English Assessment Books

[teh_oh]

Hi janet_lee88,

I saw by Marshall Cavendish - The Ultimate Guide to Mastering Comprehension - http://www.popular.com.sg/jsp/product/product_detail.jsp?vca001=112&vpd001=73166. It was the last book on the shelf for P3 level and 2 books for P1. I find it quite useful for introducing inferential questions in comprehension to P1 learners. I didn't get it because I am thinking of getting P4 standard as it is already near to year end and they don't have P4 level copies for me to browse.

[janet88]

teh_oh:

janet_lee88:

HI Teh_oh,

II did get Conquer Comprehension for P5 though...but don't have much time to get the exercises done as son is attending enrichment lessons and teacher uses P6 passages. This Sep holiday, I need him to work on Synthesis and Comprehension Cloze.

Can anyone comment on Conquer Comprehension? Thanks in advance.

I have Conquer Comprehension...it's not bad. Also using Success in Comprehension by Manda Pullen. Actually comprehension is about practice and being careful with the tenses...but I agree that upper level is tough, esp if the content is like history or space :faint: you feel kinda 'switched off' but yet still have to force yourself to understand.
Time is tight now, so I tend to use all-in-1 EL assessment for practice.

[SAHM_TAN]

I learnt a tip, read the questions then read the passage. It will help to save time.

[teh_oh]

janet_lee88:

teh_oh:

[quote=\"janet_lee88\"]HI Teh_oh,

II did get Conquer Comprehension for P5 though...but don't have much time to get the exercises done as son is attending enrichment lessons and teacher uses P6 passages. This Sep holiday, I need him to work on Synthesis and Comprehension Cloze.

Can anyone comment on Conquer Comprehension? Thanks in advance.

I have Conquer Comprehension...it's not bad. Also using Success in Comprehension by Manda Pullen. Actually comprehension is about practice and being careful with the tenses...but I agree that upper level is tough, esp if the content is like history or space :faint: you feel kinda 'switched off' but yet still have to force yourself to understand.
Time is tight now, so I tend to use all-in-1 EL assessment for practice.[/quote]Hi janet_lee88,
Thank you for your comments.
I did not buy any all-in-1 EL assessment as I am using Past year papers.

[sleepy]

1) P3 Mastering Comprehension

http://i53.tinypic.com/20saqlv.jpg\">

2) Conquer Comprehension
http://i56.tinypic.com/2mebyg1.jpg\">

3) Comprehension Graphic Stimulus Cloze by Learners
http://i51.tinypic.com/5tt5qx.jpg\">


Have the first and third book. Bought p4 mastering comprehension recently. Attempted 1 basic open ended question. My dd said very difficult le. Started doing third book last year, completed earlier this year. Also difficult

[teh_oh]

sleepy:

1) P3 Mastering Comprehension

http://i53.tinypic.com/20saqlv.jpg\">

2) Conquer Comprehension
http://i56.tinypic.com/2mebyg1.jpg\">

3) Comprehension Graphic Stimulus Cloze by Learners
http://i51.tinypic.com/5tt5qx.jpg\">


Have the first and third book. Bought p4 mastering comprehension recently. Attempted 1 basic open ended question. My dd said very difficult le. Started doing third book last year, completed earlier this year. Also difficult

HI sleepy,
Thanks for sharing.
Have you tried Mastering Cloze? I did not look at Mastering Comprehension because I felt that Mastering Cloze (same publisher) was too difficult. It is either that difficulty level is not suitable for my child, or that the questions were not suitably phrased for that level to aid in the type learning I was targeting at.

[sleepy]

teh_oh:

HI sleepy,

Thanks for sharing.
Have you tried Mastering Cloze? I did not look at Mastering Comprehension because I felt that Mastering Cloze (same publisher) was too difficult. It is either that difficulty level is not suitable for my child, or that the questions were not suitably phrased for that level to aid in the type learning I was targeting at.

Can share what type of learning you're targeting at?

I have the Cloze book. Bought p4 too. Somehow not as difficult as that comprehension book so still quite manageable. Comprehension cloze is the killer though. Very hard to get full marks

[sleepy]

janet_lee88:

I get individual titles for each - grammar, vocab, synthesis, comprehension, cloze.

Me too. Easier to target respective areas. I usually buy slightly higher level so 1 book last for a long time. Cannot finish then hand down to dd2.

I bought a p2 complete practice book for my dd2. Her one & only 'new' assessment book so far. Very thick !

[janet88]

sleepy:

janet_lee88:

I get individual titles for each - grammar, vocab, synthesis, comprehension, cloze.

Me too. Easier to target respective areas. I usually buy slightly higher level so 1 book last for a long time. Cannot finish then hand down to dd2.

I bought a p2 complete practice book for my dd2. Her one & only 'new' assessment book so far. Very thick !

Yes :hi5: that title is SUPER THICK.
It would be better if the cloze practices are in bigger fonts and more 'spacious'. Have to squint my eyes to read the passages.

[teh_oh]

sleepy:

teh_oh:

HI sleepy,

Thanks for sharing.
Have you tried Mastering Cloze? I did not look at Mastering Comprehension because I felt that Mastering Cloze (same publisher) was too difficult. It is either that difficulty level is not suitable for my child, or that the questions were not suitably phrased for that level to aid in the type learning I was targeting at.

Can share what type of learning you're targeting at?

I have the Cloze book. Bought p4 too. Somehow not as difficult as that comprehension book so still quite manageable. Comprehension cloze is the killer though. Very hard to get full marks

Hi sleepy,

I have a few requirements when I look at assessment books.
I like what I see from Conquer Comprehension because they have glossary of new words behind every passage and an example of how that word can be used.

I am also looking at questions that are of my child's standard because then I can focus on his answering technique rather than having difficult questions and passages and I have to devise my own ways to teach my child.

I also try to choose books with questions facing the passage so that my child need not flip the pages to look for answers.

I bought Success in Comprehension too. I like the short MCQ exercises, but problem is that I find the inferential MCQ questions difficult to answer myself (eg 'what is the passage trying to tell you?' and they gave 4 similar options).

For Master Cloze, my child totally flung the Comprehension Cloze. I have problem deciphering some of the clues to find the words in the blank too. I am now using Score in Cloze Passage, a 2007 edition by Study Helpers. My child is managing 7-8/10 as the passages are easier than Master Cloze and they have better 'clues' in the passage so I can guide my child in coming up with some suitable words for the blanks. However Score in Cloze Passage does not have Grammar Cloze section. May consider going back to Master Cloze when my child's standard improves.