Activities to Make Schwa Fun and Engaging

Understanding and recognizing schwa is crucial for students, as it often plays a big role in pronouncing and accenting words. What is Schwa? The schwa sound is one of the most common sounds in the English language. It’s represented by the upside-down lowercase "e" (?). It occurs when a vowel in an unstressed syllable is reduced to a neutral sound, which sounds like a short u sound. The schwa sound allows for smoother and faster speech, making it a key component of natural spoken English, and it can be found in a variety of positions within words, such as the second...

4 Ways to Cope with b and d Confusion

Most tutors and teachers of Orton Gillingham have a student (or 10!) that confuse “b” and “d.”  It’s a common challenge for kids, but throw in a dyslexia diagnosis, and it gets even harder. There are several strategies to use to help students overcome this issue. Why Is It Common to Confuse b and d? The confusion between "b" and "d" is common because the letters are mirror images of each other. This can make it difficult for children to distinguish between the two, especially when they are first learning to read and write. When to teach b and d When teaching b...

Reasons English Words Do Not End in V

In English, no word in the language ends with the letter "v" unless it is followed by the letter "e." This is something that sets English apart from many other languages. In Orton Gillingham, we can teach the saying, “No English words end in V, it will always be followed by an E.” A Brief History in Why Words Do Not End In V In the early stages of English, the letter "v" was used more frequently than it is today. However, at that time, it was not uncommon for writers to use "v" and "u" interchangeably. In the 16th century the “u” and “v”...

Struggling to Blend Letters to Words, Help is Here

My Student Can Isolate Sounds but Struggles to Blend CVC Words There are reasons it’s hard for students to go from isolated sounds to blending. It’s not just incomprehension, it has to do with moving from doing one task, making one sound, to now doing three things, blending three sounds and thinking about how those fit together. It’s a jump for younger kids and includes cognitive processes, memory and phonemic awareness. Even kids with dyslexia and executive functioning challenges can get there. It requires repetition and patience. Helpful Activities to CVC Blending #1 Phoneme Work First, make sure they can hear the sounds of...

From Isolated Sounds to Blending CVC from Orton Gillingham Coaching

There are reasons it’s hard for students to go from isolated sounds to blending. It’s not just incomprehension, it has to do with moving from doing one task, making one sound, to now doing three things, blending three sounds. It’s a jump for younger kids and includes cognitive processes, memory and phonemic awareness. This video goes through the process of why students may struggle and activities you can use to help. Full Article available.

6 Easy Steps to Spelling Better: SOS Spelling Technique

6 Easy Steps to Spelling Better: SOS Spelling Technique Spelling can be a challenge for both kids and adults but throw in a word that makes no sense phonetically, (especially when you are teaching phonics!), and it can throw students for a loop. Simultaneous Oral Spelling (SOS Technique) can be a spelling-lifesaver. It’s used in multi-sensory learning approaches like Orton Gillingham. Multisensory Approach Multisensory means we want students to hear what they see and spell what they hear. To do this, we use lesson plans including auditory, visual and kinesthetic parts. In an approach like Orton Gillingham, we start with phonemic awareness,...

How to Teach Consonant LE Syllable Pattern from Orton Gillingham Coaching

Orton Gillingham Coaching: Teaching Consonant LE Syllables, Tools & Strategies In Orton Gillingham we learn to use Syllable Types to label syllables. Eventually, this leads to syllable division. Consonant + LE is the fifth syllable pattern you teach in Orton Gillingham in the REVLOC system of syllable patterns. Consonant + LE Syllable Pattern The Consonant LE Syllable pattern is a Consonant with an LE, in words like cuddle and title.  It is always found at the end of words. In labeling syllables, Consonant LE is labeled as L – the L in revLoc. Initial Terms Needed to Get Consonant LE A student must know...

Easy Steps to learning Syllable Division Types, an Overview from Orton Gillingham Coaching

This article is to provide an overview of syllable division rules. A birds-eye view into why we are learning REVLOC and how to utilize syllable labeling. What is syllable division? Most of my videos so far have been going over syllable types REVLOC, but I want to give an overview of why we are teaching REVLOC in the first place. Syllable division is a way to break down words into more digestible pieces for easier reading and spelling. Syllable Types Review – REVLOC There are six syllable types in REVLOC and the word REVLOC is the order in which one syllable type is dominant...

Making Sense of the Consonant Reading Deck from Orton Gillingham Coaching

YouTube Video on Making Sense of the Deck from Orton Gillingham Coaching: https://youtu.be/XJaIKgd1g5o What is a reading consonant? A reading consonant is when you ask what sound(s) letter or letter combinations make. For example, b says /b/, it only makes that one sound. But, g can make two sounds, /g/ and /j/ as in gem.   In comparison, spelling a sound, for example, is when you ask a student, what letter or letters makes the sound “s” and a student will say, s, c, sc, and ps all make the sound “s.” What’s Up with This Deck? The Pile For the purpose of making sense...