Request for info with "I See Sam" books and RR

[Shay]

Hello!

I'm teaching my 5.75 yo to read and have run into a few bumps. I really don't think he has any special needs (although he's super wiggly and has had speech therapy all this year). From searching the boards, those of you most familiar with RR hang out here, so thought I'd post my Q here.

We did MFWK last year and it got ds reading CVC words. There is no way he can handle the pace of MFW1 this year...it just moves too fast. So, I need something else to do and I picked up my copy of Reading Reflex and have been working on the chapter right before the Advanced Code .

We just finished the CCVC part of RR and the next chapter would be the advanced code, but ds can't transfer easily what he's learned to reading stories very well ...sooooo, I see no point in going on. I am interested in the I See Sam books for him as I think he'd really like little books (he hates any primer I've tried to teach him from). He has done well with and liked the word building activites in RR and does well with the spelling.......he is just having trouble with reading the stories at the end of the chapters.

I went to the iseesam.com website and gave him the placement test and was shocked that he placed in the set 1 level because I just thought he could read better than he performed on that test. He was taking words and making new words out of them (Ann was ant for example.......I think he was guessing). I don't think he tried very hard and was just wanting to get back to his play...so don't know how accurate that was. I would be fine starting with set 1 if they build upon each other and it's neccesary.

All this rambling to ask if you think the Little Books would fit our situation?

TIA!!
~Shay

[Ottakee]

I am on vacation so this is the short version but YES, I think the books would be perfect. They do help catch the kids that read the pictures and not the words. That is WHY they use Ann and ant on the same page, Nan and Nat, etc--it makes the child read the whole word and not just the first 1-2 sounds.

I would also check out the yahoo group for "beginning reading instruction" which is a group for those using the I See Sam books. LOTS of great resources and advice there.

I would also search/google for Dancing Bears and check out that program and how they use the CURSOR to make sure the child tracks left to right while reading. I don't have my links here but I have mentioned this before on this forum.

[Shay]

Thank you Ottakee! I really think they'd be just right, it's just hard to spend $30 per set, KWIM?? I did go to the beginning reading instruction website that you had linked on a post I searched..........just wondering if those I See Sam books are the same because they are $20 per set?? ~Shay

[Ottakee]

They are the same. I sent you a personal message as well.

[Claire]

Thank you Ottakee! I really think they'd be just right, it's just hard to spend $30 per set, KWIM?? I did go to the beginning reading instruction website that you had linked on a post I searched..........just wondering if those I See Sam books are the same because they are $20 per set?? ~Shay

The only difference between the $20 sets and the $30 sets is that the more expensive sets have the new sounds and words pulled out to the front of each book so you can pre-teach them. If you need to pre-teach (not all children require this), you can just manually page through a book and pull the new material out yourself.

[Shay]

I would just like to update you guys on ds's progress with I See Sam. I think this is working wonderfully for him at this time. We're almost done with the 1st set, and I can see it improving his confidence and fluency. It is also reducing his habit of "guessing", as you can't get by with guessing in this program. I'm continuing to use it along with the activities, etc. in Reading Reflex (word building).

It is an added bonus that he finds the characters enjoyable and is making a poster of Sam and his friends.

Thank you Ottakee for helping me so much with this!

Shay
3 great dc in ps and 1 ds in homeschool K

[Ottakee]

That is GREAT. Just keep plugging along. You are right though, with these books kids can't just guess at the words by looking at the pictures or first letter.

My special needs dd is now in the middle of set 6 and is reading and reading and reading other books, etc. It has been a long road but it is working.

[Shay]

I wanted to revisit this post to see when we first started I See Sam. We've been at it 4 to 5 months and my ds (6yo) continues to improve and also enjoys the reading.

He is now in public school K (late summer boy...I delayed his entry b/c of age) and we easily read the "little books" at night or on weekends, so his reading is progressing.

I would encourage any of you who have a child like mine (who you really don't feel has an LD), but is just not progressing with fluency after you've given CVC instruction with other methods. I strongly believe we would have been headed for reading trouble had we not started these books. His guessing has decreased dramatically (rarely ever guesses now), and he has to look through the whole word to get it right. When we began, if the story had been using the word "Mit", and then changed to "mat", he would often get it wrong. Now he knows he has to read through the entire word to get it right. Those things are there on purpose to encourage correct reading.

Shay

We are in the last half of set 2 (K level) and I'm looking forward to just continuing these books until he is an independent reader.

[Ottakee]

Glad to hear this.

There is a discussion going on right now on the forums about using these books to get kids started off right and how they can prevent a lot of struggling readers.

If you can, continue these books at his own pace through sets 4 or 5 and I think the results will really pay off. If you read through them this summer as well (only takes 10 minutes or so) he will start 1st grade ahead of the game.