grade level classes, start by having students read the passage to themselves. Students should also answer multiple choice questions by themselves after they have completed their reading. After a reasonable amount of time has elapsed (this varies from class to class; good benchmark to use is when 80% of the students have finished), ask students to stop working. Then, have them review answers to multiple choice questions together with you, calling on individual students to provide their answers. If there is any confusion, reference the answer key to make correct choice explanations clear. Once this is complete, ask students to complete the short answer questions. Again, students should work alone. Allow roughly 5 minutes for students to answer each question (so if you have three questions, allow roughly 15 minutes). After students have finished writing, ask them about their answers. If there is any disagreement, use this as an opportunity to start a friendly and open discussion. Coach students to use information in the passage, logic, and personal experience to support their respective opinions and answers.
• In upper grade level classes, have students read the passage, answer multiple choice questions, and complete short answer questions on their own. Allow roughly 5 minutes for students to read the passage, 1 minute for each multiple choice question, and 4 minutes for each short answer question. After students have finished writing, ask them about their answers. If there is any disagreement, use this as an opportunity to start a friendly and open discussion. Coach students to use information in the passage, logic, and personal experience to support their respective opinions and answers.

Legal stuff (boring but important)...

Reproduction and or duplication on websites, creation of digital or online quizzes or tests, publication on intranets such as Moodle or Blackboard, and or use of our publications for commercial gain is strictly prohibited.

Use of our publications is restricted to the assessment purchaser and his or her students. Our publications and their contents are non-transferrable between teachers.

All materials in our publications, such as graphics, text, and logos are the property of Read Theory LLC and are protected by United States and international copyright laws. 

© Copyright Read Theory LLC, 2012. All rights reserved.