Orton-Gillingham

Introduction 

The Orton-Gillingham approach is named after Dr. Samuel Orton, a pioneering neuropsychiatrist, and Anna Gillingham, an educator and psychologist. Over a century ago, Dr. Orton began researching language processing disorders in children and became determined to help those struggling with literacy. Collaborating with Gillingham, they developed what is now known as the Orton-Gillingham (OG) approach—a groundbreaking advancement in literacy instruction.

The OG approach is a structured literacy method designed for students with dyslexia, auditory processing issues, speech difficulties, and other learning differences. It is an evidence-based reading intervention intended for one-on-one or small group instruction. This approach is direct, explicit, multisensory, sequential, diagnostic, and prescriptive—making it especially effective for those who find reading, writing, and spelling challenging. It is best understood not as a rigid program, but as a flexible, powerful teaching approach in the hands of a well-trained educator.

7 Strategies of Orton-Gillingham

1. Multisensory Learning

Multisensory learning is the cornerstone of the Orton-Gillingham approach, ensuring that students with dyslexia and other reading challenges engage multiple senses (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile) to reinforce literacy skills. This method helps create stronger neural pathways for reading and spelling by activating different areas of the brain simultaneously.

2. Explicit, Systematic Phonics Instruction

Explicit instruction means teaching skills directly and intentionally, rather than assuming students will learn patterns on their own. Educators clearly teach letter-sound relationships, model decoding strategies, and provide intentional practice with controlled texts. They also address misconceptions in real time. This approach removes ambiguity and ensures that every student—even those with language-based learning difficulties—has a fair opportunity to succeed in reading.

Systematic phonics provides students with structured and organized literacy instruction that focuses on the relationship between graphemes (letters) with phonemes (sounds) in the English language. Over time, students master simple letter patterns and words to comprehend more complicated concepts over time.

3. Structured & Sequential 

Structured and sequential instruction refers to the deliberate organization of lessons to ensure students are guided through content in a logical, cumulative manner. This approach is a cornerstone of the Orton-Gillingham method and supports learning by making sure students have the necessary background knowledge and prerequisite skills before introducing new material.

A key element in structured instruction is the use of a scope and sequence, which outlines both the range of skills to be taught and the order in which they are presented. This planning tool helps educators maintain clarity in pacing and content delivery, allowing new concepts to build naturally on existing knowledge. In literacy, this often involves reinforcing the connection between reading and spelling.

4. Cumulative Review

Cumulative review ensuring that new lessons continuously reinforce and build upon previously mastered skills. This method prevents learning gaps, strengthens retention, and helps students make meaningful connections between concepts.

How to review:

Part 1: Gather the Data (Identifying Errors & Review Needs)

1. Observed Error Patterns

   • Track consistent mistakes in reading, spelling, or sound production (e.g., confusing ou vs. oa).

   • Note if errors occur in isolation or across contexts.

2. Recent/Unexpected Errors

   • Address mistakes from the latest lesson or spontaneous errors (excluding teacher-introduced errors).

3. Near-Mastery Material

   • Reinforce recently taught concepts that need more practice (e.g., a student may need 3+ lessons to master a phonogram).

4. Major Concepts

   • Continuously review foundational skills (e.g., syllable types, spelling rules) in every lesson.

Part 2: Planning & Implementing Review (Structured Reinforcement)

1. Drills (Card & Blending)

   • Mix old and new phonograms in card drills.

   • Use error correction (e.g., tracing) for persistent mistakes.

2. Warm-Up/Extension Activities

   • Start lessons with a quick review of major concepts (e.g., "What’s a closed syllable?").

   • For deep confusion, use targeted activities (e.g., contrast drills, vowel-intensive practice, games).

3. Reading Words/Sentences

   • Embed review words with varied syllable types and recent errors into reading practice.

4. Linking Review to New Concepts

   • Connect prior knowledge to new material (e.g., review -ing before teaching *-ed*).

5. Writing Review

   • Dictation: Include short/long vowels, recent phonograms, and error-prone spellings.

   • Morphology: Revisit affixes (prefixes/suffixes) and problem words.

