Question about I See Sam books

[mo2]

Are these the same books:

 

http://iseesam.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=8_9&sort=20a&page=1&zenid=09c61ecd3bc1c8cfc07f03d9037ba01d

 

and

 

http://www.3rsplus.com/

 

One place has 27 books in the first set, the other has only 24. Why the difference?

[AngieW in Texas]

The books are mostly the same. There is a little bit of difference in the order (sometimes there are several books in a row with no new code introduced). I'm not sure about the extra books in the sets from the I See Sam website. The I See Sam website books have the new sounds and words in a list at the front of the book. The 3rsplus readers do not.

[mo2]

The books are mostly the same. There is a little bit of difference in the order (sometimes there are several books in a row with no new code introduced). I'm not sure about the extra books in the sets from the I See Sam website. The I See Sam website books have the new sounds and words in a list at the front of the book. The 3rsplus readers do not.

 

Thank you.

[Oops, duplicate account :/]

Do the set of 8 series contain all the phonic rules? Could you just use these to teach reading? Either way, I would love to get these! What sets would you NEED for beginning reading and that would take a child to say be able to do easy readers at the library. I would love to get them all but, ouch, the cost.

[mo2]

Do the set of 8 series contain all the phonic rules? Could you just use these to teach reading? Either way, I would love to get these! What sets would you NEED for beginning reading and that would take a child to say be able to do easy readers at the library. I would love to get them all but, ouch, the cost.

 

 

I haven't actually seen them (but would like to!). Hopefully Ottakee or someone else more knowledgeable than me will be able to answer this for you.

[Oops, duplicate account :/]

Thanks mo2! Sorry, I realized I hijacked your thread though. You can look at and print the first (I'm assuming:confused:) 52 books here!

 

http://www.teacherweb.com/CA/PomeloDriveElementary/MrsSakamoto/ap2.aspx

Edited May 25, 2010 by mommyjen

[susankenny]

Yes, we use the free books too. We love them!

 

Susan

[Shay]

Yes, you can use only these books to teach reading. Some kids need to go through all 8 sets, and some are off and reading "real" books by the 3rd or 4th set. My ds is in the 6th set and can now read Magic Treehouse books. The code is sequentially added into the mix.

 

There is tons of reading practice in the books (which my ds needed). My ds has really loved learning to read with this series and the titles are quite enjoyable and have some fantasy themes (kings, etc.). The stories are all narratives.

 

If you'll go to the 3RsPlus site, you can see 3 sample extracts from each level, so that should be helpful.

 

I also tutor using these books and get great results.

 

Here is a blog of one of my friends and she describes these books in her "decodable readers" section. Scroll down the the "cumulatively decodable books part" and she gives you some snippets:

 

Nurture a Reader: http://nurtureareader.blogspot.com/

[mo2]

Thanks mo2! Sorry, I realized I hijacked your thread though. You can look at and print the first (I'm assuming:confused:) 52 books here!

 

http://www.teacherweb.com/CA/PomeloDriveElementary/MrsSakamoto/ap2.aspx

 

No worries. :) I plan on printing the first few to see how they go over with my daughter, but I think the purchased ones might hold up better to the repeated use they will probably get at my house.

[mo2]

Thanks mo2! Sorry, I realized I hijacked your thread though. You can look at and print the first (I'm assuming:confused:) 52 books here!

 

http://www.teacherweb.com/CA/PomeloDriveElementary/MrsSakamoto/ap2.aspx

 

OK, dumb question perhaps, but how do you get these to print right so the pages assemble in the right order?

[Oops, duplicate account :/]

OK, dumb question perhaps, but how do you get these to print right so the pages assemble in the right order?

 

LOL. I was wondering the same thing.

[Shay]

I've never printed from this site, so cannot say how clear the instructions are, but there *are*at least printing instructions:

 

http://www.marriottmd.com/sam/index.html

 

If you want to try the books to see how they work, this is the way to go. If you want the little books for long-term use, I think I'd spend the money and spare the ink and frustration of printing.

[Angel in FL]

Yes, you can use only these books to teach reading. Some kids need to go through all 8 sets, and some are off and reading "real" books by the 3rd or 4th set. My ds is in the 6th set and can now read Magic Treehouse books. The code is sequentially added into the mix.

 

There is tons of reading practice in the books (which my ds needed). My ds has really loved learning to read with this series and the titles are quite enjoyable and have some fantasy themes (kings, etc.). The stories are all narratives.

 

If you'll go to the 3RsPlus site, you can see 3 sample extracts from each level, so that should be helpful.

 

I also tutor using these books and get great results.

 

Here is a blog of one of my friends and she describes these books in her "decodable readers" section. Scroll down the the "cumulatively decodable books part" and she gives you some snippets:

 

Nurture a Reader: http://nurtureareader.blogspot.com/

 

So we can really use just these books to teach reading completely? We don't need one of the expensive phonics programs that teach reading, writing, sing songs, etc.??! :)

 

Are there good instructions for using these or do you *just* read them? I have three almost grown boys but I've never taught a child to read and it scares me! They were reading before I took them out of school.

[mo2]

So we can really use just these books to teach reading completely? We don't need one of the expensive phonics programs that teach reading, writing, sing songs, etc.??! :)

 

Are there good instructions for using these or do you *just* read them? I have three almost grown boys but I've never taught a child to read and it scares me! They were reading before I took them out of school.

