Alternatives to McCall-Crabbs Reading Comprehension

[Writerdaddy]

Hi,

 

These McCall-Crabbs readers, recommended by Spell to Write and Read curriculum, look good (in online samples) for my kid because of the clever inferential questions and the short text selections. My reader is average an 8 year old boy, although he might be slightly below average of the homeschooled kids here. Most reading tests would inflate his reading ability to 3-4 grade-- for some reason most publishers label their grade level above what it should be.

 

I was wondering if there were other readers like McCall-Crabbs. I've browsed lots, and none of them are thinking carefully enough about the questions, nor do they seem to make slightly tricky questions that encourage thought.

 

(I guess I would except from that comment the V/V workbooks I have: these questions are carefully designed for specific purposes.)

 

So anyways-- can you recommend short reading comprehension with questions that are cleverly and purposefully designed?

 

I am looking for variety and also I can't afford to send the McCall-Crabbs overseas to myself right now.

 

Thanks!

Edited May 26, 2012 by Writerdaddy

[Hunter]

If you are going to invest in McCall-Crabbs, make sure you get the Spalding version. The TMs are more complete, and the workbooks are individual and easier to test with, than a bulky hardcover. The stories themselves are the same, and are not the newer version.

 

Riggs also suggests Reading and Thinking. I have Book 1 and it is AWESOME for inferring skills.

 

Scholastic has some decent reading comprehension strategies books on sale for $1.00. Look for Reading Passages that Build Comprehension. There are quite a few of them on different topics, such as inference, main idea, compare and contrast, context clues, predict, fact and opinion. these are for grades 2-3, but the strategies are still useful for older students. There is also a set for older students, called 35 Reading Passages for Comprehension.

 

The red literature circle guides have a reading comprehension strategies for each lesson. There are 19 titles and they are for grades 4-8.

 

Check out this blog about reading notebooks and independent reading.

Edited May 26, 2012 by Hunter

[Writerdaddy]

Thanks!

 

Those links are helpful and I definitely do want the comprehension book you recommend.

 

I am also looking into applying reading workshop strategies at home, but it seems a major part of it 1) is having friends with similar interests to share with and getting excited that way (and we don't have natural excitement in 1/2 of my duo) and 2) having access to a lot of interesting, attractive books (I don't have access to English library or bookstores). So, that is a little tricky.

[Dinsfamily]

If you are going to invest in McCall-Crabbs, make sure you get the Spalding version. The TMs are more complete, and the workbooks are individual and easier to test with, than a bulky hardcover. The stories themselves are the same, and are not the newer version.

 

Riggs also suggests Reading and Thinking. I have Book 1 and it is AWESOME for inferring skills.

 

Scholastic has some decent reading comprehension strategies books on sale for $1.00. Look for Reading Passages that Build Comprehension. There are quite a few of them on different topics, such as inference, main idea, compare and contrast, context clues, predict, fact and opinion. these are for grades 2-3, but the strategies are still useful for older students. There is also a set for older students, called 35 Reading Passages for Comprehension.

 

The red literature circle guides have a reading comprehension strategies for each lesson. There are 19 titles and they are for grades 4-8.

 

Check out this blog about reading notebooks and independent reading.

 

Thanks for these links, Hunter. We've used McCall-Harby and McCall-Crabbs book A with great results but Reading and Thinking looks interesting.

 

I agree with getting the individual books from Spalding. Both the SWR and Spalding editions are the right version of McCall-Crabbs but it is easier to work with the small books, especially if you have more than one student using them. The only thing I miss is Sanseri's order (she orders them by difficulty) but that has been easy to do myself. It is time-consuming but I only have to do it once for all my dc.

[Hunter]

Thanks!

 

Those links are helpful and I definitely do want the comprehension book you recommend.

 

I am also looking into applying reading workshop strategies at home, but it seems a major part of it 1) is having friends with similar interests to share with and getting excited that way (and we don't have natural excitement in 1/2 of my duo) and 2) having access to a lot of interesting, attractive books (I don't have access to English library or bookstores). So, that is a little tricky.

 

Right now I'm using everything with individual students. None of it is done as a group. The red lit guides say "circle" but there is no circle being done here. I'm trying to really work on each student's independent reading skills. When I introduce a strategy it is to try and prepare a student to use that strategy in the future, in whatever they choose to read.

 

Lit circles are nice...but...the world I want to open for students is a private activity that they can enjoy and use all their lives, independently.

 

I'm not focusing on any individual book as a masterpiece, and I'm giving short shift to literary technique. I'm focusing on the reading comprehension strategies. And trying to build reading stamina. My students are NOT used to a VOLUME of reading.

 

The red lit guides are a bit difficult for my students, so I have to be careful not to expect too much feedback from them, except for the reading strategy being concentrated on. But the series is affordable and comprehensive so I'm attempting to push through with it, and we'll see what happens.

Edited May 29, 2012 by Hunter

[Hunter]

Thanks for these links, Hunter. We've used McCall-Harby and McCall-Crabbs book A with great results but Reading and Thinking looks interesting.

 

I agree with getting the individual books from Spalding. Both the SWR and Spalding editions are the right version of McCall-Crabbs but it is easier to work with the small books, especially if you have more than one student using them. The only thing I miss is Sanseri's order (she orders them by difficulty) but that has been easy to do myself. It is time-consuming but I only have to do it once for all my dc.

 

The Spalding TM talks about the guides not being in order of difficulty. What are you using as a base of difficulty? The score for 1 correct, at the bottom of the page?

[Dinsfamily]

The Spalding TM talks about the guides not being in order of difficulty. What are you using as a base of difficulty? The score for 1 correct, at the bottom of the page?

 

Yes. I'm mostly doing that because ds8 scores at the top end of the scale and I didn't want them to be too easy by the end of the book. So far he's only max'ed 7 of the 55 we've done with significant time left.

[Hunter]

Check out this blog about reading notebooks and independent reading.

 

3 COMPONENTS OF READING WORKSHOP

 

mini-lesson

IDR (Independent Daily Reading)

Closing (review of mini-lesson and discussion of application to IDR)

 

Other students are not required :-)

[Hunter]

Yes. I'm mostly doing that because ds8 scores at the top end of the scale and I didn't want them to be too easy by the end of the book. So far he's only max'ed 7 of the 55 we've done with significant time left.

 

Thanks for the explanation. I'm not sure whether I will just take them as they come or reorder them. I think maybe reordering them looks better. It's hard to filter through when publishers are making excuses for something weak in the curriculum, and when it really is better that way.