What is Orton Gillingham (OG)?

OG is an evidenced based, highly structured approach that is rooted in the Science of Reading. It breaks down reading and spelling into smaller skills involving letters and sounds and then builds on these skills over time. The Orton- Gillingham Approach is direct, explicit, multi-sensory, structured, sequential, diagnostic and prescriptive way to teach literacy. Lessons are student specific.

• Explicit: Your child will learn connections between sounds and letters, consistent rules and patterns so they will be able to decode words on their own.

• Diagnostic: Using session notes and data, the ongoing lessons are tailored to provide additional strategies and practice where it is needed.

• Systematic:Previously introduced concepts are reviewed and scattered into current tasks to ensure concepts are consistently understood and implemented.

OG lessons address all of the essential aspects of literacy, with the goal of fostering a fluent, enthusiastic, and independent reader and writer.  Skills that are integral to all OG lessons include:

• decoding (reading)

• encoding (spelling)

• phonological awareness (awareness and manipulation of speech sounds)

• phonics

• basic morphology (prefixes, base words, roots)

• spelling rules

• reading fluency

• reading comprehension

• written expression

• penmanship

• basic grammar