Review of the 6 volumes in the “Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies” series

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If you are looking to enhance your reading comprehension skills and strategies, you cannot overlook the Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies book series. So what makes these 6 books special and how can you use them most effectively? Let's refer to PREP's article below for more information!

Review of the 6 volumes in the “Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies” series

I. Introduction to Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies

First, let's take a look at some basic information about the 6 books in the Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies series!

introduction-to-reading-comprehension-skills-and-strategies.png — Introduction to Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies

1. Author and Publication

Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies is a book series published by Saddleback Educational Publishing, one of the reputable publishing companies in the United States. It aims to help you improve your reading comprehension skills and strategies. The series consists of 6 books ranging from levels 3 to 8, with increasing difficulty.

To learn more about this material, let's refer to some information compiled by PREP in the table below:

General Information about Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies series
Book Title	Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies
Publisher	Saddleback Educational Publishing
Publication Year	2002
Language	English
Number of Pages	140-150 pages per book
Target Audience	Those who want to improve their English reading comprehension skills and strategies.

2. Target Audience

So, who are the main target users for Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies? Let's find out with PREP:

Students: Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies is designed to reinforce and enhance students' reading comprehension abilities. If you are passionate about genres like humorous novels, fiction, and non-fiction, this material is highly suitable for you. When using these books, you will learn, play, and absorb knowledge on various topics.
Teachers: If you are a teacher looking for resources to help students improve their reading comprehension skills, you definitely shouldn't overlook Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies. Use these books for in-class practice or assign them as homework for students.

In addition to the general target audience mentioned above, below are specific target audiences for each book:

Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies 3: Students in grades 2, 3, and 4.
Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies 4: Students in grades 3, 4, and 5.
Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies 5: Students in grades 4, 5, and 6.
Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies 6: Students in grades 5, 6, and 7.
Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies 7: Students in grades 6, 7, and 8.
Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies 8: Students in grades 7, 8, and 9.

II. Content of Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies

What makes the content of Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies special? Follow the details below to understand more about this material:

Introduction to Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies — Content of Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies

Book structure	Detailed content
Introduction and usage advice	First, the author will introduce the book and provide some helpful advice for users to effectively utilize the material, including: About this series Reading comprehension strategies About this book Choosing instructional approaches Assessment
Main content	In this section, users will learn about some key knowledge fields as follows: Analyzing word structure: synonyms, antonyms, base words, word origins, prefixes, suffixes. Analyzing vocabulary: vocabulary using visual and context clues, multiple-meaning words, signal words. Following directions Identifying familiar analogies. …
Reading comprehension strategies	Vocabulary knowledge. Activating prior knowledge Pre-reading, previewing and predicting Previewing and predicting text Mental imaging Self-questioning Summarizing Semantic mapping
Exercises and answers	Providing exercises and detailed answers for learners to self-assess their knowledge.

III. Pros and Cons of Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies

What are the advantages and disadvantages of 6 volumes in the “Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies” series? Let’s check them out with PREP!

PROS	CONS
Visual Appeal and Clarity: Books feature visually appealing design with clear content layout and numerous illustrated images that create genuine interest for students during the learning process.	English-Only Content: Books are written entirely in English, creating significant challenges for students with weak foundations or beginners who may struggle with language barriers affecting comprehension.
Meticulous Reading Guidance: Provides thorough instruction on reading comprehension techniques with detailed analysis of vocabulary and grammar, allowing users to systematically strengthen their language skills.	Outdated Content: Published in 2002, some content and knowledge may no longer be relevant or commonly used, potentially providing learners with outdated information not applicable to current contexts.
Progressive Skill Development: Series advances systematically from basic to advanced levels, with Level 3 starting simple and gradually increasing difficulty in subsequent volumes for steady proficiency improvement.
Integrated Language Learning: Combines reading comprehension with vocabulary building and grammar analysis, creating comprehensive language development rather than isolated skill practice.
Student Engagement Focus: Visual elements and clear presentation maintain learner interest throughout the progression, supporting sustained motivation for continued skill development.

