1. Learn daily
When it comes to reading, frequency and repetition matter.
2. Keep it short
Each lesson is 50 minutes—because tired, bored kids don’t learn as quickly.
3. Read at home
We ask every family to participate in daily reading homework.
The 6 fundamental sections to each lesson
Sounds
The student learns and practices her sounds using the letters on the magnetic board. For spelling, the tutor says the sounds and the student points to the letter(s) that represent that sound on the board. For reading, the tutor points to the letters and students say the sounds. As appropriate, the tutor introduces a new spelling or reading concept.
Syllables
Using the letters on the magnetic board, the student makes and reads nonsense words that range from 1-6 syllables. For spelling, the tutor sounds out nonsense syllables that focus on phonetic concepts and students spell these out on the board. The tutor then dictates changes that require moving a letter. For reading, the tutor creates nonsense words on the board for students to read.
Words
Tutor directly transfers phonetic words into daily spelling, reading, and writing. For spelling, the tutor dictates high-frequency words that address several spelling concepts and the student writes these words onto paper. The dictated words correspond to the concepts addressed earlier in the lesson.
Reading & Comprehension
Half of each session is spent reading in the reading books. Each book raises the grade level and increases the reading difficulty. Our read aloud technique is called Pressure Release.
Writing
The student completes a 5-minute written response daily. Reading prompts include questions about the student’s understanding of the story and asks them to summarize, predict, and infer what the story is about.
Fluency Homework
We ask our families to read together using our fluency techniques for 5-10 minutes at home every day. We call this homework “Repeated Readings”. These readings help activate the word form area of the brain, and daily practice reinforces and maintains learning and brain stimulation.
