What is the Orton Gillingham approach?

Orton Gillingham is a structured approach for teaching reading and spelling skills, originally designed for students with dyslexia. It  is a systematic, research-based, multi-sensory method designed to help students build their decoding and spelling skills. It involves teaching individual letters and sounds as well as word patterns, while integrating the visual, auditory, tactile and kinesthetic modalities. Orton Gillingham sessions are typically very structured and each lesson builds upon previously taught lessons.

Orton Gillingham lessons often begin by teaching students single consonant and short vowel sounds and how to blend those sounds together to form words. The lessons then move along to teach students how to read and spell worlds with blends (ex. fl, pl, gl, etc.), consonant digraphs (ex. th, wh, sh, etc.), vowel digraphs (ex. oa, oo, ea, etc.), silent e patterns, multi-syllabic words, prefixes, and suffixes. Each lesson contains multi-sensory elements, including audio-visual card drills, sky writing, and sand writing, along with workbook exercises.

A sample Orton Gillingham lesson might be structured as follows:
1. Review previously taught sounds and word patterns
2. Teach a new sound or word pattern
3. Practice the new sound or word pattern using multi-sensory tools, such as sky writing, sand writing, shaving cream writing, and magnetic tiles
4. Integrate decoding practice
5. Oral reading using passages and stories specific to the sounds and patterns you have taught
6. Oral dictations and spelling practice

Let’s take a look at a more detailed lesson:
Audio-Visual Card Drill: The Orton Gillingham tutor holds up an audio-visual card with the vowel digraph ee on the front and the corresponding key picture (feet) on the back and says to the child: “This is the vowel digraph ee (holds up front of card), like feet (turns card around and shows a picture of feet on the back of the card), it makes the sound /ee/ (turns card back around to show letters). The tutor then says aloud the sequence of letter names/key picture/sound together with the student (i.e. ee, feet, /ee/), and the student repeats the sequence independently three times.

Sky Writing: The Orton Gillingham tutor models forming the letters in the air, while saying the name of each letter and then the sound the vowel digraph makes. The tutor then performs this sky writing together with the child and the child forms the letters in the sky independently three times.
Sand Writing: Similar to sky writing, the tutor models forming the letters, this time in the sand, saying the name of each letter and then the sound the vowel digraph makes. The tutor then performs this sand writing together with the child in a tray filled with sand, and the student forms the letters in the sand independently three times. The same sequence can be performed using shaving cream instead of or in addition to sand.

Workbook Exercises: The child may then complete exercises in an Orton Gillingham workbook, corresponding to the vowel digraph being taught (in this case the /ee/ sound). The child traces letters, identifies pictures that contain the sound, and performs other related exercises, such as filling in words and completing sentences. After this sequence is performed for all of the vowel digraphs in a given section, the tutor emphasizes decoding, or blending sounds containing these vowel digraphs together to form words, using cards and magnetic tiles.

Oral Reading: The child reads word lists, sentences, and stories contained within the Orton Gillingham workbook to reinforce the sounds taught in a given lesson. The child is encouraged to read orally from a controlled reader (book or story) at the end of each session to apply the sounds covered and any previous sounds taught.

The Orton Gillingham method can have a profound impact on a child’s reading and spelling skills, particularly for those who have language-based learning disabilities. However, even children who do not have diagnosed learning disabilities can truly benefit from this instruction. Read more at Ways to Boost Your Child’s Language Development – EBL Coaching.

Frequently Asked Questions About Orton Gillingham

Is Orton Gillingham tutoring the same as phonics tutoring?
Orton Gillingham is a type of phonics instruction, but it is much more structured and sequential, and it integrates multi-sensory tools such as colored sand, magnetic tiles, audio-visual flash cards, and white boards.

How long does are most Orton Gillingham tutoring lessons?
The length of Orton Gillingham tutoring lessons can vary based on the needs, age, and levels of each student. Some students receive one or two one-hour sessions per week, while others receive much more frequent lessons.

Can students with dyslexia benefit from Orton Gillingham tutoring?
Yes! The Orton Gillingham method is ideal for students with dyslexia. The structured, sequential, multi-sensory nature of the lessons make it an ideal approach for helping students with dyslexia build their reading and spelling skills.

