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Ellen Morgan

Reading Basics

I'm so excited you have decided to join me. My goal is to help, guide and support parents and teachers. Learning to read is hard work, but it should be fun!


Using the Orton Gillingham method of teaching phonics is a structured, repetitive, prescriptive and hands-on way to help children become strong readers. This method is multi-sensory and helps both the struggling reader and the on-level reader. It doesn't matter whether a child is an auditory, visual or kinesthetic learner..........OG has it covered! Children need to see it, hear it, and do it.......over and over! Incorporating songs, hand motions, whole body movements and manipulatives will make reading fun!


With each skill that is taught, you will quickly see which concept your child or student is struggling with. Skills can take as little or as much time as needed. Each lesson should consist of:

  • a phonics warm up: naming letters or sounds; I also like to use the song "There is a letter I have heard and ____is its name O. (then you sing the sound of the letter)" (Tune: BINGO)

  • **It's important to only use letters/sounds that have been already taught. This isn't the time to add something new.....that comes later in the lesson.

  • reading warm up: read short phrases (these should be decodable words)

  • sight word review

  • introduction of new letter/sound

  • practice using that letter/sound in short phrases or a fluency word list

  • hands-on practice: this is not just a paper/pencil activity. There's a place for that. Letter tracing/ a letter search are basics in my curriculum. But, now it's time to get out the shaving cream, playdough, sandpaper letters, and letters tiles.

  • Always end the lesson with a short story and ask comprehension questions.

Incorporating all of this into each lesson can seem overwhelming. I promise it will get easier over time. Trust the process. Stumble through it if you need to. It....will.....work. I consistently over the years, have had kindergartners leaving my classroom reading on a beginning first grade level all the way to a beginning second-grade level. Typically, it's been a DRA 6-8 as an average.


Enjoy a freebie from my TPT store!





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