What is Orton-Gillingham?
You may have heard that Orton-Gillingham is considered the gold standard for helping struggling readers. However, this may have just created more questions as you try to navigate the world of dyslexia and reading delays.
What is Orton-Gillingham?
The Orton-Gillingham method was created in the 1930s by Dr. Samuel Orton and Anna Gillingham who were pioneers in dyslexia research. Based on their observations, they developed a program for teaching remedial reading.
How is it structured?
The Orton-Gillingham Approach uses systematic phonics to teach language and promote mastery in students with dyslexia. This approach encourages students to grasp the sound-symbol relationship that is necessary to understand the alphabetic systems of writing. Phonics and phonemic awareness gives learners the ability to identify individual sounds that are combined to make words.
It also incorporates multi-sensory teaching strategies; using sight, hearing, touch and smell to help learners better forge associations in their mind. Additionally, all lessons are done in a sequential order. Meaning that we intentionally begin with the basics that the specific learner must master before continuing on to the next lesson, which will build on the previous knowledge they have achieved.
A typical Orton-Gillingham lesson is comprised of five main components:
Introduction of new skills
We introduce every level with a video tutorial and practice warm up.Application of those skills
After learners have completed the warm up, they move on to the parts of the level where they apply what they have learned.Syllabication process for decoding multi-syllable words
We begin this process with individual letters, moving up to two letter combinations, then three and so on - building on what they have learned previously.Red (sight) Words
A red word or sight word is a high-frequency word that does not follow the normal patterns of spelling or pronunciation. They will be encountered daily and are words that need to be recalled instantly rather than constantly sounded out. In our Auditory-Visual lessons, learners will hear a word (including red/sight words) and will have to find the matching spelled-out word within the time restriction.Oral Reading
In our comprehension levels, learners read a passage and then must answer questions about what they have read. This assesses their reading skills, but also their overall comprehension of the content.
What is the success rate like?
While the Orton-Gillingham Approach is frequently implemented as a teaching strategy for students with dyslexia, breaking down language and reading into distinct skills can be beneficial for all students.
Since its implementation, research has shown that the assumptions on which Orton and Gillingham based the program were correct. Over the years, the Orton-Gillingham method has helped thousands upon thousands of people become fluent readers. That’s why it is still around today; it is extremely effective. Online Reading Tutor’s program uses the Orton-Gillingham method to help smart kids who struggle with reading.
https://www.ortonacademy.org/resources/who-were-orton-and-gillingham/