 

Ok, I'm no expert but I think this is how you do it. ;) In the beginning of the books it lists the new words and/or sounds in that book. So you can go over those first, then read the book. I think some people make flashcards of the new words/sounds but that is up to you. In the back of the book there are review questions for you to ask in order to make sure the child is comprehending what they are reading. There are instructions on one of the websites about cutting a notch out of the corner of a business card and using that to uncover one sound at a time so that the child learns to read and blend from left to right. This may or may not be necessary depending on the particular student.

 

I am having my child read through the first 2 sets online (free) and if it goes well, I plan to purchase the next sets one at a time as I need them. So far we've gone through book 10 in set 1, and it has been too easy, but I figure it's good review. I'm sure the difficulty will pick up soon.

 

Best of luck.

[Ottakee]

OK, dumb question perhaps, but how do you get these to print right so the pages assemble in the right order?

 

I just hit print and then cut the pages apart, put them in order and stapled them together. It is not the nicest but if you aren't sure about the books and/or money is very tight and you can print things at a low cost it might be worth it.

[Ottakee]

Are these the same books:

 

http://iseesam.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=8_9&sort=20a&page=1&zenid=09c61ecd3bc1c8cfc07f03d9037ba01d

 

and

 

http://www.3rsplus.com/

 

One place has 27 books in the first set, the other has only 24. Why the difference?

 

There are a few extra books in the one set. No new information, just a few books. I think that originally when the books were used in schools back in the early 70s the kids would get the last 1 or 2 of them to take home as their reward for finishing the set. They were like bonus books.

[Ottakee]

Do the set of 8 series contain all the phonic rules? Could you just use these to teach reading? Either way, I would love to get these! What sets would you NEED for beginning reading and that would take a child to say be able to do easy readers at the library. I would love to get them all but, ouch, the cost.

 

YES! They are all you need to teach all of the decoding a child needs to read just about any level text.

 

I used them to teach my 2 girls to read (one with severe LDs and the other with a fairly severe mental impairment) while my sister taught her 3 kids to read with these--and the youngest 2 were reading just about anything by the end of K.

 

What I would suggest is buying 1 or 2 sets and then go from there. Kids that learn to read easily and don't struggle with any LDs, etc. can often read through the first 4-5 sets of books and then just take off with easy readers from the library. Kids who struggle a bit might need all 8 sets but remember that takes you from K-the end of 3rd grade so need to buy them all at once.

 

Another thing, they have a high re-sale value. Even used they are selling for at least 50% of the new price and often more.

 

There is a yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Beginning-Reading-Instruction/ that is a wealth of information---a wonderful group of people that use these in their homeschools, for tutoring, in schools, etc. They also have extra resources--games, pages to print, great instructions, placement tests, etc. From time to time you can find the books here used as well--even just post asking if anyone has some to sell.

[Ottakee]

So we can really use just these books to teach reading completely? We don't need one of the expensive phonics programs that teach reading, writing, sing songs, etc.??! :)

 

Are there good instructions for using these or do you *just* read them? I have three almost grown boys but I've never taught a child to read and it scares me! They were reading before I took them out of school.

 

YES, you can use JUST the books to teach reading. There are wonderful instructions at http://www.3rsplus.com on how to do this. Actually you do very little instruction as the books are so carefully sequenced. You just make sure the child knows any new sounds they come across and that they are blending the sounds left to right. The less you say the better, HONEST.

 

Once they get through the 3rd set of books, I REALLY like the Apples and Pears spelling program from http://www.prometheantrust.org/soundfoundationsbooks.htm It covers spelling using lots of different activites including dictation, filling in the blanks, puzzles, etc. There are no word lists to memorize and forget but rather daily activities that keep the kids applying the words they have learned to spell. It is a bit pricier but very well worth it in my book.

[sbgrace]

Oops, cross posted with Ottakee and she said it better!

 

I used instructions from the 3rsplus site. If I remember right they have a free resources section and under that there is a PDF for getting started. I read that and we were off. These books have been great here for reading instruction.

 

I did make the notched card described on the site. We read through the words listed at the front first. I've occasionally had to give simple instruction with those new words--(i.e. "th" says /th/) but what I love is how the books teach themselves. It's structured perfectly to guide the student and eliminate issues. Generally I just reminded them to "say the sounds" if needed. The books did the teaching.

 

My boys love the characters and stories in these books. They are so excited to read them always. I am using the first set online. We have five left. I purchased the second set yesterday. It will be nice to have them as actual books.

[Angel in FL]

How long would it take a typical 4/5 year old to read one set? You keep reding them until they don't make mistakes?

[Ottakee]

How long would it take a typical 4/5 year old to read one set? You keep reding them until they don't make mistakes?

 

At that age you would do one new book a day as long as there are no struggles. After a few days (books) you read 1 new book and one older book for review (fluency). You want them to read each book with relative ease without a lot of mistakes. 1 or 2 mistakes that they can fix on their own are OK.

 

Just as a guideline, the first 2 sets were designed for K (so 52 books for the 180 days of school). The booster/tween books were 10 books with 2 stories in each (but no new code) that were used for summer reading between K and 1st grade. Many kids don't need these but if there are any struggles, it is well worth reading them (I have these as printable ones as well).

 

Then the 3rd, 4th, and 5th sets were about 1st grade, 6th and 7th sets 2nd grade and 8th set the 1st 1/2 of 3rd grade. That said, just move along at her pace and just use the above as a guideline. My sisters kids went through sets 1-6 in just a few months and were reading everything under the sun after that while my one daughter took 2 years to get through the first 2 sets and tweens.