Help me plan my 'learning to read' summer :)

[TheAttachedMama]

Hi Everyone,

 

I have two children I am teaching to read.  After thinking things through in another thread :) I have decided to work mainly on getting them to read fluently this summer.   (Of course I will work at their own pace...but reading is going to be my top priority this summer.) 

 

My oldest is 7.5 and he is headed into 2nd grade (if you go by age alone.)  My middle child is 6 and she is headed into 1st grade (if you go by age alone.)   If you were going to work on getting those children reading fluently, what would you use and how would you do it? 

 

Background:

Currently, we are in lesson 17 of All About Reading level 2.  (There are 51 lessons in level 2.  There are FOUR levels of AAR total before they are 'finished' with learning to read.  :)  ) 

 

They currently know....

Short and Long vowel sounds

All the consonant sounds

Two and Three consonant blends at the beginning and ending of words

Long Vowel, Silent E words

Consonant teams (th, sh, ch, ph, wh, ng, nk)

A few vowel teams (ee, ea, oa, oo, ow)

how to decode multisyllable words (quicksand, sudden, selfish, etc.)

 

My children both seem to just 'get' a new phonogram when I teach it to them with very little review.  They can also apply it to words and decode it after seeing it a few times.   It does take them awhile to develop automaticy with words.   (In other words, they can always decode a word successfully, but they can't recognize it automatically until they have seen it a million times...at least it feels like a million times to me.)  And that causes us to make slow progress through the AAR levels since you are suppose to master things before moving on.  (Level 1 took us an entire year. ) 

----------

SO--my question is: 

What is the best way to get my kids up and reading fluently this summer? 

 

Do you suggest I........

a)  Stick it out with AAR doing just 20 minutes a day.  That averages out to approximately 1-2 lesson per week for us.   (Which means my son might be learning to read all the way into third or fourth grade.) 

 

b.  Try to go through AAR at a faster pace.  (Suggestion on how to do that?  Perhaps introduce new phongrams at a more rapid pace, and just allow his 'non-mastered' word cards to build up?)

 

c)  Jump ship and switch to something like "Ordinary Parents Guide" and pick it up at like Section 5 or Section 7.   That would mean it would take us aprox. 166 lessons to get through the book.   (33 weeks? Depending on how long a lesson takes to get through?) 

 

d)  Another option? 

[Sherry in OH]

Reading Pathways (http://www.dorbooks.com/readingpathways.html) is a good resource for improving fluency. I would take a break from AAR and try this for the summer.

 

In addition to Reading Pathways, I would borrow readers and easy picture books from the library and have children read to you every day.  When they encounter a word they can’t decode, tell them the word(s) and have them continue reading.   If the child finds reading an entire book daunting, buddy read with him or her.  The child reads a sentence then you read a sentence, gradually work toward reading larger and larger sections of the book.

[rachelpants]

I See Sam....trust me!!!! Lol.

[rachelpants]

The words and sounds are repeated a zillion times...the way they spiral is amazing. ..the instruction is SO easy!

[Pegs]

Are they doing much reading outside of the lessons?

 

Summer is a great time for read alouds. Here, we take it in turns to read to each other at RA time (bedtime for us): I read a story, chapter, or poem, and DS reads me a BOB book. We do this over and over until one of us feels finished.

 

I like to make reading such a delightful thing to do, that we can spend hours a day reading to each other. Periodically I check in with OPGTTR, to ensure that our readers haven't left us with any holes, and move the bookmark along a few lessons. The lessons are largely made redundant by our daily RA time, and occasional spot checks.

[MerryAtHope]

I'd do two sessions a day--one in the lesson, and one playing review games to work on fluency. I have a bunch of fun review ideas & links to free games on my blog. 

 

Although you want to keep working on mastery, you can let the non-mastered word cards build up. They aren't expected to master all of the words as you go. When you review each day, just rotate through the cards for 2-3 minutes (unless you are doing games to specifically focus on review for a longer time), and then go into the lesson. If they retain the phonogram easily and can sound out the words easily, you can progress to the next step even if they aren't fluent on all of the words yet. Fluency is a goal that is achieved gradually over time. So, I do wonder if you can go a bit faster through the steps than you are. Sometimes it's a matter of balance--moving fast enough to keep them interested and progressing, but not so fast that they get overwhelmed with new phonograms. 

 

By the end of level 4, students have the word attack skills to sound out high-school level words, so they really are doing a lot in the 4 levels.

 

 

[sbgrace]

I did the first two sets of I See Sam. Then we went to Progressive Phonics. For Progressive Phonics I taught them the phonogram covered in the next/upcoming Progressive Phonics book, then we read with it.

 

Both of these were entirely enjoyable, effective, solid phonics (all 100% decodable), and cheap (both are free for printing).

 

Printable I See Sam Use a notched card if necessary--link to a video of that on this thread http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/207436-reading-with-a-notched-card/

 

Progressive Phonics also free to print

 

If I had another to teach, I would do it exactly the same.

