You may have already taught closed syllables — the idea that when a vowel is “closed in” by consonants, it usually makes a short sound. And most of the time, that works. But then you run into words like old, find, or wild… and suddenly the rule doesn’t seem to apply anymore. These are often…
In Orton-Gillingham, we teach students to decode and spell using rules. We break words apart. We analyze sounds. We follow structure. But then come the words that don’t cooperate. Words like said, was, one, and does. They don’t follow the rules we’ve taught. They are sight words, and will just have to be memorized. So…
The English alphabet has 21 consonants, most with one sound, but some like c, g, s, x, and n have multiple sounds. Consonants can be voiced or unvoiced. Important rules and facts include blends, digraphs, and specific phonetic rules. Orton Gillingham’s approach focuses on phonics and structured teaching methods for English.
Watch on YouTube: How to Teach Schwa from Orton Gillingham Coaching Understanding schwa can be hard for students and tricky for teachers and tutors to explain. This video has an explanation of schwa with how and when to teach it as well as activities. Want more? A full article is here: Activities to Make Schwa…
English words do not end in V. 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.
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. Watch on YouTube:…
I’ve written about schwa before, but it’s a topic that still comes up often with teachers, tutors, and parents. Schwa vowels can feel tricky at first. It’s not complicated, but because it shows up slowly and quietly in words, and schwa vowels don’t always sound the way we expect, even teachers and tutors sometimes get…
In the English language, there is a sound that shows up constantly, but often goes unnoticed. That sound is called schwa. Any vowel — a, e, i, o, u, or y — can make the schwa sound, which is why it can feel confusing in both reading and spelling. Understanding schwa helps explain why words…
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