Story Detective

Read it, then prove you read it

📖 Reading & Words Grade 2 to Grade 6 ages 7–12 Free

▶  Play Story Detective

Free · no sign-in needed · works offline once loaded

About Story Detective

Short passages followed by questions that go past recall: main idea, inference, and finding the line that proves your answer.

Ankhdase tracks 4 distinct skills in Story Detective, including Reading comprehension, Main idea & detail, Inference & evidence and Vocabulary. Because mastery is estimated per skill rather than per game, the questions shift toward whatever a student is getting wrong — and away from what they have already proved they know.

How to play

  1. Read the passage, then answer the questions. The text stays on screen the whole time.
  2. Questions go past simple recall: main idea, inference and vocabulary in context.
  3. Get one wrong and the sentence that proves the answer is highlighted for you.

Skills Story Detective practices

  • Reading comprehension
  • Main idea & detail
  • Inference & evidence
  • Vocabulary

Mastery is estimated separately for each of these, which is what lets the difficulty move independently — a student can be fluent on one and still be fed easier questions on another.

Questions about Story Detective

Is Story Detective free to play?
Yes. Story Detective is free, runs in any modern browser, and needs no download or plugin. You can play straight away without an account; signing in is only needed if you want progress, streaks and badges saved.
What age is Story Detective for?
Story Detective suits ages 7–12 — roughly Grade 2 to Grade 6. The difficulty adapts as you play, so it stays useful across that whole range rather than being pitched at one year group.
What does Story Detective teach?
It practices Reading comprehension, Main idea & detail, Inference & evidence and Vocabulary. Every question is tagged with the skill it exercises, so progress is tracked skill by skill rather than as one overall score.
Does Story Detective work on a tablet or phone?
Yes. Story Detective works with touch as well as a mouse, and every drag action has a tap-to-select alternative. Once the page has loaded once it also keeps working offline.
Can teachers assign Story Detective?
Yes. Teachers can create a class, add students in bulk without email addresses, and set Story Detective as an assignment with a goal — a score, a number of minutes, stars or a typing speed. Progress updates automatically as students play.

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