 

[Staysea]

We are doing AAR2 right now.  I just review a few cards a day. We spend a maximum of 5 minutes reviewing cards a day. I don't worry about how many cards are in the review.  DD is only 5 so I have had to tweak the program a little for her.  One thing I do is I write out the fluency sheets on index cards and play a board or card game.  Everytime it is her turn she has to read a fluency card.  She loves doing the fluency sheets now!  Another thing I do, is skip the activities on lessons that she already has a firm grasp on.  I would probably do more than 20 minutes a day, and turn the review cards and fluency sheets into games.  You could probably get almost a lesson a day done that way.

[mamiof5]

I had mentioned in your other thread, we are fans of "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons".  For us it was hard at the beginning and we had to back out for a while and come back to it in a few months (this happened with the 3 kids I used it with), but once we started that second time they did great!  Since your kids already know some reading they might not have that problem?  I never had to finish the entire program with my 2 girls...by lesson 75 or so they were reading anything and everything they could get their hands on.  With my 6 yr old son it was a little different.... with him we did finish the entire book and now I am just borrowing a lot of library books and have him read them.  It has been exciting to notice how in the last couple weeks he is finally picking up books on his own...it's like it finally "clicked in".  This program has always helped for us, probably you could do more than one lesson at the beginning, and it could be a great "over the summer" program?

[Aloha2U]

Hi Everyone,

 

I have two children I am teaching to read.  After thinking things through in another thread :) I have decided to work mainly on getting them to read fluently this summer.   (Of course I will work at their own pace...but reading is going to be my top priority this summer.) 

 

My oldest is 7.5 and he is headed into 2nd grade (if you go by age alone.)  My middle child is 6 and she is headed into 1st grade (if you go by age alone.)   If you were going to work on getting those children reading fluently, what would you use and how would you do it? 

 

Background:

Currently, we are in lesson 17 of All About Reading level 2.  (There are 51 lessons in level 2.  There are FOUR levels of AAR total before they are 'finished' with learning to read.  :)  ) 

 

They currently know....

Short and Long vowel sounds

All the consonant sounds

Two and Three consonant blends at the beginning and ending of words

Long Vowel, Silent E words

Consonant teams (th, sh, ch, ph, wh, ng, nk)

A few vowel teams (ee, ea, oa, oo, ow)

how to decode multisyllable words (quicksand, sudden, selfish, etc.)

 

My children both seem to just 'get' a new phonogram when I teach it to them with very little review.  They can also apply it to words and decode it after seeing it a few times.   It does take them awhile to develop automaticy with words.   (In other words, they can always decode a word successfully, but they can't recognize it automatically until they have seen it a million times...at least it feels like a million times to me.)  And that causes us to make slow progress through the AAR levels since you are suppose to master things before moving on.  (Level 1 took us an entire year. ) 

----------

SO--my question is: 

What is the best way to get my kids up and reading fluently this summer? 

 

Do you suggest I........

a)  Stick it out with AAR doing just 20 minutes a day.  That averages out to approximately 1-2 lesson per week for us.   (Which means my son might be learning to read all the way into third or fourth grade.) 

 

b.  Try to go through AAR at a faster pace.  (Suggestion on how to do that?  Perhaps introduce new phongrams at a more rapid pace, and just allow his 'non-mastered' word cards to build up?)

 

c)  Jump ship and switch to something like "Ordinary Parents Guide" and pick it up at like Section 5 or Section 7.   That would mean it would take us aprox. 166 lessons to get through the book.   (33 weeks? Depending on how long a lesson takes to get through?) 

 

d)  Another option? 

 

I vote first for . . . a.) Stick it out with AAR (daily), since it's what you already have on hand and are currently using. Perhaps at least until you've completed Level 2?

 

That being said, if after the summer and throughout the new school year little to no progress is made and you don't see fruits produced from your efforts, then I'd vote for . . . d.) Another option—Spell to Write and Read (SWR). This would cover your cursive handwriting practice (Cursive First recommended, but not a must), phonics, spelling (for next year and beyond), and reading (intro and fluency), all in one program. Your dc would literally Spell their way into Writing and Reading. If you choose to go this route, which I highly recommend, I'd still continue with FLL and WWE.

[TheAttachedMama]

Are they doing much reading outside of the lessons?

 

 

Right now I just have them reading their AAR readers and Elephant and Piggie Books.  I don't know if that is 'right' or 'wrong'.   I've had trouble finding other readers where everything has been taught. 

[SkateLeft]

.

[simplemom]

I did the first two sets of I See Sam. Then we went to Progressive Phonics. For Progressive Phonics I taught them the phonogram covered in the next/upcoming Progressive Phonics book, then we read with it.

 

Both of these were entirely enjoyable, effective, solid phonics (all 100% decodable), and cheap (both are free for printing).

 

Printable I See Sam Use a notched card if necessary--link to a video of that on this thread http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/207436-reading-with-a-notched-card/

 

Progressive Phonics also free to print

 

If I had another to teach, I would do it exactly the same.

