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Hi everyone! I’m sharing three tips for working with kids in a 1:1 setting today. Seems like a pretty easy topic, but it’s important. I look at different pictures of teachers in classrooms working with students, and I’m often taken back to the days my supervisor would come during my Orton-Gillingham practicum and observe my…
(This post contains affiliate links.)Hi everyone! It’s back to school time and I’m sure you’re busy getting all your classrooms prepared and supplies organized. I work with students all year round, but I certainly use the BTS season to rethink some of my teaching strategies, purchase new materials and set a plan to help my…
Hi everyone! I am dedicating the entire contents of this post to those who have purchased The Complete O.G. Part One or The Complete O.G. Part Two. Why do I need an entire blog post? I am keeping a running list of updates and revisions I make here. I will list the dates of when…
Hi Everyone! I’m going to walk you through a tricky part of planning your Orton-Gillingham lessons today: finding a starting point. As a teacher or tutor using the Orton-Gillingham lesson plans, you want to make the best choice for your student, but that means gathering some pieces of the puzzle that show who they are as a…
(This post contains affiliate links.) Hi Everyone! A few weeks ago I was on Instagram and saw photos of teachers using light boxes. The Heidi Swapp Light Box is the cutest little tabletop or desktop invention. Immediately I thought, “Hmmm. I need one of those.” What for might you ask? A few ideas ran…
What are learned words? In Orton-Gillingham terms, learned words are what many people call sight words. You may also refer to them as red words or high frequency words. Most teachers can agree that learned words cannot be sounded out, and make up a large amount of our text in the English language. Our students…
Years ago, when I was knee deep in my Orton-Gillingham training, I longed for more cohesive materials that truly match the progression skills I was trained to follow. But it was HARD! Ready made programs didn’t quite work for me all the time. The order was off and I spent hours searching for the…
I received a message from a fellow teacher a few days ago. She was getting ready to attend her first Orton-Gillingham training session, and asking what supplies to pack in her bag. I was instantly transported back to when I first started. Those nostalgic thoughts of nervousness, excitement and the “Yikes! Can I really do…
(This post uses affiliate links.) Hi everyone! As an Orton-Gillingham teacher who works with children with dyslexia, I know first hand how they struggle with phonological awareness. Under the umbrella term called phonological awareness, we have a very important early reader offshoot- phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness is a critical early reading indicator. What Is Phonemic…