Teaching reading can be very difficult. Some kids get it right away. While others struggle and struggle. It’s definitely a skill that requires a certain level of maturity. We recently had the opportunity to review the Pecci Reading Method Full Series written by Mary Pecci and published by Pecci Educational Publishers.

The Pecci Reading Method is a curriculum that can be used with all learning styles and skill levels. It can be used with preschool and even adults who are learning to read. After many years working in education, Ms. Pecci developed an easily broken down phonics reading program with suggestions from the same students she was working with. The Pecci Reading Method has proven successful with many students, even those with special needs.

I will admit that I was a little overwhelmed when I first opened up the package. I received all the flashcards needed for the program, along with the Super Seatwork workbooks and the Pecci Reading Series books, Pre-Primer I through Reader 1¹. But they do have a video series available to watch and guide you on how to use the flashcards and reading pages with your student.

The Super Seatwork workbooks were very “user” friendly. I really liked that they were created with bold lines and had an almost handmade look to them. This was great for Caty who gets very confused with workbooks and reading programs that use the typewriter “g” and she misses what other letters are since they differ a bit of what she remembers. As we worked on busywork from the Super Seatwork workbooks, she ran into no issues recognizing letters.

This no-frills educational approach to reading presents the student with the basics: letter sounds and letter recognition through verbal practice. Simple flashcards and charts help the student to practice and retain the information so they can work their way through the reader books. With the Pecci Reading Method, there are no distracting bells or whistles and music playing in the background. In her video series, Ms. Pecci reminds you to follow the 3 basic steps of: 1. Teaching, 2. Reinforcing, and 3. Testing what your student has learned.

These were good reminders for me, since the reinforcement is so important for us, since Caty has a tendency to forget the letters as she is spelling words now. So, we have been going back to the basics to help her break down the words in an easier way for her.

Caty and I have been working our way through the Super Seatwork Phonic Grab Bag and also doing pages in Super Seatwork Word Skills. The Super Seatwork Phonic Grab Bag is a great reinforcement of teaching kids to remember to breakdown their words as they are reading or spelling. The Super Seatwork Word Skills is taking your student on some great early grammar skills and roots/suffixes.

By using the practice cards ($19.95), we have been able to practice her sounds each lesson. Used along with the Pecci Reading Series reading books ($34.95 for all levels), you are really reinforcing the sounds they are learning. With the Super Seatwork workbooks, your student can master the skills they are working on. The Super Seatwork workbooks range in price from $14.95 to $19.95, but you can purchase the whole set (all 7 books) for $87.95 for a savings. The price of the Pecci Reading Method is very reasonable for a family to purchase and use with their children.

-Product Review by Renita Kuehner, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, June 2017