Doing this as well, I am finding for my daughter it is a slower process than the sight word approach my ds got in ps K. But, if my son, reading above grade level, sees a new word he just guesses it is a word he already knows instead of trying to decode it. I'm trusting taking more time with dd to do the phonics approach will pay off in the long haul. I'm planning to do Reading Made Easy with Blend Phonics by Hazel Loring as well. It is downloadable for free at donpotter.net and Don Potter has a book of short sentences to go with each phonics as well. Using this after ds started homeschooling in 1st helped him slow down and try to decide words, not just guess (I have to remind him when he reads quickly though).

[jnaj]

We are working through AAR as well, although we are in AAR1 right now. We do a lesson a day, and work on the fluency sheets twice a day, plus she read aloud to me from various books that are at and above her reading level. She has asked specific questions about why some odds are pronounced a certain way (like why the word "right" has a g in it etc) so we will discuss some spelling rules as we go through in her regular daily reading even though we haven't gotten to it in AAR. 

 

Following this for more ideas :)

[TheAttachedMama]

Can anyone suggest a good list of readers or real books we could work through? 

 

[LinRTX]

When I was teaching my daughter to read, we used the list for Sonlight's early readers. I just got them from the library. We then moved to the advanced readers.

 

Also, for my oldest daughter (who had a harder time learning to read), I got simple chapter books and she would read a page, then I would read a page. It wasn't so overwhelming to her that way. When she got more proficient, we went to her reading two pages and then I would read one. It wasn't long before she could read the entire chapter herself.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Linda

[Pink and Green Mom]

I used Hooked on Phonics to teach my kids how to read.  I believe it is the Kindergarten level that will have the short vowel sound books (about 15 of them - with gripping plots such as "Cat sat on Rat.  Rat ran." or "Pig has a wig.  Pig has a big wig." :lol:), and 1st and 2nd grades will progress from there, each with about 15 books.

 

Our library carries the program - maybe yours does?  I'm not suggesting you switch programs or anything but there were books to read after each new vowel sound or so.  I think in first grade there were some "chapter-type" books which I found to be a huge motivator.  Once you got to those books there would be a few words - maybe 6 or so - that they needed to read by sight but they are clearly labeled on the inside cover.

[hauntedzeppelin]

Can anyone suggest a good list of readers or real books we could work through? 

 

Of the leveled readers I've looked at, the "I Can Read" series seem the most realistic (i.e. the least number of randomly advanced words/sight words). Try out a couple of the "My First I Can Read" books; if those are too simple, try level 1.

 

They have recently been making super hero variants of the series, but you might steer clear of those. They are not as consistent as the others for reading level. My son picked up a level 2 Super Man reader with the name Siobhan in it, like my reading learner is going to be able to read and pronounce unfamilliar Gaelic names...

[TheAttachedMama]

I wanted to thank everyone again for your responses! 

 

Just as an update:

This morning we got through an entire AAR lesson in one sitting....and it worked great.   The kids didn't put up too much of a fuss or seem overly tired at all!  I think they had just gotten in the habit of stopping their fluency sheet when they got to a section break.  (Not because they were too tired, but it was just habit.)  I gently encouraged them to keep trying.  And they did great. 

 

I did try to play a game with them in the afternoon to work on fluency more. (As suggested by Merry.)   I cut up the fluency sheet and they had to draw a strip of paper and read it.  Then they were aloud to move ahead as many spaces as there were words.   (we played this on their shoots and ladders board.)   They humored me and played it for 5 minutes or so...but they didn't like the game.  (It figures!  They always surprise me!)  So I asked if they would rather read a book.  They said yes, so that is what we did.  :)

 

SO NOW I am thinking of doing this as a plan:

1)  Spend 20 minutes with each kid in the morning doing just the phonics part of AAR.  (Teach new concept, review word/sound cards, work on fluency sheets, etc.)  

2)  In the afternoon, have them each read a story to me of their choosing.  We should have a lot of AAR reader stories 'built up' by then if I allow them to move through the phonic concepts a bit quicker.  (Especially since I like them to read them several times.)  And I can also get some other books from the library if I need to. 

 

What do you think?  Too much?  Just enough?  See how it goes?  (Thanks again for helping me talk this out.) 

[Aloha2U]

Can anyone suggest a good list of readers or real books we could work through?

I'm mobile right now, waiting for our lunch to arrive, but (off the top of our heads) here are a few that my little man enjoyed and remembers vividly:

 

New England Primer

McGuffy Readers

Amelia Bedelia

Frog and Toad

 

Classical Christian Education 1000 Good Books List: http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/celoop/1000.html

[LaughingCat]

I think moving ahead even if words aren't completely mastered sounds like a good plan.  And adding more reading time in as well.   And perhaps that is the only issue - I know with my older DD proving "complete mastery" like that would slow any program down to a crawl.   But at this point, I would be spending some time looking at how they are reading compared to typical 1st/2nd graders.   Doing the reading tests on ElizabethB's site would show you where they are.

