# Reading Detective® Beginning (Free)

> Critical thinking activities to improve reading comprehension for grades 3-4. (iPhone/iPad app by The Critical Thinking Company.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reading-detective-beginning-free/id977529034 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [The Critical Thinking Company](https://appshunter.io/developer/882929408)
- Category: Education, Games
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 7.0 · 29 MB
- Languages: English, German
- Released: 2015-06-11
- Data updated: 2026-06-25
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reading-detective-beginning-free/id977529034/reviews.md

## What is Reading Detective® Beginning (Free)?

Using Higher-Order Thinking to Improve Reading Comprehension

Teaches a depth of analysis that guarantees superior reading comprehension, top grades, and higher test scores! 

The standards-based critical thinking activities of Reading Detective® develop the analysis, synthesis, and vocabulary skills students need for exceptional reading comprehension. The activities are especially effective at helping students understand more challenging reading concepts such as drawing inferences, making conclusions, determining cause-and-effect, and using context clues to define vocabulary.

Students read and analyze short literature passages and stories that include fiction and nonfiction genres. Then they answer multiple-choice questions, citing sentence evidence to support their answers.

The Grades 3–4 (Beginning) level is organized into single-skill units with a concluding mixed-skills unit and provides an introductory lesson for each skill.

Reading and literary analysis skills are based on grade-level standards.

Features
     - 62 activities; 307 questions (in paid version)
     - Instructional lessons for each skill
     - Question hints
     - Explanations of answers
     - Detailed help
     - Detailed student statistics
     - Progress/award certificates
     - Ad-free

This app won the following awards: Cathy Duffy 101 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum, Creative Child Magazine Media of the Year Award, Informal Education Products Product of the Year, Learning® Magazine Teacher's Choice Award, Mensa Recommended Materials for the Gifted The National Parenting Center Seal of Approval .

Authors: Cheryl Block, Carrie Beckwith, Margaret Hockett, and David White
Subject: Language Arts
Grades: 3-4

Reading Detective® guarantees top performance on assessment tests, including:

Stanford Achievement Test™ (SAT/10)
California Achievement Tests (CAT/6)
Iowa Tests of Basic Skills® (ITBS®)
Secondary School Admissions Test (SSAT)
Florida State Assessment (FSA)
Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP)
Palmetto Assessment Challenge Test (PACT)
New York State English Language Arts (ELA) Test
Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP)
State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) 
Ohio Proficiency Test
Kansas State Assessments
North Carolina End of Grade Tests
North Carolina Competency Tests
Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS)
Indiana Statewide Test for Educational Progress (ISTEP)
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS)
Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL)
Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT)
Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA)
California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR)
and many more!

## Key features

- Higher-Order Thinking Activities
- Reading Comprehension Improvement
- Analysis, Synthesis, Vocabulary Skills
- Inference and Conclusion Skills
- Evidence-Based Questioning
- Progress Tracking and Certificates


## Frequently asked questions about Reading Detective® Beginning (Free)

### What is Reading Detective Beginning?

Reading Detective Beginning is an educational app designed to improve reading comprehension and critical thinking skills for students in grades 3-4. It uses standards-based activities to help students analyze text and answer questions by citing evidence.

### What skills does Reading Detective Beginning teach?

The app focuses on developing higher-order thinking skills such as drawing inferences, making conclusions, determining cause-and-effect, and using context clues to define vocabulary. It also aims to enhance analysis, synthesis, and vocabulary skills.

### How does Reading Detective Beginning help with test scores?

By improving reading comprehension and critical thinking, the app aims to guarantee superior reading comprehension, top grades, and higher test scores on various standardized assessments like the Stanford Achievement Test and Florida State Assessment.

### What kind of content is used in Reading Detective Beginning?

Students read and analyze short literature passages and stories from both fiction and nonfiction genres. The Grades 3-4 level is organized into single-skill units with instructional lessons and a concluding mixed-skills unit.

### Does Reading Detective Beginning offer hints or explanations?

Yes, the app provides question hints to assist students and offers explanations for the answers, helping them understand the reasoning behind correct responses.

### What kind of progress tracking is available?

The app offers detailed student statistics to monitor progress. It also provides progress and award certificates, which can be motivating for young learners.

### Is Reading Detective Beginning available on multiple devices?

Based on the provided data, the app is currently supported on iPads. Information regarding availability on other platforms like Android or desktop is not specified.

### How often is Reading Detective Beginning updated?

The app was last updated on August 4, 2015, with version 0.0.2. This indicates infrequent updates, which may be a consideration for users seeking continuously evolving educational content.

## Version history (last 2 releases)

### 0.0.2 — 2015-08-04

This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.

updates to general functionality issues
minor data updates
game-winning changes

### 0.0.1 — 2015-06-11

No release notes.

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All apps by The Critical Thinking Company: https://appshunter.io/developer/882929408

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-25.*