The new Building Readers For Life Academy Membership is open!
Looking for tips to improve spelling? Check out our spelling tips for students. These tips will help you with teaching spelling and spelling words.
Is it CH or TCH? It isn’t about hearing the /t/. The third of the short vowel spelling generalizations has to do with whether to use -ch or -tch at the end of a word. This generalization states that when you hear the /ch/ sound at the end of a syllable AND it is immediately preceded…
K or CK? Is there a rhyme or reason? After introducing the FLOSS rule, the next spelling generalization that is usually taught is the K/CK spelling generalization. This is an incredibly useful and freeing spelling generalization that allows students to spell many words using standard spelling. This generalization applies to the END of words and…
Some of the most powerful tools we teach our Orton-Gillingham students are spelling generalizations. These generalizations help them choose the correct spelling option. Most adults are not even aware of these “rules”, because, with increased familiarity with the orthography of English, one develops an awareness of what “looks right”. One way we can help our…
Some of the mountains that our struggling readers must climb are bigger than others. One skill that we must introduce fairly early on, but that will take a long time to master is the vowel team syllable. Let’s look at some tips for teaching vowel teams. In principle, the vowel team syllable is easy to…
5 Fun and Easy Ways to Practice Spelling Generalizations When you are working with children in Orton-Gillingham lessons or other reading interventions, there is often a big discrepancy between our students’ proficiency with understanding a spelling generalization and their proficiency with the application of that spelling generalization. It takes a lot…
It’s been a busy summer in the world of Orton-Gillingham this summer! I am always seeking new books, materials and lesson ideas for using the Orton-Gillingham approach, and today I am back to share some wonderful teaching tips for teaching spelling strategies. I apologize for the summer hiatus from blogging, but things are picking back…
Hi everyone! When using the Orton-Gillingham approach or in any reading intervention program, the review portion is such an important component. Using games to review is a great way to reinforce learning. Today, I have a fun game to share with you for reviewing the doubling rule, also know as the 1+1+1 rule. Welcome…
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…
Hi everyone! We all need a little motivation from time to time, don’t we? What tasks sometimes feel tedious to you? (Don’t even ask me about laundry.) Now try to imagine challenges your students face when learning. What helps them sustain and persevere? After a great conversation with my fellow OG teachers the other day,…