 

And If they are able to read Frog and Toad/Nate the Great type of books, then I would be including that type of reading as well as the AAR readers (even if just to 'strew' them around).  Because I think once you get to that point you really want to go for time spent reading as much as learning the phonics.  OTH  I would not include 'early readers' from the library - better to print out the I See Sam books for additional reading than the typical 'early' reader.   

 

Also, if you do decide to switch and if your 2nd grader isn't reading 'at level' based on tests like ElizabethB's then I would be looking at remedial reading programs rather than just moving to a different 'normal' reading program.    Something like Reading Reflex, Dancing Bears or Abecedarian.   Also doing the Barton test to see if he is discriminating phonemes.  

 

 

[TheAttachedMama]

I think moving ahead even if words aren't completely mastered sounds like a good plan.  And adding more reading time in as well.   And perhaps that is the only issue - I know with my older DD proving "complete mastery" like that would slow any program down to a crawl.   But at this point, I would be spending some time looking at how they are reading compared to typical 1st/2nd graders.   Doing the reading tests on ElizabethB's site would show you where they are.

 

And If they are able to read Frog and Toad/Nate the Great type of books, then I would be including that type of reading as well as the AAR readers (even if just to 'strew' them around).  Because I think once you get to that point you really want to go for time spent reading as much as learning the phonics.  OTH  I would not include 'early readers' from the library - better to print out the I See Sam books for additional reading than the typical 'early' reader.   

 

Also, if you do decide to switch and if your 2nd grader isn't reading 'at level' based on tests like ElizabethB's then I would be looking at remedial reading programs rather than just moving to a different 'normal' reading program.    Something like Reading Reflex, Dancing Bears or Abecedarian.   Also doing the Barton test to see if he is discriminating phonemes.  

 

My son is asleep right now, but I will have them take that test tomorrow just to get a baseline. 

 

I am pretty sure that my 2nd grader would score below grade level right now.   (Based on looking at the test you linked to.)  I feel like his reading is a year or more behind most kids his age.  That might be because that test seems to have a lot of high-frequency words that haven't been covered in AAR yet.    That is why I really think it is a good idea to focus the summer on getting him 'caught up'. 

 

(Trying not to freak out as a homeschool mama as I write this!  He is my oldest child and I so badly don't want my homeschool 'experiment' to mess him up....you know?  I really don't want to fail at this)

 

He is not yet able to read books that many first graders are reading.  For example, he can't yet read the sonlight first grade readers yet.  (A Fly Went By, Put me in the zoo, etc.)    AAR just doesn't cover some of those phonetic rules used in those simple books until levels 3 (or maybe even 4 yet which isn't out.)  However, he can accurately decode some longer multi-slyable words that would be considered a much higher reading level than first grade.  (As long as they use phonetic concepts he has been taught.) 

 

Thanks for your advice about not using early readers from the library.   You are probably right.  That might encourage him to start guessing at the words.  Right?

 

Also, what is the barton test you speak of?  Thanks again! 

[TheAttachedMama]

Also, if you do decide to switch and if your 2nd grader isn't reading 'at level' based on tests like ElizabethB's then I would be looking at remedial reading programs rather than just moving to a different 'normal' reading program.    Something like Reading Reflex, Dancing Bears or Abecedarian.   Also doing the Barton test to see if he is discriminating phonemes.  

 

Thanks again for your reply.  So I have determined that my 7 (turns 8 in November) is not reading up to grade level.  In fact, according to all of the placement tests he is reading like a first grader at the very beginning of the year. This matches up with the actual books he can read, although he can decode some longer words not on this test. (This despite working on learning to read EVERY day for 2-3 years.)    Again, I think this has to do with the way things are introduced in AAR.

 

I am REALLY scared to curriculum hop.  What if I try something new and it doesn't work?  Then we are just further behind? 

 

NONETHELESS, your post has been echoing in my mind these past few days.    Does anyone have any experience with the remedial reading programs such as Dancing Bears, Reading Reflex, or Abecedarian?    I've spent some time looking at dancing bears this morning.  It seems to promise the moon and the stars....as does every other reading program.....  

 

Does anyone have any experience using dancing bears with a remedial reader?    If so, what should I order? (IF I order?)  Fast track?  Book A?  etc.

 

[Michelle My Bell]

I See Sam....trust me!!!! Lol.

 

 

Is this what you are talking about?

 

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

[Pegs]

I have collected links for printable early readers here: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/460225-pre-k-and-kindergarten/?do=findComment&comment=5730732

 

I'm on my phone, so couldn't c+p the links over individually, but hopefully you can acces them all at the group I've linked to above ^

[LaughingCat]

First take a deep breath. - I really understand the feeling that you need to act now, but continuing on your current path while you take a little time to evaluate the options isn't going to hurt.  One thing to remember is that his reading sounds really asynchronous due to the AAR ordering and working to mastery.   That's why I said you may be able to move him ahead by dropping the mastery part - and you can do this while you are looking at the other options.  

