Phonics Help
Watch your child learn to read
Reading doesn't happen by magic — it happens sound by sound. With phonics, children learn that each letter stands for a sound, then blend those sounds into words they can actually read instead of guess. It's the approach decades of research — the "science of reading" — keeps pointing to, and it's especially powerful for kids who are stuck, guessing, or struggling to keep up.
Grandma Gretchen teaches it live on Zoom: warm, patient, and cheering every small win.
Join phonics
I See Sam — the backbone of the program
The little I See Sam readers aren't the main event — they're the backbone. Each tiny book adds just a few new letters and words at a time, so your child practices exactly what they just learned and finishes a whole book, all by themselves. That "I read it!" feeling is where confidence comes from.
Grandma shares the pages live on screen and reads along with each child, one small step at a time. Around that backbone she weaves letter games, rhymes, and plenty of encouragement.
A bit of history: the I See Sam books were created through a U.S. government–funded beginning-reading research program at the Southwest Regional Laboratory (SWRL) and first published in 1972. Because they were federally funded, they entered the public domain in 1977. Learn more
Why phonics works
Backed by decades of research
The U.S. National Reading Panel (2000) reviewed dozens of studies and found that systematic phonics instruction significantly improves children's reading, especially in kindergarten and first grade.
Helps struggling readers
The same research found phonics especially helpful for children at risk of reading difficulties. It's a core part of today's “science of reading” approach.
Small steps, big wins
I See Sam books add just a few new letters and words at a time, so every child can feel the joy of reading a whole book by themselves.
Read the research
- National Reading Panel (2000) — Teaching Children to Read, NICHD
- Ehri et al. (2001) — Systematic Phonics Instruction Helps Students Learn to Read, Review of Educational Research
- Castles, Rastle & Nation (2018) — Ending the Reading Wars, Psychological Science in the Public Interest
- Institute of Education Sciences — Foundational Skills to Support Reading (practice guide)