The Teaching Method that Works
“Structured literacy teaching is the most effective approach for students who experience unusual difficulty learning to read and spell printed words.”
Structured Literacy, Orton-Gillingham Method, Science of Reading, Multi-Sensory Structured Language Teaching…
These many names describe the same thing.
Successful reading programs are alike in what they teach and how they teach it.
The order of presentation may vary. Programs use different keywords for letter sounds. They use different tricks for counting sounds and dividing syllables. But successful reading programs follow the science of reading.
Successful programs teach these concepts:
phonemic awareness
letter-sound identification
orthography (spelling patterns)
morphology (suffixes and prefixes)
syntax (vocabulary)
semantics (sentence structure)
Successful programs teach in a way that is:
explicit (direct teaching of concepts)
systematic (simple to complex for both reading and spelling)
cumulative (constant review)
diagnostic (assess and teach to mastery)