 

I have used both Abecedarian and Dancing Bears.   Others will probably suggest Barton as well.   Barton is OG like AAR, only more remedial/broken down into parts, so still rule-based.   Reading Reflex, Abecedarian and Dancing Bears are more morpheme based.     I went with them because of a combination of believing my DD would struggle with a rule based program and cost.    Of those, Abecedarian is more mastery in my opinion.   It didn't have enough repetition for my DD  - so we moved to DB Fast Track.  I believe they have a sentence somewhere on the website that says that if the child can read this, they are ready for Fast Track.

 

The Barton test I referenced doesn't show where your child is at - only whether they have certain needed pre-skills for reading, including discriminating phonemes.  She recommends LIPS if they don't have that.  I ended up doing LIPS eventually with DD (after Fast Track) and found it extremely useful for certain issues.  I really waffled around about LIPS (also due to cost) but now I recommend it wholeheartedly if your child does not pass that portion of the Barton screening (and wish I had done it first).

 

I would really suggest posting on the Learning Challenges board to get more input on the different options.

 

[Aloha2U]

I am REALLY scared to curriculum hop.  What if I try something new and it doesn't work?  Then we are just further behind? 

 

NONETHELESS, your post has been echoing in my mind these past few days.    Does anyone have any experience with the remedial reading programs such as Dancing Bears, Reading Reflex, or Abecedarian?    I've spent some time looking at dancing bears this morning.  It seems to promise the moon and the stars....as does every other reading program.....  

 

Does anyone have any experience using dancing bears with a remedial reader?    If so, what should I order? (IF I order?)  Fast track?  Book A?  etc.

 

 

Not experienced with any of those you mentioned, but if not SWR, then perhaps take a look at Logic of English.

 

Logic of English for Struggling Readers

 

Read posts about struggling readers on the Logic of English blog.

[rachelpants]

Is this what you are talking about?

 

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

 

Yes and no, LOL.

 

There are actually 8 sets of books (and one set of "booster books" used to cement skills before moving on, if your particular child needs it).

You can see the sets here:

http://www.3rsplus.com/

 

I tried to order from that website and I got a paypal refund within minutes.  Apparently, they are working on making the books available in Kindle and ipad formats.  However, I joined the yahoo group for the 3rsplus instruction site, "beginning reading instruction" .....

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Beginning-Reading-Instruction/info

 

.....and it seems like if you are really using the books and posting actively on the group that 3rsplus will mail you the pdf files you need for free in the interim.  It took quite a while for them to get the books to me and they only send a few at a time so I ended up buying the books used.  The gentleman who emailed them to me, Dick Shultz, owns 3rsplus.  I'm fairly certain that he was one of the original collaborators on the books back in the 70's.  He is very kind and supportive and is an active member of the yahoo group.  There are other websites out there that have the books, however it seems like 3rsplus is the only one still true to the original instruction, which is genius, lol.

 

You can also get the books through:

https://www.iseesam.com/

look for a coupon code...I think I saw one on educents.

They have the books in the itunes store as well as some color versions of the beginning sets.  They added "Looking Back" review sections to their books (which the 3rsplus books that I have didn't have)...but they are in this book that I ordered from their site (it also has assessments):

https://www.iseesam.com/books/reading-all-learners-assessment-manual

 

I ordered dancing bears to use with DS but started these books to use with him while we waited for DB to get here.  The books are working so well that I decided to set dancing bears aside and just use these instead (especially because it is summer and I couldn't stand to torture DS with a workbook, LOL).

 

I printed the first 2 sets of books from here:

http://www.readingteacher.com/

You can sign up for a free trial and print all the books (only print the first 52...the rest are books that they added and don't follow the original sequence).  Their printing is by far the easiest.

 

Here is what I love about the books:

1. They are SO fun! The little characters get into all sorts of situations.  My kids think they are hilarious.  My struggling reader actually asks to read them....this is huge for us.

2. No flashcards, no fluency practice sheets, no tiles, the practice is fun!

3. They are working like nothing else has to this point.

4. They are constantly and consistently "drip feeding" the code to the kids so that reading is fun and easy.  For example...each book will add a new sound or word and there is lots of repetition.

5. DS's biggest problem with reading is that he is such a guesser! The books are written so that it is VERY hard for kids to guess (although he still tries, LOL). There are words like "wish/with, Mit/Mat" ...he is forced to read through the words.

6. The instruction is SO EASY.  Say the book has the word, "down" my DS has already learned /d/ and /n/....when you come to that word (or if you want to introduce it before the lesson starts that's okay too), point to the /ow/ and tell the child "the sound in this word is, /ow/."  I practice a couple of times to make sure that he is blending through and saying the sounds and not trying to memorize the whole word.  The word is then repeated in the book several times and also in the subsequent books as well.  Later on, when the word "snow" (for example) comes up...you just tell the student "the ow in this word makes the "o" sound" and move on.  (You can download word lists for each new sound and word in the files section of the yahoo group or iseesam.com has them to print as well (in flashcard format).

7. I was honestly skeptical of the books when I realized that they were a true curriculum, but after poking around on the yahoo group I found out that they can be used as a remedial program for struggling readers.  

