About Me

Iris Gabrielson Black

B.S. Elementary Education    University of Wisconsin

M.A. Reading        California State Univ. Sacramento

 I am a reading specialist with 16 years experience in remedial reading programs as well as 8 years in primary classrooms.  My experience was broad and diverse teaching in 11 school districts and 16 schools.  My programs were proven with a wide spectrum of children including the bilingual readers and Title 1 programs in the inner cities.

 During my teaching career, mostly in California, I was challenged to teach "at risk" first graders to read.  I created my own program using phonics and sight vocabulary to teach them 200 of the basic words needed by beginning readers.  Their success led me in 1999 to self publish my set of books titled  I Can Read 100 Words  and  I Can Read 200 Words.

Because of the recent need for reading to be taught in Kindergarten and even preschool,  I have written a book for that age level titled  I Can Read 50 Words.  It also stresses repetition and a very controlled vocabulary that allows children to feel successful and motivated.  I Can Sing My Sounds is the phonetic part of that program.  It teaches the names and sounds of the letters as well as phonemic awareness.

If the books are used as directed, your child will be on the path to becoming a good reader.

This website is dedicated to our only child: 

Melissa Lea Black   

I taught her to read when she was four years old.

Books were always very dear  to her. 

She loved her poetry and history books.

Melissa left us too soon but rests in peace.