SEE ME READ and DIscover the World is a language learning program for children ages 3-5 developed by a university professor and reading-language therapist. If your first reaction is, WOW, a bit young for reading instruction, please read on.
In a country becoming increasingly global, it is important that all children have the benefit and security of early reading skills in order to obtain the best possible education. The earlier one begins the fundamentals of language, the sooner children will learn to read.
Claude Caujolle, international linguist and French professor emeritus at Hollins University, Roanoke, Virginia, and Betty Price, private therapist and adjunct professor of a teacher re-certification course, collaborated for several years to develop a simple, step-by-step approach that both entices and teaches. It is systematic, colorful, and easy-to-understand for parents of children who demonstrate an early interest in being read to, hearing sounds that certain letters make, and wanting to read.
Amazing Results... Proven Successful!
See Me Read is a 65-page, 10" x 28" (open) "laps" book, which teaches letter recognition, letter sounds, and picture-and-sound relationships. Each lesson is interwoven with amusing life-teaching stories told by lovable little characters such as Mousey the Mouse, Sammy the Snowflake and Freddy the Fish. Techniques can be used with the learning-disabled child as well. Through sand-writing tips and coloring exercises, eye-hand coordination is developed and strengthened. This book is a step-by step process to introduce the skill of reading by the phonics method.
An important byproduct of See Me Read is that the fun and games that go with the lessons encourage children to sit and learn. Parents and school teachers are encouraged to keep teaching sessions short. A rule of thumb is the child’s age plus three-to-five minutes in order to build and sustain interest. One will be amazed how much children learn in preschool years by being given systematic, fun-chunks of homework each day. Younger children are often jealous of older siblings who have homework and parents' attention. Thus, they can brag that they, too, have homework when parents put the See Me Read book across their laps. They begin to make sounds, hear the entertaining stories, trace letters, write sounds in the sand, and soon will begin to notice the letter-sound connections in grocery stores on cans, on signs along the highways, and in restaurants on menus. It is the attitude and patience of parents that will make learning to read exciting.
Within the colorful pages of See Me Read, children will learn ALL the proper consonant sounds, short vowels, long vowels, and diphthongs--everything they need to know about one-syllable words. The transition to multi-syllable words becomes much more natural. "Remember," says Caujolle, “it is not the ‘clapping of hands’ that denotes syllables, rather the number of vowel sounds which one can determine by simply looking at the words.” With command of sounds of both the consonants and vowels, children are not apt to “guess” at words or become discouraged because they are unable to “sound” them out.
According to Dr. Reid Lyon, Chief of Child Development and Research, National Institute of Health, and Dr. Connie Juel, Harvard University: “Ninety percent of the students who lack phonetic awareness at the end of first grade will be remedial readers in the fourth grade; of those in the third grade who are reading disabled, 74 percent will still be disabled by tenth grade. It is not developmental delay.” To put this into a real world perspective, please click the link and read what a business owner/executive is experiencing ever day. Executive
See Me Read offers “a natural path for parents to follow for ensuring their children’s language acquisition in a relaxed atmosphere,” states Ms. Price. “While teaching reading, writing and comprehension skills, it establishes self-reliance, self-esteem, self-confidence and self-worth. At the same time, it is fun and amusing to learn with imaginary friends or with the magic instruction of Busy Bee.”