8. I was also skeptical that my child could learn to read by without knowing all of the phonics rules, but the opposite is seeming to be true.  Some of the tutors on the yahoo group have explained that sometimes all of the rules are too much information for the kids to handle and that all they need to know and do is to learn the sounds and practice them in context of reading.  So I guess the kids just learn the patterns such as e makes the sound "eh" in words like bed, met, pet and it makes the "ee" sound in words like, me, we, be, etc.

9. The yahoo group has been invaluable for me as I also learned to not "overhelp" my DS.  I had been pouncing whenever DS made a mistake, but it is better for him to hear his mistakes and back up and reread the section without my prompting.  Additionally, whenever I saw DS struggling with a word I would jump in to help. I've quit doing this and it is amazing to see him working through and figuring it out....I think it helps him to remember the word the next time he reads it.  Some of yahoo group tutors have said that the less they say the better and to just let the kids and the books do the work.

10. From what I've read (and I could be wrong)...I'm a little unsure about multisyllabic words. If DS seems to struggle with them, I think I will use REWARDS intermediate when we get there.

 

I *may* start Dancing Bears in the fall.  My original plan was to come back to AAR at some point...but now I'm not so sure. 

 

Phew. LOL. 

[TheAttachedMama]

Rachel,

Thanks so much for your reply!  

 

I really like how fun learning to read looks with those little "I See Sam" books.  I remember learning to read being a FUN process.  I purchased AAR (originally) because it looked like the fun program.   AAR Pre-Level 1 was loads of fun.  BUT the fluency sheets in the subsequent levels of AAR are pure drudgery....and those seem to be what the program revolves around.   (My children do not like the games in the activity book and ask to skip them.  So all we are left with are word cards to review and never ending fluency sheets.)  I do like the AAR readers though. 

 

But those "I See Sam" books look really cute AND fun.  I looked at the scope and sequence, and it looks like my kids would be in the BR3 book set. 

 

I'm trying to figure out the cheapest way to get my hands on the books.  I searched ebay, homeschool classified, etc. so that I could buy them used, but I didn't have any luck.  Any tips on where to purchase them used?  What should I search for?  "I See Sam Readers"? 

 

 

[rachelpants]

My kids didn't like the AAR activities either :-/.

 

I bought the books from Alison, here in the classifieds. Honestly, it was the only place I saw them. I don't know why they are not more popular.

 

Do you have an ipad? They are in the iTunes store (although I'm not sure how many of the sets they have). How good is your printer, Lol.?? DS read a few of the pdf's on my Kindle and that went okay (aside from the accidental page flipping, lol)

 

Another thought is maybe to post on the yahoo group and see if someone has an old set to sell.

 

If you end up buying from iseesam.Com I would call or email and see if they have any promotions....it wouldn't surprise me if they offered you a discount.

 

Make sure you print off the tracking sheets from 3rs or from iseesam.Com. ..my kids think l they are fun...and I've found them useful to keep track as well.

 

As a side note.... Even afterm going through AAR 1 twice and part of AAR 2...we started in set 1, with book 1 which if we had to do again I would. The early, easy books were fun and confidence building for DS. More importantly, they were a good chance for me to figure out what was going wrong with his reading and to try and work it out before we moved on and everything became "too hard".

 

DS was making lots of mistakes like on/no a/the leaving s off plural words. The yahoo groupies pointed out that he was trying to read by sight rather than reading through the word. Knowing this has made a big difference for me (and him).

 

Good luck!

[Michelle My Bell]

Thank you for that amazing post Rachelpants! I will check out all those resources you mentioned. :)

[mmasc]

I've been lurking around this thread for my rising first grader. We are working through Memoria Press First Start Reading but I need more books! He's doing well, but tires of reading the stories from the workbooks.

I've looked at the I See Sam books before. Rachelpants, can you clarify on exactly what is needed for this to be successful? My printer is good...can I just print the 52 books and work through them? It looks like on the 3rs website that the first three sets are 68 books I think. Do I only need 52? Is the only reason to purchase them to avoid having to print them at home, or are they different than the free ones? Thank you all for this thread!

[rachelpants]

Only the first 2 sets (52 books) are free (they are in the public domain). You would need to buy other sets.

 

I printed the books with no problems...but my brother in law is always sending me reams of free paper from staples rewards or something. ..lol...and we have a laser printer. So, my printing was very, very cheap. I will admit to being tempted by the color sets at iseesam.com :-)

 

The first 2 sets get the kiddies blending and reading but there is a lot of code to be learned in the remaining sets. For example, set 5 introduces /ir/ /oo/ soft g...etc. set 6 covers /wr/ /igh/ etc. Set 7 covers a lot of prefixes and suffixes. There is no new code in set 8.

 

We are only in set 3 but I remain hopeful that DS will continue to progress.

[rachelpants]

Oh...sorry...the free books (1-52) are the same as the sets that you can buy. HTH :)

[Dallasmom]

We like the American language series K readers (fun in the sun, scamp and tramp, etc). I got the first three from MP but they sell the full set of 6 on rainbow resources.

