Q: Why should every skill be taught to mastery?

A:  Each skill that is taught is critical to understanding a future skill that will be taught. Nothing is presented merely because it is interesting, all material is selected to be a building block for later material.

Q:  How often should Reading Mastery be presented?

A:  The program is designed for daily presentation of lessons.

Q:  How should students be placed in Reading Mastery?

A:  There are placement tests for each level of the program.

Q:  How many lessons are included in Reading Mastery?

A:  Reading Mastery I: 160 lessons
Reading Mastery II: 160 lessons
Reading Mastery III: 140 lessons
Reading Mastery IV: 140 lessons
Reading Mastery V: 120 lessons
Reading Mastery VI: 120 lessons

Q:  What activities are included in Reading Mastery?

A:  There are a variety of teacher-directed activities included in the presentations as well as independent student activities.

Teacher Directed Activities include:

Pre-reading exercises: (levels I-II) The students learn letter sounds and master decoding and comprehension readiness skills
Word Practice: (all levels) The students read lists of words aloud, both in unison and individually. These words will later appear in the reading selections.
Vocabulary exercises: (levels III-VI) The students learn the meanings of difficult words that will later appear in the reading selections.
Skill Exercises: (all levels) The teacher explains the skill exercises contained in the student's Takehomes, Workbooks, or Skillbooks.
Group Reading: (all levels) The students take turns reading aloud from their Storybooks or Textbooks.
Comprehension Questions: (all levels) Both during, and after the group reading, the teacher presents comprehension questions about the reading.
Individual Checkouts: (levels I-V) In selected lessons, the teacher measures each student's decoding rate and accuracy.
Workcheck: (all levels) The teacher checks the student's independent work.
Spelling: (levels I-II) The teacher conducts optional spelling activities.

Independent Student Activities include:

Silent Reading: (all levels) The students read stories, questions and exercises.
Story Items: (all levels) The students answer questions about stories.
Skill items: (all levels) The students complete exercises that teach specific decoding, comprehension, literary, and study skills.
Vocabulary Items: (levels III-VI) The students use new vocabulary words to complete sentences and work crossword puzzles.
Review Items: (all levels) The students review previously taught skills and vocabulary.
Fact Games: (levels III-VI) The students play games that involve facts they have learned.
Special Projects: (levels IV-VI) The students complete special projects that relate to their reading selections.
Writing Assignments: (levels IV-VI) The students write paragraphs on assigned topics.
Supplementary Novels: (levels III-VI) The students read novels independently and complete comprehension activities for each novel.

Q:  What materials are used for Reading Mastery?

A:  Each level has a Presentation book that contains scripts for every lesson of the program.  There are also teacher's guides for each level of the program that contain Behavioral Objectives for each lesson, a scope and sequence chart, as well as other information useful in teaching the program.  Levels I and II also have an optional spelling book component. Student materials include Storybooks and Takehome Books for Levels I and II, and Levels III-VI utilize Workbooks, Textbooks and Skillbooks.

Q:  What is Reading Mastery?

A:  Reading Mastery is a six-level program teaching the full range of reading skills. Early levels of the program emphasize phonics instruction to develop a basis for comprehension. In the later levels of the series, students read some of the classics in great children's literature by authors such as Mark Twain, Eleanor Clymer, and Langston Hughes. The program also encourages outside reading by providing study material for award-winning modern novels such as Charlottes's Web and Island of the Blue Dolphins.

Reading mastery also includes a strong writing component.  From the very beginning of the program students write their own complete answers to questions rather than circling somebody else's.  By the end of the program students are not only answering questions, but writing at least one paragraph a day on issues related to their reading.  They are taught to reflect, compare, evaluate, and to think.