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Orton Gillingham For All

Why do they sound it out and forget it... again?

Published 13 days ago • 2 min read

Hello!

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 gives you /m/ /ă/ /p/, blends it together, and says map.

Yay! They read it. Then map shows up again later... and they're back to /m/ /ă/ /p/.

We want students to connect the sounds they hear in map with the letters they see, and as those connections get stronger, they don't have to work so hard every time they see the word.

Eventually, they see map and read map.

Try these 5 steps:

Hear it → Build it → Read it → Spell it → Use it

Hear it: Say map. Have the student identify the sounds /m/ /ă/ /p/.

Build it: Use letter tiles to build map, then make a few changes: map → mop → top.

Read it: Mix the words back in and have the student read them.

Spell it: Take the word away. Say map and have the student spell it.

Use it: Put the word into something they can read: the red map or I had a map.

Then bring map back later. Can they read it a little more easily this time? That's what we're working toward.

What if it still isn't clicking?

Sometimes a student just needs more practice. But what if you've practiced and practiced and blending still isn't clicking?
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I put together the full lesson, including what these five steps actually sound like when you're sitting with a student, how many letter tiles to use, what to say when they get stuck, and when a continuing struggle may mean it's time to look a little deeper.

Want the practice already planned?

Read & Spell Foundations gives you reading, spelling, and hands-on practice for beginning consonants and short vowels, including a Teacher Activities page with ideas you can use during lessons.

And it's now available in 2 formats!

​Download the PDF or order the printed workbook and have it shipped to you.

Want the bigger picture?

​Fast Track: Structured Literacy Foundations & Lesson Structure walks you through six foundational areas of structured literacy and shows you how to put them together in your teaching.

Your course includes

✓ Scope & Sequence Workbooks 1 & 2​
​✓ Drill Cards Workbook​
​✓ Lesson Plan Blueprint

That's $56 worth of teaching materials included with the course.

​EXPLORE FAST TRACK →​

P.S. You may have noticed a new name...

OGforALL is becoming All Up Literacy. Same practical structured literacy teaching and tools, with a name that gives me more room to grow.

You'll still see OGforALL here and there while I make the transition.

Happy teaching!​
Jennifer

600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246
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Orton Gillingham For All

Structured literacy tools for tutors, teachers, and families everywhere.

OGforALL helps tutors, teachers, home school teachers and parents, and parents whose kids are being taught the English language using phonics to better support their students.

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