EBL Coaching specializes in providing Orton Gillingham tutoring virtually and in person to students in grades peek-12. Contact us today at www.eblcoaching.com to learn more.

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Reading basic words. Forming letters and numbers. Solving math problems. These are all skills that are important parts of Kindergarten success. As students progress towards Kindergarten, they begin to develop the fundamentals of learning that will help them excel as they move through school. There are several strategies you can do at home to help your child establish these academic foundations and ease his or her transition into Kindergarten. The exercises outlined below are fun, engaging, and, of course, educational. So grab some note cards, markers, colored sand, and a cookie sheet – and let’s get to work!

Decoding
The ability to decode, or sound out, words is one of the most important skills for school success, and one that is often emphasized in Kindergarten classrooms. Yet before students can decode words, they need to develop an understanding of sound/symbol relationships – in other words, the names of the letters and their corresponding sounds. By learning these letters and sounds students can ultimately blend the sounds together to read words. So how can you reinforce this skill at home? Try following the tips below, and remember to keep the activities fun and engaging for your child!

Audio-Visual Cards
Start by teaching your child groups of five letters at a time: four consonants and one short vowel. Begin with some of the easier letters/sounds to master: for example, p, f, s, t, and the short vowel a. For every letter that you introduce, create a colorful note card with the letter on the front and a key picture that begins with that letter on the back. For example, for the letter p, you would write the letter p on the front of the card with a black marker, and you might use “pizza” as your key picture. Thus, you would draw (or cut out from a magazine) a colorful picture of a pizza on the back of the card. Feel free to add mushrooms, pepperoni – the works! (see the example below). Create similar note cards for all letters in this group. You might use “fish” for f, “sun” for s, “top” for t, and “apple” for a.

Card Drill
Now it’s time to put those cards into action! Hold the letter side of the first card up to your child (in this case, p), and using as close to the following language as possible, say, “This is the letter p, like pizza (flip card around), it makes the sound /p/ (flip card back around).” Then have your child repeat that sequence to you. Finally, the goal is for him or her to repeat that sequence back to you three times as you reverse the card for the picture name and turn it back around for the sound.
For example:
Parents says: This is the letter p, like pizza, it makes the sound /p/.
Parent and child say together: This is the letter p, like pizza, it makes the sound /p/.
Child says alone 3x: This is the letter p, like pizza, it makes the sound /p/.

Sky writing
Once you have completed the audio-visual card drill, you are ready to work on forming lower case letters with sky writing. You should model the formation of the letter first (we’re still on p), by holding your hand in the air, and, using your pointer and middle fingers, say out loud as you draw, “When we write the letter p, we go down, up, and around.” Make sure you draw a big letter in the air as your child watches. Next, your child should repeat the same motion in the air with you. He or she can even stand up while drawing to engage gross motor muscles. Finally, the goal is for him or her to draw the letter in the air three times, without your help or modeling.
For example:
Parent says, while drawing in the air: When we write the letter p, we go down, up, and around.
Parent and child say together, while drawing in the air: When we write the letter p, we go down, up, and around.
Child says alone 3x, while drawing in the air: When we write the letter p, we go down, up, and around.

Sand writing
Here’s where the fun part comes in – sand writing! Many kids love this part of the exercise. Pick up some colored sand from an art supplies store and pour it onto a cookie sheet or large plastic plate. You can even use kitchen salt or sand from the beach. Using your pointer and middle fingers again, model the formation of the letter – in this case p – in the sand, as your child watches. As you trace, you say out loud (for the letter p), “down, up, and around.” Then shake the sand and have your child trace the formation with you in the sand. Again, the goal is for him or her to trace the letter independently three times. You can try this exercise with flour while you are cooking, sand while at the beach, or dirt in the park. Have fun with it!

Paper writing
Using a sheet of Kindergarten lined paper, draw dotted lines for each letter and have your child trace each letter ten times. Then have him or her try to write it alone ten times, without tracing.

