Question 1

How do you teach literacy?

Accepted Answer

Our teachers use structured literacy which is phonics-based, systematic, explicit, and highly structured, with multisensory elements. Lesson plans follow the Orton Gillingham framework.  During structured literacy instruction, teachers guide students through systematic mastery of the smallest units of sounds (phonemes) and build upon that knowledge by introducing new, more complex material (morphemes and lexemes) in a structured and cumulative way. Teachers are explicit about the ways English is predictable and unpredictable by teaching the linguistic rules behind spelling and the exceptions to those rules.  During lessons, students may work on phonemic awareness, decoding skills (blending phonemes to read words), encoding skills (segmenting words into phonemes or morphemes to spell words), sight words, reading fluency, reading comprehension, and in some cases letter writing formation. Teachers follow a scope and sequence, covering one syllable at a time until all six syllable types are taught (closed, open, vowel-consonant-e, r-controlled, vowel teams/diphthongs, and consonant-le).

Question 2

What ages do you work with?

Accepted Answer

We work with adults and children ages 4+.

Question 3

Do you only work with students with learning disabilities?

Accepted Answer

No! Our approach is the ONLY way for students with learning disabilities, but it is also beneficial for students without learning disabilities. Students who want to get ahead or homeschooled students who want grade level structured literacy are welcome.

Question 4

How soon will my child see progress?

Accepted Answer

According to researchers, some students need three repetitions to master a new concept whereas others take 20. Despite this fact, one thing remains constant and that is the rate of growth is determined by the number of instructional hours provided (weekly) and the intensity of the intervention.   The larger the group of students the less intensive intervention is considered. Strategic interventions will often have 5-8 students. A group size of three or fewer students is needed for intensive intervention. One-on-one instruction is the most intense and will yield greater and faster results.

Question 5

Why is my third grader suddenly having reading problems?

Accepted Answer

Many reading programs, use leveled text and teach using balanced literacy. In balanced literacy, children are taught to rely on cues in the text or accompanying pictures to guess unknown words, and/or memorize a list of the most common words found in print.   By memorizing high-frequency words, children are able to read texts earlier, which often creates a false sense of reading confidence in the primary grades. By third grade, texts become significantly more complex, and students who appeared to be "fine" at reading begin to show the true gaps in their foundational skills. To be a skilled reader, one would need to know approximately 30,000 words. That is a lot of words to remember by sight and takes a large toll on our brains.   When children read primarily by sight, they train their subconscious to bypass the auditory cortex when processing a word. This leads to flipping letters and words. The linguistic processing is also performed in the auditory cortex, so children who read primarily by sight can also struggle with low comprehension.   To answer the question directly, your child is suddenly having reading problems because they were never taught the code. They need structured literacy instruction. The English code consists of 44 phonemes (sounds) and approximately 250 graphemes (letters/letter combinations). Doesn't it seem easier to learn the code than memorize 30,000 words? Science shows it is.

Question 6

Do you offer math tutoring?

Accepted Answer

We have teachers certified in multi-sensory math. They use the CRA (concrete, representational, abstract) approach when teaching difficult math concepts like the four operations with whole numbers and fractions.   We offer math tutoring on a case-by-case basis. Literacy is our primary focus for instruction, however, if an instructor has the time in their schedule and is certified to teach the grade level and topic you need, we will work with you. Reach out for more information and to see if we can support your needs.

Question 7

Will my child need any supplies?

Accepted Answer

Required Materials: High-speed internet Computer or tablet Google/Gmail Account  Access to a printer Pencils/erasers Colored writing utensils (crayons, markers, colored pencils or  pens) blue, orange, red, green, yellow, purple, black/grey Folder Notebook Headphones (optional, but highly encouraged to eliminate background noises)  Optional materials around the house that can be used during multisensory learning: Rice, salt, or sand (inside a small baking pan or pencil box) Textured material (burlap, glitter paper, sandpaper, plastic mesh) Paint or hair gel inside of a large ziplock bag (tightly sealed and reinforced with tape) Fidget Poppers Play-Dough  Blocks Counters Legos