General Information

Why you should purchase EZ2 Read Books for your beginning reader.

Children ready to learn how to read need the following:

• READING MATERIAL FOR BEGINNING READERS
  EZ2 Read books are “leveled.”  This means the first books are very simple and easy to read.  The sets systematically add words and sentence length throughout the 60 titles. The words and sentences are repetitive and build confidence. The level of reading in EZ2 Read’s Color Sets is kindergarten through early first grade

• PRACTICE WITH WORDS OF HIGHEST FREQUENCY
  These words are commonly known by reading teachers as “sight words” and “high frequency words”.  The most common of these words are used extensively in the EZ2 Read Color Sets.

• PRACTICE DECODING WORDS (USING “PHONICS”)
  The EZ2 Read Decodable Set provides extensive practice with the short vowel families of words (cat – red – sit – got – run etc.) that children can “sound out” once they know the most common sounds of letters. Stories are sequential.
  Start with story #1 and advance through story # 25. The stories increase in sentence length.  

• LARGE CLEAR TEXT
  Print style, size, and spacing are very important tools that help children to learn how to read.  EZ2 Read places extra space between words, uses special fonts and larger type which is easier to read by children’s still developing vision. Gradually, additional fonts are eased in and word spacing becomes standard.

• SIMPLE PICTURES
  Illustrations should add clarity but not distract young readers.  EZ2 Read uses simple blackline graphics to provide clues to the stories.  These may be colored with crayons by the readers.

• FUN STORIES
  EZ2 Read stories are cute and very often humorous to children.  Most stories have a twist at the end that children enjoy. The humor creates an interest to re-read stories and to read them to others.

How to use the materials with your beginning readers.

Is Your Child Ready to Read?

If your children can say yes to the following six points, then they are emerging readers and ready to use these materials.

1. I can say the alphabet, one letter at a time, in order.
   a b c d e f g...
2. I can name letters out of order, CAPITAL and lower case.
   (example) B s n R L c d W
3. I can point to each letter as I read the alphabet.
4. I can hear sounds in words and match sounds to letters.
5. I can read simple words by saying the sounds of the letters in the word.
6. In the word sat, I can say the sounds /s/ /a/ /t/ and read “sat”

What Should Your Child Read?

A Balance:

1. Patterned Predictable Text - The child knows the story and can read the words.
2. Decodable Text - The child can blend sounds and read the words.
3. The child should have quality literature read to them.

All three reinforced through writing.

Patterned Predictable Text

What's Patterned/Predictable?

Patterned, predictable text is used to introduce and reinforce print concepts and high frequency vocabulary. Each page stays with a repeated language pattern or easily predicted sequence of events.

Decodable Text

What's Decodable?

Emerging readers are learning the sounds that letters make in words (phonics.)  They need simple material with controlled vocabulary that lets them blend sounds and read words.

Quality Literature

Keep reading TO children as they learn to read. Emerging readers need to be exposed to quality literature, rich with vocabulary, through read-alouds by teachers and parents.

The first step towards literacy is an understanding of language that is heard by the child.

 

Writing - So Soon?

Emerging readers need to have opportunities to apply what they are learning to a wide range of BEGINNING writing activities; guided, interactive and independent. Writing reinforces reading which, in turn, increases reading ability.

Product Formats

EZ2 Read products are available in several formats for your convenience. They are available in hard-copy, Adobe Acrobat PDF on CD-ROM, or may be downloaded directly from the shopping cart and are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.

Click here to see the product list for EZ2 Read products at home.