Essential Skills Software™.....

All Essential Skills educational software programs include a progress reporting system that tracks student achievement throughout each program. This feature provides an accurate reflection of how a student is performing in respect to the various skill areas within each program. Progress reports can be easily printed for individual students or an entire class.

Reading Comprehension Overview

Ten complete programs including High-low Readers, Levelled Readers and Reading Adventures round out Essential Skills offering of reading comprehension software. The programs in this subject area range in grade level from K through 5. Also included in the reading comprehension family of programs is a graded assessment, which provides an accurate reflection of a student's reading comprehension up to the end of grade 4.

Reading Comprehension

A wide variety of fiction and non-fiction stories supported by colorful illustrations and verbal cues develop reading comprehension and vocabulary skills at a grade 1 to 2 reading level. Students are able to click on challenging story and question words to hear them.

Targeted Skills

Reading for Meaning
Identifying Main Ideas
Finding Supporting Details
Drawing Conclusions
Recognizing Words

Reading Comprehension Level 2

Identifying the main idea, predicting outcomes and using context clues are among the reading comprehension skills this program teaches to students at a grade 2 to 3 reading level. Reading Comprehension Level 2 contains 70 interesting fiction and non-fiction stories using grade-appropriate vocabulary.

Targeted Skills

Identifying Main Ideas
Finding Supporting Details
Drawing Conclusions
Getting the Facts
Using Vocabulary in Context
Synonyms, Homonyms and Antonyms
Root Words
Compound Words

Reading Comprehension Level 3

Develops reading comprehension ability and vocabulary skills including: word meanings, synonyms, antonyms, homonyms and root words in students reading at a grade 3 to 4 level. Many of the stories in Reading Comprehension Level 3 focus on interesting and unusual facts from the world of nature.

Targeted Skills

Identifying Main Ideas
Finding Supporting Details
Drawing Conclusions
Getting the Facts
Using Vocabulary in Context
Synonyms, Homonyms and Antonyms
Root Words
Compound Words
Predicting Outcomes
Making Inferences

High-Low Readers 2+

Interesting yet easy to read, fully illustrated stories for older students reading at a grade 2.0-3.0 level. This program is designed to encourage reading and help struggling readers.

Targeted Skills

Drawing Conclusions
Getting the Facts
Factual Recall
Predicting Outcomes
Using Verbs
Contractions
Plurals
Using Words in Context
Pronouns
Phonics
Working with Syllables
Word Meanings
Root Words
Compound Words

High-Low Readers 3

Interesting yet easy to read, fully illustrated stories for older students reading at a grade 2.5 - 3.5 level. The program is designed to encourage reading and help struggling readers.

Targeted Skills

Drawing Conclusions
Getting the Facts
Factual Recall
Predicting Outcomes
Using Verbs
Contractions
Plurals
Using Words in Context
Pronouns
Phonics
Working with Syllables
Word Meanings
Root Words
Compound Words

High-Low Readers 3+

Interesting yet easy to read, fully illustrated stories for older students reading at a grade 3.0-4.0 level. This program is designed to encourage reading and help struggling readers.

Targeted Skills

Drawing Conclusions
Getting the Facts
Factual Recall
Predicting Outcomes
Using Verbs
Contractions
Plurals
Using Words in Context
Pronouns
Phonics
Working with Syllables
Word Meanings
Root Words
Compound Words

High-Low Readers 4

Interesting yet easy to read, fully illustrated stories for older students reading at a grade 3.5 - 4.5 level. The program is designed to encourage reading and help struggling readers.

Targeted Skills

Drawing Conclusions
Getting the Facts
Factual Recall
Predicting Outcomes
Using Verbs
Contractions
Plurals
Using Words in Context
Pronouns
Phonics
Working with Syllables
Word Meanings
Root Words
Compound Words

High-Low Readers 4+

Interesting yet easy to read, fully illustrated stories for older students reading at a grade 4.0-5.0 level. This program is designed to encourage reading and help struggling readers.

Targeted Skills

Drawing Conclusions
Getting the Facts
Factual Recall
Predicting Outcomes
Using Verbs
Contractions
Plurals
Using Words in Context
Pronouns
Phonics
Working with Syllables
Word Meanings
Root Words
Compound Words

Leveled Readers Primer

These fully illustrated and patterned stories are designed to allow emergent readers to learn independently at their own level and pace. Each story provides opportunities for students to learn, practice, and apply phonetic rules and to develop word recognition and comprehension skills. More importantly these stories invite children to read for interest and pleasure.

Targeted Skills

Phonics
Rhyming Words
Recognizing Initial and Final Sounds
Learning Vowel Sounds
Sight Word Recognition
Getting the Main Idea
Drawing Conclusions

Leveled Readers Grade 1

Targeted Skills

Rhyming Words
Recognizing Initial and Final Sounds
Learning Vowel Sounds
Sight Word Recognition
Sequencing
Drawing Conclusions
Getting the Main Idea
Factual Recall
Making Inferences
Opposites
Synonyms

Leveled Readers Grade 2

A graduated reading system with each level increasing in difficulty as the reader progresses through the illustrated stories. This program is designed for students in grade 2.

Targeted Skills

Drawing Conclusions
Getting the Facts
Factual Recall
Predicting Outcomes
Using Verbs
Contractions
Plurals
Using Words in Context
Pronouns
Phonics
Working with Syllables
Word Meanings
Root Words
Compound Words

Leveled Readers Grade 3

A graduated reading system with each level increasing in difficulty as the reader progresses through the illustrated stories. This program is designed for students in grade 3.

Targeted Skills

Drawing Conclusions
Getting the Facts
Factual Recall
Predicting Outcomes
Using Verbs
Contractions
Plurals
Using Words in Context
Pronouns
Phonics
Working with Syllables
Word Meanings
Root Words
Compound Words

Search for the Lost Oasis

This is a single, multi-chapter story. Students play the role of the main character, making decisions that will shape the direction of the plot. This interactivity increases student involvement, interest and desire to read. 'Search for the Lost Oasis' appeals to students up to grade 6 as well as older students who are experiencing reading difficulties.

Targeted Skills

Drawing Conclusions
Getting the Facts
Factual Recall
Predicting Outcomes
Using Verbs
Contractions
Plurals
Using Words in Context
Pronouns
Phonics
Working with Syllables
Word Meanings
Root Words
Compound Words

In the Amazing Forest

This is a single, multi-chapter story. Students play the role of the main character, making decisions that will shape the direction of the plot. This interactivity increases student involvement, interest and desire to read. 'In the Amazing Forest' appeals to students up to grade 5 and older students who are experiencing reading difficulties.

Targeted Skills

Drawing Conclusions
Getting the Facts
Factual Recall
Predicting Outcomes
Using Verbs
Contractions
Plurals
Using Words in Context
Pronouns
Phonics
Working with Syllables
Word Meanings
Root Words
Compound Words

Graded Reading Comprehension Test

This test can be administered to individuals or groups and provides an accurate reflection of a student's reading comprehension up to grade 5.

When to Use

Evaluate students for program placement
Provide special help for students who lack essential reading skills
Measure changes occurring over a specific instructional period
Identify trends in reading achievement at classroom, school and district levels
Provide information regarding the effectiveness of instructional programs