This product is included in our Phonics Products for Home list.

"Look at me, Mommy! See me, Daddy! I can READ!" What parent would not smile, misty-eyed with delight at this uninhibited exclamation? What teacher doesn't mark the day when her students achieve this life changing skill? Throughout the generations of the history of mankind, parents and teachers alike have thrilled at the accomplishment of the young child when the "light dawns" and once unintelligible markings on the page become the spellings of speech sounds that form words that have meaning.

For too many years in America, the teaching of the skill of reading has nearly been lost, but as we launch into the 21st century, the future looks bright for our children. It is bright because there are educated, knowledgeable teachers who have taken the time to write simple-to-follow books that help parents unlock these skills for their children.

Two such individuals are Betty Price, reading therapist, teacher educator, author, and Claude Caujolle, international linguist and French professor at Hollins University, who have created an easy, understandable, and valuable tool for parents and teachers to use in teaching the skill of reading. Before discussing the objectives and principles outlined in their book, See Me Read, we should say a word about the ages of the children who can benefit most from this instructional program.
Children become curious about reading at different ages. What we do as adults in preparing young minds to acquire this vital skill is an important matter. Most children do not just pick up a book and read it; they need to be taught. It is true that some children learn to read more quickly than others, but to make sure that all children are taught the elements of this skill, parents and teachers need training and tools to accomplish it.

Language is an important key to intelligence. It is important for parents to read to their children from infancy. Children can understand stories, or poetry with its wonderful rhyme and rhythm, long before they can read for themselves. Scientists have learned that early language development is largely dependent upon adult instruction. Three-, four-, and five-year-olds can learn the foundational principles of reading, and many actually learn to read if they are given proper instruction.

This is where See Me Read comes in. This instructional tool is a "lap book" where letter recognition, letter sounds, and picture-and-sound relationships are taught. Each lesson is interwoven with amusing life-teaching stories told by lovable little characters such as Mousy the Mouse, Sammy the Snowflake, and Lickable Lollipop. Lessons are short and follow the lead of the child. This is no "high pressure" program, but rather an enjoyable, engaging way for parent and child to creatively develop the skill of reading, together. Having a son or daughter climb up into your lap and say, "Mommy, can we read a book?" is enough to warm anyone's heart. Children will learn the sounds of consonants, short vowels, long vowels, and diphthongs. Everything a child needs to read and understand one-syllable words is provided. With a command of the sounds of both consonants and vowels, children are not apt to "guess" at words or become discouraged because with See Me Read, they learn to "sound" them out.

Here is what some parents and teachers are saying about See Me Read:

• "My daughter and I started working with See Me Read before she was three years old. Today, she is four and recognizes all the letters and knows the sounds. She is starting to read. We accomplished all this in ten minutes per day playing and having fun with See Me Read. She didn't even realize she was learning."
  
• "My six-year-old has a huge headstart in kindergarten and enjoys reading every day! An unexpected benefit is the quality time we had together. See Me Read takes a good common-sense approach to learning the sounds letters make, and the stickers really make it fun. See Me Read is a uniquely simple, clever approach to the early stages of reading instruction. Each lesson provides quality time one spends with a child."
  
• "We began our daughter with See Me Read when she was four years old. It seemed a young age to start a reading program, but our daughter loved it. Her lap-size See Me Read book was a constant companion as she traced and sounded out letters, then began reading the sentences while identifying the pictures. She is now seven and is reading classics such as Anne of Green Gables. Thanks, Betty, for successfully meeting the needs of so many by providing the essential tools that enable children to develop a love of reading."

An added tool in the See Me Read program is the instructional video that gives parents a complete, simple, step-by-step roadmap on how to teach a child to read. Listening to Betty on video is like having her at the kitchen table to answer your questions on how to teach your child. She becomes a warm, engaging teacher who presents valuable, essential information for reading instruction.

Betty deals with complicated subject matter in the video discussing, among other things, the "ideal of learning elongated continuants," (first-sounds that continue until another sound is hooked on): /MMMM/ommy, /MMMM/ilk. When the sounds of M, F, L, N, S, and R are learned, the name of the letter is introduced: /E/MMM/, /E/FFF/, /E/LLL/, /E/NNN/, /E/SSS/, and /A/RRR/. With the first five, short E must be introduced in order to "say" the name of the letter, and soon very young children are able to put together EMMM, EFFF, etc. Reversing these enables the child to say: SSSE, MMME, and the next comes naturally: SELL, MEN, FELL, LEM, NELL, FEN.

A major skill acquired through learning with See Me Read is that of phonemic awareness. Dr. Reid Lyon, Director of Reading Research for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, stated: "Ninety percent of the students who lack phonemic awareness at the end of first grade will be remedial readers in fourth grade; of those in third who are reading disabled, 74 percent will still be disabled by tenth grade; it is not developmental delay."

See Me Read is a delightful way for parents to help children acquire reading skills in a relaxed and loving atmosphere. The development of self-reliance, self-confidence and self-worth are worthy by-products of this excellent program.

The good news is that it isn't expensive. The collective knowledge and wisdom included within the pages of See Me Read is available for less than $50. Every parent or teacher who is willing to spend some quality time with a child can teach them to read using this remarkable tool. See Me Read is a proven program, based on scientific research in reading instruction, and contains original interesting stories, games, and colorful illustrations.

Home | About Us | About Phonics | Resources
Research | Topics | Reading Reform | Links | Search

Unless otherwise noted, you may copy and distribute any information on this site as long as The National Right to Read Foundation at www.nrrf.org is given credit. The National Right to Read Foundation is a 501(c)(3) publicly supported organization.