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News

January 2011

NOTE: In this version of the Newsletter, the links are not clickable.
and you can't see the fancy graphics.
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January 2011 Newsletter

Hi - This month, I'd like to introduce you to the "I See
Sam" Books. KIDiddles sister site, ReadingLessons.com, has 52 books
in this series that you can download free of charge.

Here's a sample of one of the books -Mat at Bat:
http://reading.s3.amazonaws.com/sambooks/Book_45.pdf

You can get all 52 books on the website ReadingLessons.com.
http://www.readinglessons.com

* The "I See Sam" Books were originally developed by Southwest
Regional Laboratories and were used successfully in 15% of American
schools in the in the early '70s.
 
* More than a million children learned to read using the program.
* Phonics fell out of favor and was replaced by the "whole word
recognition" method sometimes called "look and say." The very
successful "I See Sam" series was forgotten.
* A more balanced approach gained favor after the National
Reading Panel's report was published in 2000. These great decodable
books deserve a place in any good reading program.
* In combination with ReadingLessons.com they perfectly satisfy
the Phonemic Awareness and Phonics elements recommended by the
reading panel.
* ReadingLessons.com also uses the Sam books to encourage and
assess fluency and comprehension.

Now here's the good news: We are able to let you download this
great series of books because they are in the public domain.
The program was federally funded, so federal law required the
program be placed in the public domain in 1977.

* The first twenty-four "Sam" books are used in Week Seven of
ReadingLessons.com and books 25-52 are used in Week Twelve.
* The books need to be read in order because the sounds and
words in each book build upon those learned in the previous books.
* You should make sure that students know the sounds and
Special Words listed on the back cover of the book before letting
them read the story.
* To insure success, use the same process with each book each
time it is read.
* It is important that students master each book before moving
on to the next.

Get all 52 "I See Sam" Books from ReadingLessons.com.
http://www.readinglessons.com

Keep on Reading!

Francis