We received the I See Sam reading program from Academic Success for all Learners to review.
Included in our review material was the first four levels of little books( $30 Per Level), The Instructors Guide, Motivational Materials, Placement and Assessment Manual ($10), and flashcards sets for all four levels ( $15 or a free download on the website)
When we first got this program I really thought it was going to work great for us. It was simple, and my 6 year old prereader jumped right in. She learned to read the first 6 books in rapid time. I was impressed.... until I realized she was memorizing the couple of words that are repeated.
She can now read See, Sam, I, Me, Mat, am. They really did boost her confidence but I think she needs a phonetic program in addition to these.
I strongly believe language is best taught through a strong foundation in phonetics. This program is what I would refer to as a "whole language" program, it teaches children sight words. It does include guides to sound them out but your child will not even learn all of the letter sounds before the end of level one. I guess that's what I really didn't love. How slowly it takes them through the letters.
She enjoys these books and like I said they really do boost her confidence so I think we will continue to read these books but we will use them in conjunction with a strong phonics only program.
I will say though that I have learned when it comes to reading all children learn to read in a different way at a different time. This program could be just what your child needs. If it is great, it's cute, simple and fun.
Just because this program alone didn't work for us doesn't mean it won't work for your family. Some things I loved about the program are it has cues on several pages to remind you to praise your child, I like that because it is easy to forget sometimes. I also like the simple black and white pages and the books sizes. I like the idea of a whole program encompassed inside the books as well. You don't need a teachers manual or a workbook you just grab the next book and go.
It also includes cute little sticker charts for every book you complete which my daughter really enjoyed.
If you visit the website Here you can view several sample books and download teachers manuals and a lot of other things so you can get an idea of whether this program is right for your family or not.
Check out other reviews Here and see what my crew mates thought. A lot of the crew members loved this product and it was a great fit for their families.
I received this product free of charge in exchange for my honest review of the product. I received no other compensation.
I am sorry that you did not like it.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why you couldn't use phonics with this program. We did, and we really enjoyed it.
You can use phonics although that doesn't change the fact that it still goes through them very slowly. Like I said it works great for some just not for us. I can't review any other families experience with it just ours :)
ReplyDeleteWe use phonics and Daniel just sounded out the words. We only read each book twice... he doesn't memorize anything. It's good for him, because he is still new to the sounds and these books give him lots of practice. That's the way he learns, so it worked for us. Sorry it didn't work for you. :(
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