Did you know that schools and school districts all across the world are beginning to unlock the power of the Orton-Gillingham reading approach? No longer is it being used as a one-on-one or RTI program for at-risk students, but it is also being used in general education classrooms all over the world. All children in school benefit from an Orton-Gillingham classroom instruction.
Which Orton-Gillingham program is best in a classroom?
The PRIDE Reading Program is the perfect option for schools and districts to implement the Orton-Gillingham approach. It can be used in a variety of educational settings, including both in the regular and special education classrooms and also in both private and public schools. We have received so much feedback from teachers all over the world and the response has been amazing!
So why are these teachers so happy using the PRIDE Reading Program in their schools? This post will share tips for teachers and schools on how to implement the PRIDE Reading Program into your school and classrooms.
We highly recommend that schools use the PRIDE Reading Program in small groups of 3-5 students. Here are some options that seem to work well with many schools using our program around the world:
Option 1:
Teachers across the grade can coordinate multiple groups into multiple levels
Let’s use a 1st grade classroom at any school as an example:
1. First, each student in 1st grade is given the level placement test and then placed into a group.
2. Then, the 1st grade teachers determine who will be teaching which PRIDE level. For example: Ms. Smith in Rm #21 teaches Level 1, Ms. Keen in Rm # 43 teaches Level 2, Ms. Adams in Rm #10 teaches Level 3, etc.
3. Next, a time is determined when the PRIDE Reading Program will be taught. We recommend 30 minutes a day, five days a week. This still allows the teachers enough time in the day to also implement the school or district’s language arts curriculum.
4. Finally, at 10:00am – 10:30am (for example), students go to their designated teachers and classrooms for group instruction in the PRIDE Reading Program.
Option 2:
Use a Paraprofessional or Parent Volunteer to Teach Small Groups
Let’s use Ms. Gutierrez’s class as an example:
1. First, each student in Ms. Gutierrez’s classroom will take the level placement test and be assigned to a group. Each group should have no more than 3-5 students in it.
2. Then, Ms. Gutierrez will decide who will help her teach the group daily. She can use an aid or parent volunteer. The PRIDE Reading Program is heavily scripted out and everything the instructor needs is in the teacher’s manual as they go through the lessons. If Ms. Gutierrez ever needs a substitute teacher, parent volunteer or a paraprofessional to fill in for her, they can follow the heavily scripted Teaching Guide.
3. Next, a time is determined when the PRIDE Reading Program is taught. As mentioned above, we recommend 30 minutes a day, five days a week. This still allows Ms. Gutierrez to implement the school’s language arts curriculum to all students in the classroom.
4. Finally, at 9:30am – 10:00am (for example) students rotate groups within the classroom and the PRIDE Reading Program is being taught in a small group with either the teacher, paraprofessional or a parent volunteer.
The Online Teaching Guide
If you have access to a tablet, laptop or even a smartphone, the Teaching Guide can be used anywhere in the world! PRIDE’s easy to follow, scripted, step-by-step Teaching Guide will guide each teacher through which skills to teach, and when and how to teach them. The PRIDE online Teaching Guide works on any internet connected browser device. It is simple for teachers to log on and begin teaching.
Placing the Student in the Correct Group
The PRIDE Reading Program is a skills-based program, not a grade-level program, which means that an individual struggling reader in a particular grade may be using a variety of levels. Each of our workbooks has a level number on it. The numbers you see on the workbooks do not refer to the student’s grade in school.
Why is the PRIDE Reading Program right for students struggling with reading and spelling in the classroom?
- Easy to implement and teach with exceptional results
- No extensive week long training courses to attend
- Everything a teacher or paraprofessional needs to teach the PRIDE Program is included with the student’s materials. No need to supply the student materials or manipulatives or reinvest in new materials as they become worn out from use or abuse.
Karina Richland, M.A., developed the PRIDE Reading Program, an Orton-Gillingham program for struggling readers, based on her extensive experience working with children with learning differences over the past 30 years. She has been a teacher, educational consultant and the Executive Director of PRIDE Learning Centers in Southern California. Please feel free to email her with any questions at info@pridelearningcenter.com.
