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If you’ve spent any time in Orton-Gillingham circles, there’s one phrase you’ve probably heard again and again: “It depends.” You might hear it when you ask: And the answer—from your trainer, mentor, or a more experienced colleague—is often a gentle but firm:“It depends.” For many OG-trained teachers, that response can feel vague, confusing, or even…
As Orton-Gillingham teachers, we know how much every little thing we say can matter. Sometimes, we forget just how much weight our words carry when teaching students with dyslexia or other language-based learning differences. So much time is spent planning multisensory activities, prepping materials, and setting up routines. If we aren’t being intentional with our…
Want to make a power move?! In an Orton-Gillingham lesson, one of the most powerful shifts you can make as a teacher is allowing students to do the cognitive work. That’s right, the student actually does the work! Yes, it may seem faster or more efficient to jump in and help. However, when teachers do…
When you’re new to Orton-Gillingham (OG) or structured literacy instruction, you might feel like you have to teach something new in every single lesson. A new phonogram. A new rule. A brand-new syllable type. However, in OG lessons, review trumps new concepts. With OG lessons, review is essential. Teaching new concepts every time isn’t necessary….
Have you ever noticed your students remembering something one day, only to forget it the next? Or, a student masters a concept in isolation but can’t apply it later? If so, it may be time to bring the interleaving strategy into your Orton-Gillingham lesson planning. Luckily, I have the full breakdown of how and when…
If you’re an Orton-Gillingham teacher, you know how rewarding this work can be. However, Orton-Gillingham lesson planning can be time-intensive. Between individualizing for students, tracking progress, and prepping multisensory materials, planning can easily eat up hours of your week. Luckily, there are practical, time-saving tips for streamlining your Orton-Gillingham lesson planning. Honestly, teachers can use…
Dictation is an important part of each Orton-Gillingham lesson. It is when everything comes together. Dictation is the You Do portion of the gradual release of responsibility. When looking at this portion of the lesson, there are a few points where you can begin maximizing dictation. Here are 3 quick tips for maximizing the dictation portion…
All who are trained in Orton-Gillingham have something in common and that is that we follow this specific set of principles of the approach. These principles are the interwoven thread and commonality between everyone trained in Orton-Gillingham. In a previous post, I covered What does Explicit, Systematic and Sequential Teaching Look Like? All of these…
Games have several important roles to play in Orton-Gillingham lessons, so it’s only natural to find one that both you and your students will love playing. Sometimes I hear, “We don’t have time for games during my Orton-Gillingham lessons,” That makes me sad! Gamifying your lessons doesn’t have to take away from the content. Sometimes…