 

https://www.rainbowresource.com/product/American+Language+Series+K+Reader+Set/042639/c699c5b481912d4caccd76fe?subject=4&category=6704

 

I like that they are big books with color photos that feel like a real book. They progress from short vowels, consonant clusters, silent E, controlled vowels, digraphs and diphthongs. They don't include words or concepts not previously taught.

 

Anyway just another option for readers for you!

 

(Ps I literally looked through 1,000 items on eBay looking for I See Sam books because of all the good feedback on this post. Those stinkers are impossible to find used I guess! 😬)

[Meg4]

We found this to also be our experience with AAR. We really loved it, but because of its scope and sequence we got behind in our reading. My kids were the same age as yours and we were behind our ps peers.. Also we have to test yearly in our state and when I got a copy of the practice test for my daughter I knew we were not going to fair well. So, we switched to Abeka for phonics and spent the year getting to where we needed to be. I really love AAR and didn't want to let it go. It was really hard . I think it is a beautiful program . We did keep AAS. And these two programs have really meshed well for us. HTH

[Haiku]

I think you're analyzing the process too much. Learning to read is not like building a machine; it's not about assembling all the parts and having a fluent reader. Reading is just something that takes time and practice and every kid is different. I suggest that you continue working with the program you have and not have a deadline for your kids to be reading fluently. They will be when they are. The best advice I can give you (having taught three kids to read) is to work on a phonics program, read to them, and encourage them to read. Let them enjoy it. Don't be so focused on the process that they lose the joy of it.

[mmasc]

The I See Sam books are available for free download today at Smart Apps for Kids. I saw it on another thread and wanted to post it here since they were discussed on this thread. Hope it helps someone!

[Dallasmom]

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/index.php?app=forums&module=post&section=post&do=reply_post&f=3&t=518525&qpid=5758965

 

 

 

Wow thank you for posting that....I am now downloading all 80 books to my iPad!!! 🙌🙌🙌

[Dallasmom]

Sorry, that link was my attempt to "quote" the poster above me, which I clearly don't know how to do! Lol. Anyway, thank you MMASC for the info about the free download, what a blessing!

[mmasc]

Dallasmom, I don't know how to do that either. ;)

You're welcome!

[Carol in Cal.]

Regarding grade level--how long are you going to homeschool?  If you're going to stick with it, you don't really have to concern yourself with grade level that much at this stage, but teach them what they need to learn and, barring learning disabilities, their reading will pretty suddenly blossom.

 

Some resources to make these days more fun--I made flashcards of the most used English words and played with them with Dd.  I would magnet them onto a white board in her room to make secret messages, or onto the fridge (ditto).  We would take turns reading them as we went through the deck.  Most of them were phonetically read words, but this helped her develop more speed. 

 

I had her read to me from the easiest of the Dr. Suess books--Hop on Pop, etc.

 

Also, the AG for Story of the World, Volume 1, has lots of great independent reading book suggestions for the emerging reader level, and those were a great break from reading instruction sometimes.  I would read the SOTW passage to DD, and she would read to me from the IR book.  She enjoyed being able to read the actual stories about ancients that she was learning about from SOTW.

[TheAttachedMama]

Regarding grade level--how long are you going to homeschool?  If you're going to stick with it, you don't really have to concern yourself with grade level that much at this stage, but teach them what they need to learn and, barring learning disabilities, their reading will pretty suddenly blossom.

 

Some resources to make these days more fun--I made flashcards of the most used English words and played with them with Dd.  I would magnet them onto a white board in her room to make secret messages, or onto the fridge (ditto).  We would take turns reading them as we went through the deck.  Most of them were phonetically read words, but this helped her develop more speed. 

 

I had her read to me from the easiest of the Dr. Suess books--Hop on Pop, etc.

 

Also, the AG for Story of the World, Volume 1, has lots of great independent reading book suggestions for the emerging reader level, and those were a great break from reading instruction sometimes.  I would read the SOTW passage to DD, and she would read to me from the IR book.  She enjoyed being able to read the actual stories about ancients that she was learning about from SOTW.

Hi Carol,

Part of my concern is the bolded sentence above.  I would love to homeschool him long term.  However, homeschooling may or may not always be financially possible in our family.  (I hope it will be!  But sometimes things don't go as planned.)  That uncertainty is part of my concern.  I would like to keep him CLOSE to grade level that way if he is suddenly put in the public school system he won't struggle more than necessary.  (Plus, the school district most likely won't be able to give him an hour of independent one-on-one tutoring time to catch him up.) 

 

Also, he is no where close to being able to read the IR listed in the AG for story of the world (even with my assistance).  If he could read those, I would be feeling a lot more secure than I am.  :)  I'm trying to get him to that point this summer / fall. 

[TheAttachedMama]

Just as an update:

 

Our learning to read summer is off to a great start.   I gave my child the placement test for the "I See Sam" readers, and he placed in about the third set (BR3).  Although he attempted to guess at a lot of the words on this test instead of taking the time to sound them out.  (See this site for the placement test called 'Performance Indicators')    I joined "http://www.readingteacher.com/" and got a free trial membership and was able to make it through all of the BR2 books using that site.  (NOTE:   Only the first 50 books on readingteacher.com are the original "I See Sam" books.  The other ones they made up and they are NOT as good.) 

