My Learning Journey

My drive to create a hub for supporting literacy intervention came from my learning journey throughout elementary school and middle school plus my current inquiry in grad school. As an elementary and middle school student, I struggled with decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling). This reality left me feeling discouraged and disappointed in myself as a learner. Reading become a chore and my lack of motivation led to negative behaviors.

Thankfully, my parents had my best interest in mind. In grades 5 to 7 I was fortunate to be a student at Sylvan Learning followed by The Reading Foundation. I am proud that my struggles have led me here.

When I first started as a literacy teacher, my passion to create deeper learning opportunities for my students drove me to collect a variety of engaging resources. The resources were exciting but I seemed to only be focus on single skills during my literacy times with my students. Could I change that? Could I tackle more than 2-3 skills per lesson? Could I create a well rounded literacy lesson that promoted literacy growth and success for my students?

These questions led me yearning for more answers and theory behind what a well rounded literacy lesson looks like. With the support of colleagues, friends and professional readings, I found myself on a path to create a program that is promoting deeper learning and reading success for all.

I am now excited to be sharing this program with you in the pursuit to change the way literacy teachers deliver tier 2 instruction to struggling readings. This program has been modeled after the success of MacqLit, Orton-Gillingham, the science of reading and the research of teaching English Language Learners and students to who speak English as a Second Dialect.

I am feeling blessed to have found my path back to literacy. I hope this becomes a helpful tool.

Kilpatrick, D. A. (2021). Equipped for reading success: A comprehensive, step-by-step program for developing phoneme awareness and fluent word recognition. Casey & Kirsch Publishers.

Main, S., & Konza, D. (2017). Inclusive reading practices for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students in Australia. (pp. 177-194). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-363620170000011012

Scull, J. (2016). Effective literacy teaching for indigenous students : Principles from evidence-based practices. The Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 39(1), 54-63.

Wheldall, K., Bell, N., Wheldall, R., Madelaine, A., Reynolds, M., & Arakelian, S. (2019). A small group intervention for older primary school-aged low-progress readers: Further evidence for efficacy. The Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 36(2), 35-40. https://doi.org/10.1017/edp.2019.15

Decodable readers and text passages - The International Dyslexia Association Ontario BranchWhat are decodable books? Decodable books and text passages are an important part of a structured literacy approach to reading instruction. Decodable books and text contain words made of letter-sounds, and spelling and morphological patterns (e.g. prefixes & suffixes) that a student has been explicitly taught. In order to make the text more readable, a […]

Phonics-based Reading: Helping Emerging Readers Build KnowledgeLearn how to help emerging readers build knowledge through phonics-based reading.

Orton-Gillingham and Orton-Gillingham—Based Reading Instruction: A Review of the Literature - Kristen D. Ritchey, Jennifer L. Goeke, 2006Orton-Gillingham (OG) and Orton-Gillingham—based reading instructional programs are commonly implemented reading programs in the United States. Twelve studies t...

Printable Guide — Science of Reading: A Defining MomentAlthough the scientific evidence base for effective reading has existed for decades, the term “the science of reading” has gained traction in the last few years, potentially leading to misunderstandings. As a result, we believe that a common definition is useful for the field.

OG Sequence

Please note - most of the resources must be purchased through Teachers Pay Teachers. None of the resources are work of my own. The lesson plan and opinions were create through personal experience and professional research.