6 lessons Grades 3–8
Reading Comprehension & Test Prep
6 short lessons with the strategies that work on every reading passage — in class, on homework and on state tests. Try each one on a real passage from our reading library.
All lessons
- 🎯 1. Read with a purposePeek at the questions first, then read
- 🔎 2. Finding details in the textQuestions whose answer is written right there
- 🕵️ 3. Making inferencesWhen the answer isn’t written, but you can figure it out
- 💡 4. Main idea and titleWhat the whole text is about, in one sentence
- ✍️ 5. Written answers with RACEA complete, supported and short answer
- 📝 6. Test dayTime, order, multiple choice and a final check
✏️ Practice: Reading passages by grade, with questions
About this course
The lessons follow the Common Core reading standards: citing text evidence (RL/RI.1), main idea (RL/RI.2) and inference. They fit state tests like SBAC, PARCC-style tests, STAAR, FAST and NWEA MAP, and everyday classwork.
Kids in grades 3–4 do best with a parent reading along. Grades 5–8 can work alone and practice on our passages.
Questions & answers
- How can I help my child with reading comprehension at home?
- Read together and talk: ask “What do you think will happen?”, “How do you know?” and “What was this mostly about?” Ten minutes a day of talking about reading helps more than worksheets.
- What is the RACE strategy?
- A way to write short answers: Restate the question, Answer it, Cite evidence from the text, Explain how the evidence supports your answer. Lesson 5 shows it step by step.
- Should kids read the questions before the passage?
- Previewing the questions gives a purpose for reading, and many teachers recommend it. Still read the whole passage — inference and main-idea questions need all of it.
- Is it free?
- Yes. All lessons and passages are free with no sign-up.