Putting it all together
Follow that same sequence of activities for every letter in the group you are working on. For example, do a card drill, sky writing, sand writing, and paper writing for the letters p, f, s, t, and a (or n, r, c, k, e, and so on). Then, once you have finished the exercises for that group of letters, put your cards back into a pile and it’s time for review! Hold each card up separately to your child and he or she should be able to tell you, without guidance, the name of the letter, picture, and sound (for example: p, pizza, /p/; f, fish, /f/, and so on). If you notice any difficulties, practice the steps above again.

Reading
You have now reached the most exciting part – reading! Once your child has a fluid knowledge of the letter names and sounds of at least one group (four consonants and one short vowel), you can work on teaching your child to blend those letters for form words – which, in essence, is reading. For example, place the a card in front of your child. Ask him or her to tell you the sound that a makes. Then put the t card next to the a card and ask your child what sound t makes. Since we know that a says /a/ and t says /t/, what happens when we blend those sounds together? We form the word “at!” Now try that exercise with different letters from that group. For example, hold out the a and p cards to form “ap” (the words can be real or nonsense). Eventually, add in a third letter – /p/ /a/ /t/ reads pat! You can also add in magnetic tiles, blocks with letters on them, and white boards to make this exercise even more fun.

Keep practicing these exercises and in no time your child can be reading! Remember to keep these exercises fun, engaging, and as multi-sensory as possible. The more you practice, the easier these exercises will be for your child, and the more excited he or she will be to start Kindergarten.

Dr. Emily Levy is the Founder and Director of EBL Coaching, which offers one-on-one tutoring and intensive summer programs. For more information, visit www.eblcoaching.com or call 212-249-0147.

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Preparing your child for kindergarten: early literacy skills

Sounding out basic words and correctly writing letters are key skills for kindergarten success. With a solid foundation in each of these skills, students will learn tools they need for excelling in school. As a parent, there are several techniques you can do at home to help your child build these core skills. Grab some note cards, markers, colored sand, and a cookie sheet — and read below for some fun, engaging, and of course educational multi-sensory activities that you can do at home.

Kindergarten reading readiness

Learning to decode, or sound out words, is an important skill for school success, and one that is emphasized in many kindergarten classrooms. Before students can decode words, however, they need to learn the names of each letter of the alphabet and their corresponding sounds. By doing so, they can then learn to blend these sounds together to read words, which is part of Orton Gillingham tutoring. Try following the tips below to teach your child these skills, and remember to always keep the activities fun, engaging, and multi-sensory! Read more at How to Boost Your Child’s Reading Readiness Skills – EBL Coaching.

Multi-Sensory activities to practice at home

You can start by teaching your child groups of five letters at a time: four consonants and one short vowel. Begin with some of the easier letters/sounds to grasp: for example, f, p, s, t, and the short vowel a. For every letter that you introduce, create a note card with the letter on the front and a key picture that begins with that letter on the back.
For example, for the letter f, you would write the letter f on the front of the card with a black marker, and you might use “fish” as your key picture. Thus, you would draw (or print) a colorful picture of a fish on the back of the card. Feel free to add lots of colors and have your child help in this process! Create similar note cards for all letters in this group. You might use “pizza” for p, “sun” for s, “top” for t, and “apple” for a.

Multi-sensory learning with card drills

Now it’s time to start the letter and sound learning process! Hold the letter side of the first card up to your child (in this case, f) and using as close to the following language as possible, say, “This is the letter f, like fish (flip card around), it makes the sound /f/ (flip card back around).” Then have your child repeat that sequence to you. Finally, the goal is for them to repeat that sequence back to you three times as you reverse the card for the picture name and turn it back around for the sound.
For example:
Parents says: This is the letter f, like fish, it makes the sound /f/.
Parent and child say together: This is the letter f, like fish, it makes the sound /f/.
Child says alone 3x: This is the letter f, like fish, it makes the sound /f/.

Have fun learning with sky writing

Once you have completed the audio-visual card drill with your child, you are ready to start the letter formation process with sky writing. You should model the formation of the letter first by holding your hand in the air, and, using your pointer and middle fingers, say out loud as you draw, “When we write the letter f, we go around, down, and across.” Make sure you draw a big letter in the air as your child watches. Next, your child should repeat the same motion in the air with you. They can even stand up while drawing to engage gross motor muscles. Finally, the goal is for them to draw the letter in the air three times, without your help or modeling. These types of writing exercises are often also integrated into Orton Gillingham tutoring lessons.
For example:
Parent says, while drawing in the air: When we write the letter f, we go around, down, and across.
Parent and child say together, while drawing in the air: When we write the letter f, we go around, down, and across.
Child says alone 3x, while drawing in the air: When we write the letter f, we go around, down, and across.

