Have you ever spent time reading, only to realize when you get to the bottom of the page that you don’t remember a thing you read? It might be my over-active mind, but this seems to happen to me all the time.
Unfortunately, my children seem to take after me in this regard. It’s difficult for them to focus completely on their reading, especially if they’re not thoroughly interested in the subject matter.
When I received the opportunity to review See-N-Read, I was skeptical, but hopeful. Could this be a solution to reading distraction?
About See-N-Read
See-N-Read is basically a transparent card with a window cut out, allowing the reader to focus on one line of text at a time. As the reader reads, she moves the card down the page, line by line.
See-N-Read is available in three different forms, all of which we were able to review. The original See-N-Read is a tinted, transparent card with a clear reading window. The Memory Mark Series is almost the same, but the reading window is cut out, making it easy for the reader to underline and highlight text.
Finally, See-N-Read makes a product for PCs, called eSee-N-Read. It looks the same as the See-N-Read, only it’s in electronic form, for use with reading text on the computer.
Our Experience With See-N-Read
When I first opened the package, which contained samples of See-N-Read and Memory Mark, as well as instructions for eSee-N-Read, I’ll admit to thinking, “That’s it?” Really, it looks that simple!
I gave my daughter the See-N-Read to use with her reading that day. The next day, when it was time to do her reading, she asked, “Where’s that little tool?” She told me that it helped her remember what she was reading by slowing her down and making her focus. I know that wasn’t the original intent of the product, but that’s how it worked for my fairly strong 7th grade reader.
We liked that the product comes in two different sizes, one for smaller books and one for larger books and documents. We read a lot of books in our homeschool, and having tools of different sizes was a huge help!
My 2nd grade son, who is a really strong reader, didn’t appreciate the See-N-Read as much, because it slowed him down. The product wasn’t really designed with kids like him in mind though. And I think he’ll appreciate See-N-Read more, as he gets older and needs to read more complicated material.
We don’t really use the computer much for school, but I tested the eSee-N-Read myself, as I do a lot of research for blogging, and I do a fair amount of internet research to prep for teaching the kids. Oh my goodness, did it help with reading pages that were heavy with text!
Once I opened the eSee-N-Read program, one mouse click put the eSee-N-Read right up on my screen. Dragging the corner of the virtual See-N-Read resizes the tool to fit whatever text you might be reading on the computer. And when you’re finished, closing the program is as simple as another click.
Though we didn’t use the eSee-N-Read much for homeschooling, I could see where it would be helpful for high school and college level research. And personally, it would be extremely helpful when editing code for my blog!
The Nitty-Gritty on See-N-Read
The Pros:
- Easy to Use
- Helps reading focus
- Affordable
- Options for almost any type of reading
- Available in multi-packs for families or co-op classes
The Cons:
- Can get lost or accidentally turned into library, if left in a book
- eSee-N-Read is not available for Mac
My Overall Opinion: I really like these little tools! I don’t think we’ll be using the See-N-Read for all of our reading tasks, but for those days when focusing is a problem, we’ll be reaching for the See-N-Read. Since I just switched from a PC to a Mac, I’m hoping that one day the eSee-N-Read is available for the Mac.
Important Information About See-N-Read
- Website: www.see-n-read.com
- Recommended Ages: Beginning reader through adults
- Cost: See-N-Read and Memory Mark are each available for $2.99 for one. The price goes up from there, and you can buy up to 25 in a pack. eSee-N-Read starts at $29.99 for download on one computer, and the price goes up from there for more downloads.
To see what the rest of the Crew has to say about See-N-Read, visit the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog!
Disclosure: I received samples of the product in exchange for my honest review.
I bought this awhile back for my now 2nd grader. I got it because she had a tendency to not keep track of what like she was on and skip lines as she read. She didn’t need to use it very long, but when she was having this problem, it was great. That it was see through even above and below the line you were reading helped keep the speed of her reading up instead of having to stop as she moved the device down the page.
It’s great to hear that it worked well for your daughter! It really is a nifty little tool.