Have you ever had a student sound out a word correctly, only to get stuck on the exact same word later? Let’s use map. The student looks at the word, gives you /m/ /?/ /p/, blends it together, and says map. Yay! They read it. Then map shows up again later… and they’re back to…
You’ve taught the rules and patterns, and the student seems to know them. But when it’s time to actually read or spell, they’re still working much harder than you think they should be. This is a tricky place to be with a student. So, do you slow down and really work those earlier skills, or…
Summer tends to shift things. One week you’re on a roll, and the next week someone’s at the beach, at camp, or just… done. The truth is, very few are excited about full lessons of summer reading and spelling in July. No matter how great a tutor I am or how many “games” I can…
If your child guesses at words while reading, it’s not a bad habit — it’s a coping strategy. Guessing often shows up when reading feels hard or confusing. Kids guess because they want to keep moving. The goal isn’t to stop guessing through correction. The goal is to replace guessing with decoding. Why guessing happens…
Supporting your child’s reading at home can feel overwhelming — especially if school hasn’t given clear answers. Many parents worry: Here’s the truth:You don’t need to become a teacher to support your child’s reading. You need structure, clarity, and realistic expectations. What matters more than “doing it right” Children don’t need perfect lessons. They need:…
If your child can name letter sounds but still struggles to read words, you’re not alone. This is one of the most common concerns parents share: “They know their sounds… so why can’t they read?” Knowing individual sounds is just the first step. Reading requires a child to hold multiple sounds in their working memory,…
What is the 3 Part Drill in Structured Literacy? A Simple Explanation and scripts for teaching students.
The Three-Part Drill is a key component of Orton-Gillingham lessons. It’s a multi-sensory practice that helps students become automatic with the sounds, symbols, and spellings of the English language.
12 ways to help keep teaching and tutoring on track. Orton Gillingham is a phonics, rule-based approach to teaching and learning the English language. Using a scope and sequence makes it a cumulative, thorough approach to teaching English to both kids and adults. Orton Gillingham training teaches how to use multi-sensory learning to teach all of this and more!
If you’ve ever wondered how reading and writing really come together, it starts with encoding and decoding. These core skills are at the heart of Orton-Gillingham. In this video, I’ll walk you through the difference between the two, and show you engaging ways to practice them with your students. Teaching Encoding and Decoding (Video) The…
Unlocking the mysteries of reading and writing begins with encoding and decoding. In Orton-Gillingham, encoding and decoding are the backbone of the approach. Let’s shine a light on encoding and decoding by looking at the difference between these concepts, and check out some activities that you can do with students. Teaching Encoding/Decoding The Orton-Gillingham approach…
Practical ways to support CVC blending If a student knows their letter sounds but freezes when it’s time to read words, you’re not alone. This is one of the most common and frustrating early reading roadblocks for teachers, tutors, homeschool families, and parents. At first glance, it can seem simple: They know the sounds –…
From Orton Gillingham Coaching In teaching with structured literacy, 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…
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