Learn letter formation with sand writing

Most children love this next step – sand writing! Pick up some colored sand from an art supplies store and pour it onto a cookie sheet or large plastic plate. You can even use kitchen salt or sand from the beach. Using your pointer and middle fingers again, model the formation of the letter – in this case f – in the sand, as your child watches. As you trace, you say out loud (for the letter f), “around, down, and across.” Then shake the sand and have your child trace the formation with you in the sand. Again, the goal is for them to trace the letter independently three times. You can try this exercise with flour while you are cooking, sand while at the beach, or dirt in the park. Have fun with it!

Practicer writing on paper

Using a sheet of kindergarten lined paper, draw dotted lines for each letter and have your child trace each letter ten times. Then have them try to write it alone ten times, without tracing.
Putting the multi-sensory activities together
Follow that same sequence of activities for every letter in the group you are working on. For example, do a card drill, sky writing, sand writing, and paper writing for the letters f, p, s, t, and a (or n, r, c, k, e, and so on). Then, once you have finished the exercises for that group of letters, put your cards back into a pile and it’s time for review! Hold each card up separately to your child and they should be able to tell you, without guidance, the name of the letter, picture, and sound (for example: f, fish, /f/; p, pizza, /p/, and so on). If you notice any difficulties, practice the steps above again.

Multi-sensory reading tutoring

You have now reached the most exciting part – reading! Once your child has a fluid knowledge of the letter names and sounds of at least one group (four consonants and one short vowel), you can perform your own reading tutoring sessions and work on teaching them to blend those letters for form words – which, in essence, is reading. For example, place the a card in front of your child. Ask them to tell you the sound that a makes. Then put the t card next to the a card and ask your child what sound t makes. Since we know that a says /a/ and t says /t/, what happens when we blend those sounds together? We form the word “at!” Now try that exercise with different letters from that group. For example, hold out the a and p cards to form “ap” (the words can be real or nonsense). Eventually, add in a third letter – /p/ /a/ /t/ reads pat! You can also add in magnetic tiles, blocks with letters on them, and white boards to make this exercise even more fun. Enjoy these multi-sensory tutoring sessions with your child!

Read more at How to Boost Your Child’s Reading Readiness Skills – EBL Coaching.

With ample practice and reinforcement of these exercises, your child will be reading sooner than you may have ever imagined! Remember to keep these exercises fun, creative, and as engaging as possible. The more you practice, the stronger these early literacy skills will become for your child, and the more excited they will be to start kindergarten!

If you feel your child would benefit from multi-sensory tutoring to help prepare them for kindergarten in a fun way, contact EBL Coaching and learn more about our one-on-one tutoring programs by visiting www.eblcoaching.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I teach my child the letter names and sounds?
You can help your child learn the letter names and sounds with a multi-sensory tutoring approach. Introduce the name of a letter on a flashcard with a key picture on the back. For example, you might write the letter s on the front of a card with a picture of a snake on the back. Say to your child, “This is the letter s, like “snake”, it makes the sound /s/.” Have them practice that sequence aloud with you and have them work on tracing the letter in colored sand or salt on a tray.

What is decoding and why is it important?
Decoding is the ability to blend sounds together to form words. Many children with dyslexia or reading challenges struggle with decoding and benefit from Orton Gillingham tutoring to build this skill.

How do I make learning fun for my child?

When kids are young, learning should be fun! When working on basic skills with your child, try to incorporate multi-sensory tools, like sand for forming letters, magnetic tiles, and games.

Dr. Emily Levy, the founder and director of EBL Coaching, holds her Doctorate Degree in Education and has been helping children prepare for kindergarten with individualized tutoring for over twenty years.

Learn more about early childhood literacy research at Effectiveness of Early Literacy Instruction: Summary of 20 Years of Research.
Other Related Blogs:
Building Pre-Reading Skills

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