     
     

     5. Language-Based Instruction

     
     

     Focuses on the structure of the English language：

     Teachers should create consistent, effective routines that help students manage their experience in the physical classroom. When teachers create routines to support the organization of their space, students can reallocate their mental energy to focus on the academic and language tasks at hand. To support this, teachers should consider the following environmental strategies:

     • Record and reference key information on the board: Post a daily schedule, class-specific agendas, the day of the week, the date, and nightly homework assignments. Build in time for students to record their homework at the beginning or end of class to reinforce executive function habits.
     • Post and use visible calendars: Weekly, monthly, or year-long calendars that are large and easily read can help students understand the passage of time and plan for upcoming events. For example, for older students, they can see how many days they might have for an assignment, which can be beneficial for long-term planning.
     • Post and reference relevant anchor charts and visuals: Use visual supports like sound walls, character maps, writing process steps, grammar rules, templates, word walls, story timelines, and geographical maps. These should be visible, relevant, and frequently discussed and referenced.
     • Post and use classroom expectations: Display classroom norms, expected behaviors, and policies (e.g., technology use). When students need redirection, having these norms visible provides a neutral, consistent reference point.
     • Provide and reference organization examples: Post pictures that illustrate examples of desk, locker, and materials bin organization. Include expectations for shared spaces and digital organization, such as file naming conventions or folder structure. These models support students’ ability to manage their materials independently.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

     
     

     6. Decoding & Encoding Integration

     
     

     While decoding and encoding are opposites, they are also skills that are intertwined. Both decoding and encoding require students to have a strong phonetic awareness (the ability to hear, break apart, and put together oral sounds), phonics awareness (the rules of the language), and orthographic awareness (the spelling of a language). As a teacher, you often see students who have stronger decoding skills or stronger encoding skills, but overall, students develop this skills at a relatively equal pace.

     When we teach our students using a structured literacy approach, we focus on developing decoding and encoding skills at the same time. For example, students practice reading short vowel words AND writing short vowel words within the same literacy lesson. Focusing on both decoding and encoding will help your students become strong readers and writers.

     
     

Use decodable texts that only use sounds and spelling patterns that have been explicitly taught. This will foster strong decoding skills. It also will help students focus on the text to decode as opposed to trying to guess since the text uses sounds they have learned. 

7. Individualized

Because everyone learns differently, the Orton-Gillingham approach is always concerned with the needs of the individual. Anna Gillingham once said, “Go as fast as you can, but as slow as you must.” Curriculum that follows this approach makes it easy for you to teach to your child’s individual strengths while at the same time respecting the child’s pace. Consequently, this approach works for all ages—beginning readers, intermediate students, teens, and adults.

Tips for Orton-Gillingham

1. Use of modeling and visuals.

Using modeling and matching it with appropriate visuals allows our students to have conversations about their work. This provides a bridge from oral language to written language.  

2. Pose questions that open discussion around content area vocabulary.

Structure your conversations by asking questions that will lead to vibrant discussions. Bringing words to life will help students develop better usage and understanding of content area vocabulary.  

3. Work with different sentence types. 

Expand on sentences either orally or in written form. For example, with a decodable sentence like, “Tim ran up the hill.” you can ask a student to expand orally with, “because…”

4. Embed grammar into controlled text. 

Ask students to identify or color-code. Look at certain suffixes and discuss how they dictate the part of speech. 

5. Monitor and clarify understanding.

Take time to discuss the different meanings expressions can have. There are going to be passages or phrases in stories that will need clarification. You can preview a book ahead of time and pull out the sections or phrases that you foresee your student struggling with. 

10 Must Haves for Orton-Gillingham Intervention

Pencil Case with Fun Markers, Highlighters, Stamps, Pencils

Allow students to pick their favorite color which allows for immediate engagement and buy-in. Sometimes, it's the little things!

Sound Drill Cards 

Graphic Organizers

Students can look at a graphic organizer to see a visual representation of the thought process they need to use to answer a comprehension question or the framework they have learned to define their vocabulary words. This helps them keep everything organized. 

summary 

 The Orton-Gillingham Approach always is focused upon the learning needs of the individual student. Orton-Gillingham (OG) practitioners design lessons and materials to work with students at the level they present by pacing instruction and the introduction of new materials to their individual strengths and weaknesses. Students with dyslexia need to master the same basic knowledge about language and its relationship to our writing system as any who seek to become competent readers and writers. However, because of their dyslexia, they need more help than most people in sorting, recognizing, and organizing the raw materials of language for thinking and use. Language elements that non-dyslexic learners acquire easily must be taught directly and systematically.