IV. Reader Reviews of Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies

Before purchasing the books, consider reading some reviews for further consideration and reference:

Wild About Books - an Amazon customer review states: The practices in this book would benefit students who are struggling with reading. It is ideal for Middle School students and can also be used to a certain extent to introduce a skill or concept to a struggling high school reader (9th/10th). There are some sections that are ideal for the struggling 11th/12th grader as well. This is a good book for providing practices with reading concepts that may need fine tuning for students that struggle with reading.
Nguyễn Thanh An in the IELTS Việt group shares: "I am currently at a 4.5 IELTS level, and this is the book I chose to improve my reading skills. It is truly effective, and I highly recommend purchasing and using it."

V. Effective Use of the Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies Book

Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies is a resource that helps you improve your reading comprehension skills quickly. So how can you use this book effectively? Consider the following suggested methods by PREP!

1. Master the vocabulary in the book

The first step to effectively using Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies is to master the vocabulary provided by the author in the book. For example, in the book Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies 3, you can memorize words like father, neat, talk, mistake, and small by doing the following exercise:

Additionally, take note of these vocabulary words in your personal notebook for more effective studying. The suggested note-taking format by PREP is as follows:

Word	Part of speech	Meaning	Example
Father /ˈfɑː.ðɚ/	Noun	a male parent of a child or an animal; a person who is acting as the father to a child	My father took me and my sister to watch volleyball every Sunday.
Neat /niːt/	Adjective	tidy and in order; carefully done or arranged	Linda likes everything neat and tidy.
Talk /tɑːk/	Verb	to say things; to speak in order to give information or to express ideas or feelings	They were just talking about Lisa's new boyfriend.
Mistake /mɪˈsteɪk/	Noun	an action or an opinion that is not correct, or that produces a result that you did not want	I have discovered a few mistakes in Alex's calculations.
Small /smɑːl/	Adjective	not large in size, number, degree, amount, etc.	David is the smallest boy in his class.

2. Reading comprehension

Thoroughly understanding the text is one of the essential tasks you need to practice to improve your skills. So how can you effectively comprehend what you read? PREP advises using the skills of skimming and scanning:

Skimming: Quickly read through the main ideas of the text without delving into the details. Practice by reading headings, opening sentences, concluding sentences, and paying attention to important nouns.
Scanning: This is a rapid reading technique used to locate specific information or data. After skimming, scan the text to understand it better and identify the specific information you are looking for.

Try reading and answering some questions in the image below:

3. Self-assessment

Furthermore, to improve your reading comprehension skills, you need to regularly assess your own knowledge after 2-5 days of studying. So how can you accurately test yourself?

PREP suggests creating small questions for yourself or using quiz apps like Quizlet, Anki, etc. This method allows you to revisit your studied material, reinforcing your memory and comprehension. Creating personalized flashcards or quizzes tailored to your learning material can significantly enhance the retention of concepts and details. When you generate your own questions, you engage in a process known as active recall. This technique is much more effective than passive review because it forces your brain to retrieve information without seeing the answer first, which strengthens neural connections.

VI. Where to Purchase the Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies?

In respect for the author's copyright, PREP recommends buying the Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies books from reputable places such as bookstores or online commercial websites. Additionally, to facilitate your home study for exams, PREP has compiled the PDF files of this material below for your reference:

Online Retailers	Amazon Book Depository Target
Physical Bookstores	Barnes & Noble Waterstones Local independent bookstores

After this sharing, PREP hopes that you will have a better overview of the six books in the Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies series. If you encounter any difficulties while using this material, please leave a comment, and PREP will respond promptly!

Chloe

Product Content Admin

Hi I'm Chloe, and I am currently serving as an Product Content Administrator at Prep Education. With over five years of experience in independent online IELTS study and exam preparation, I am confident in my ability to support learners in achieving their highest possible scores.