Why are there two ways to write /w/?
Why are there two ways to write /w/? Is that a <w> or <wh>? How often have you heard that from your student? How do you explain the difference? Do they really sound different? Let’s take a deep dive into...
Thoughts From My Notebook
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Don't let a scope and sequence dictate your decodable book choice!
Like everything in education, the pendulum swings; this time, it brings to light decodable readers' importance. For better or worse, I am on a few FaceBook pages about the Science of Reading and, of course, Orton Gillingham. I see everyone...
Why teach syllable accents?
I don't hear syllable accents, do you? Have you ever wondered how many of your students are unable to discern the stressed syllable from the unstressed syllable? Teaching syllable accents seems to be a prevalent activity in classrooms and many...
Teaching r-controlled vowels
Bossy r? I never let consonants boss me around, do you? So why would we call r bossy? R controlled vowels can be some of the trickiest concepts to teach, this is true, but is calling them bossy r to...
What is mastery in an Orton Gillingham Lesson?
I was recently asked by a school administrator to define mastery and to present it in written form. I have to admit the question set me back a bit. No one has ever asked me to quantify this, much less...
What does Multisensory look like in an OG lesson?
Orton Gillingham is a multisensory approach, sometimes referred to as multisensory learning, which is not the same as teaching through learning styles. Multisensory instruction has undoubtedly caught the attention of educators, however, this is not a new craze; it has...
Handwriting instruction in an OG lesson
How often have you done an intake session with your new student only to discover their handwriting was illegible? As we know, the struggle that appears at age six usually hasn’t miraculously resolved by age 10 or 16 or even...
Word books... can you ever have too many?
When I took Orton-Gillingham training we received several word books—all classics, all invaluable tools for an OG practitioner. Why do we need so many books? Why isn't just one enough? As I mentioned earlier, I received the following books...