- Skills covered are correlated to national language arts standards for 1st-grade- Implements the five main standards, set forth by the No Child Left Behind Act's reading initiative: - Phonemic awareness- Phonics- Vocabulary development- Fluency- Comprehension (both nonfiction and fiction texts)- Subject matter is correlated to social studies and science topics taught nationwide at the 1st-grade level for effective interdisciplinary approach- Many activities include a Challenge section that serves as an extension activity for the featured stall- Larger font size creates greater reading ease for younger learners- Carefully selected images are closely correlated to content and are appropriate for 1st-grade reading level- Contains a variety of photographs paired with activities for a real world approach