TOS Crew Review: Read Naturally - One Minute Reader

Recently I had the opportunity to review a product called One Minute Reader from the company Read Naturally.

Read Naturally a company founded by Special Education teacher Candyce Ihnot and her husband, Tom. Its programs are based on a unique strategy for helping struggling readers that Mrs. Ihnot developed while working on her Master’s Degree.

I knew this program would be a great fit for my son. Though he reads constantly - reading aloud is not something we have practiced a lot. Many times he struggles with fluency when I ask him to read aloud from our history text or bible. I was not concerned with his comprehension at all as that has always been an area he excels in but, I knew he could increase the speed with which he reads.

So, after reviewing the DVD which comes with the program we began using One Minute Reader immediately after receiving it. Here is how the program works:

These are the principles that make One Minute Reader so effective. Students read each story several times, following a specific series of steps designed to make sure they learn to read correctly, read faster, and understand what they read.

Read Along

Students read the story aloud while listening to an audio CD of the story. This teaches them how to pronounce new words and reviews and reinforces words they already know.

Read Alone

After reading along, students read alone several times. By practicing the story, they master the story and many of the words in it.

Raise Your Score

Students time themselves before and after they read along and read alone. A graph of their growth motivates them to keep improving

We got the One Minute Reader Starter Kit Level 1 and the Level 3 Disasters Book and CD. We began with the Level 3 book because, of my son's reading level. Devin loved all of the stories in this book. We started each story by having him record his cold score after reading through the story once. He also underlined any words he did not know. Devin then practiced reading the story out loud with the CD, then by himself, and then with me. Each time he read the story by himself he would record the score. He loved seeing how quickly his speed went up with each run through the story.

There is a place to chart your scores in each book ... allowing the child to see progress. Also, each story has a Quick Quiz which the child can take to see their comprehension level.

My son can be a hard sell anytime I incorporate something new into our curriculum but, he took to this new addition and I found him reading the stories even when I did not ask.

I was really happy with my son's progress while using One Minute Reader. I plan on incorporating this program into my 1st grader's curriculum also.

Do you have a struggling reader or would you just like to increase your child's reading fluency or comprehension then give this program a try! A One Minute Reader starter kit retails for $24.95. It includes a Book, Audio CD, Instructional DVD, 1 minute timer, and a red and blue pencil to chart progress scores. I would suggest going to their website and taking a look at the sample stories to get a good idea of where your child would fall - level wise. After purchasing a starter kit you can also purchase individual books with CD for just $12.95.

Would you like to read what my fellow crew mates thought of Read Naturally and the One Minute Reader program? Then head on over to the TOS Crew Blog.

Disclaimer: I am reviewing this product on behalf of the TOS Crew. I received no compensation, other than a free One Minute Reader program from Read Naturally, for the writing of this review. The contents of this review express my personal opinion of the curriculum.