See-N-Read: A TOS Crew Review

“I can read!  I can read!  I can spell and I can read!”  

This happy chorus was heard repeatedly in our home this week as the secrets of reading were finally unlocked for our seven year old!  It was indeed a joyous moment as Connor enthusiastically read book after book after book with an ear-to-ear grin on his face.

There is something magical about the moment a child discovers he can read, but waiting for this moment can be exasperating, frustrating, and downright worrisome.  When the pieces of the reading puzzle do not fit into place easily, it is stressful for the entire family.  Difficulties with reading can be the result of poor phonemic awareness, struggles with decoding, shaky visual tracking, or jumbled comprehension, and can lead to frustration, feelings of failure, and low self-esteem and self-confidence.

Our latest TOS Crew review involved testing out the family of See-N-Read reading tools, a group of tools designed to “help readers see, focus, and remember what they read.”  The See-N-Read tools are a line of reading windows that help readers to “concentrate on and track text with their eyes and to smoothly move between the words being read even when changing lines.  This helps readers to increase their fluency and comprehension.”

The See-N-Read family is comprised of two sizes of polypropylene See-N-Reads with clear windows:  Book size (5 1/2″ wide) for chapter books and paperbacks, and Document size (8 1/2″ wide) for picture books for K-2 readers and documents; the Memory Mark (also in two sizes) which has the clear window cut out so readers can highlight key passages without moving the tool; and the eSee-N-Read electronic reading tool for on-line reading.  The See-N-Read tools are designed to be used by every reader from K to adult.

Since Connor just started reading, and is not yet reading books with more than a couple of lines on the page, we are saving See-N-Read for him to try at another time.  Ryan and I both tried out the family of tools for this review.
 

Ryan used the See-N-Read Book size to read a page in his latest chapter book.  He didn’t get very far with it.  He said he found the See-N-Read “annoying” and complained that he “spent more time trying to line up the window with the line [of text] than reading.”  He quickly discarded the See-N-Read in favor of reading on his own without a tracking tool.  At nine years, Ryan is a fluent reader who does not struggle with decoding, tracking, or comprehending what he reads.  While he can at times become overwhelmed by the amount of text on a page, overall, he did not find the See-N-Read helpful.

I tried both the See-N-Read Book size for reading novels and the eSee-N-Read to read on-line documents.  In theory, the See-N-Read tools are a fabulous idea.  I was excited to give them a try, hopeful that they might help to reduce eye strain when I read, but as it turned out, I agreed with Ryan.  I found the See-N-Read tools more trouble than help.
 

In all fairness, the See-N-Read tools are designed to help those with reading difficulties, which neither Ryan nor I have.  For those of us who are not struggling with tracking or fluency when reading, the tools are likely unnecessary and may prove to be more hassle than help.  For those who do struggle, however, the See-N-Read tools have been highly recommended by therapists, teachers, and fellow Crew Members, so be sure to check out some of the the other crew member reviews!

The See-N-Read and Memory Mark Book size sell for $2.99.  The See-N-Read and Memory Mark Document size are $3.49.  Combination packs and multi-packs are available at discounted rates.  The eSee-N-Read sells for $29.99 and can be used with Windows Vista, Vista 64, Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows 2000 systems. There is a version for Mac OSX coming soon.  All products may be purchased directly from the folks at See-N-Read (CadenaSmith Enterprises).