 

THEN---I was able to purchase the "I See Sam" readers used and just got them in the mail yesterday.  We are making our way through the third set now, and my son and daughter really like the books.  Right now they aren't reading too many new words / sounds, but the 'drip feeding' teaching method used in those books is really genius.  It makes learning to read very natural feeling.    I also love how they purposely choose words that look very similar to one another so the child CAN'T guess at words and succeed.  AND, the storyline are entertaining enough to keep the attention of my children.   So I would call the program a success. 

 

I will have to see how my son does when we get to the AR 1 set of books.  Those start introducing a lot of new concepts.  IF he struggles, I will probably pull out the AAR tiles and try to teach him the concepts using those.  I also now am the proud owner of "Dancing Bears" and may use that as needed.  BUT for now, I am just using the "I see Sam" books with great sucess. 

 

SO---I'm just hear to say that these I See Sam readers are really, truly awesome.  I'm so glad I found out about them.  I highly, highly recommend them.  They appear to look very similar to any other standard 'Bob Book" or similar reader....and I almost passed by them because of that.   I thought, "I have tried that kind of thing before."  

 

But there is real genius behind the books.  The code really is drip fed to the kids and there is lots of chance to practice what they have learned.  So they work wonderfully.  THANK YOU for letting me know about them. 

[ExcitedMama]

I'm glad the I see Sam books are working out so well AttachedMama! Are your print books the same as the ones that are free on iBooks?

[Joyful Journeys]

What a wonderful update, we're going to try the books as well! I have a guesser on my hands too, and it seems to be getting worse!

[TheAttachedMama]

I'm glad the I see Sam books are working out so well AttachedMama! Are your print books the same as the ones that are free on iBooks?

 

I am sort of living in the stone age and don't have a tablet or e-reader.  So I don't know what they have on iBooks.  BUT, I am pretty sure only the first several sets of the books are on iBooks.  I haven't actually checked yet so someone will need to confirm.  But, you can match up the titles with the books on this page to see:  http://www.3rsplus.com/  or this page https://www.iseesam.com/

[kristi26]

I haven't read the other responses, but I think reading is something they just have to practice to become fluid at it.  Read TO them, share the reading, have them read to you, play games with words, listen to songs about letter blends and phonograms, practice writing and sounding out words, etc.  I wouldn't worry about AAR right now.  I'd take a break for the summer.

 

When DD (a tough case for teaching to read since I'm pretty sure NOW that she is dyslexic) was learning to read, I read SO MANY books about reading.  I really liked a lot of the things that this one said and I found it for free online through a google search: http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Child-Read-Childrens-Books/dp/1883790255/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404318384&sr=8-1&keywords=teach+a+child+to+read+with+children%27s+books

 

I also LOVED this one as DD thrived with games: http://www.amazon.com/Games-Reading-Peggy-Kaye-ebook/dp/B0070O5EHI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404318478&sr=1-1&keywords=reading+games  Plus, of course, all of the online games like Word World and Super Why games on pbskids.org or Starfall...

 

I also used an old copy of Phonics Pathways to help her learn sounds and blends and all...as long as she didn't see the book, she was good. Lol. 

 

One of the best things we did for her was to watch clips from Between the Lions which we found on Youtube.  I think PBS also has some clips available.  That show was brilliant.  We'd listen to "When two vowels go walking" and "Meat" a lot.  There was one about "ph"...tons of others.  I have a whole line-up saved for her on Youtube. Lol.

 

She also enjoyed taking turns writing silly sentences on the side walk.  She would write one and "help" me read it.  Then I would write one and she would read it.  It was good practice and it made her smile.

 

YDS is learning to read now (slowly as he is still young).  We've done some Alphaphonics with him which worked well.  He LOVES playing all sorts of reading games, like the Word Families train game...this is the one we have: http://www.amazon.com/Edupress-Ep-2595-Train-Game-Families/dp/B004K4MU5K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1404318592&sr=8-2&keywords=word+families+train+game

 

He also LOVES watching Wallykazam and will be playing the games on the Nick Jr site now too.  

 

Hoping this helps you! :) Good luck!

 

[Dallasmom]

Someone asked if the free books on iBooks were the same. 50 of the first 52 books are the same. Reading teacher.com refers to these as unit 1 and they match BR1 and BR2 list on the 3Rs website. (For some reason there are two extra books on iBooks, Sis in a Mess and The Bad Man---otherwise the list matches up.)

 

After that, books 53-80 that I downloaded to iBooks do not match the list of BR3 books on the 3Rs website. We haven't made it to them yet but it sounds like Cathy said above they are not as good.

 

Just wanted to let y'all know. The iBooks are great though--colorful, fun illustrations and easy to use!

[ExcitedMama]

Any advice on how to use the I See Sam Books? I feel like I'm missing something because they seem so different from the other phonic books I've looked at. Thanks!