Part One
What It Is
Orton-Gillingham is not a program or curriculum. It is an instructional approach, a set of principles refined over nearly a century with the strongest evidence base for helping children with dyslexia.
The core insight:
Children who struggle with reading need the code of English taught to them directly, explicitly, and in a carefully sequenced order, with constant review and multisensory reinforcement.
Part Two
The Principles
Orton-Gillingham is defined not by specific materials but by principles that guide instruction.
Explicit
Nothing left to guesswork. Every concept is taught directly. The instructor explains, models, and guides practice.
Systematic and Sequential
Skills are taught in a logical order, simple to complex. Each concept builds on the previous one. Nothing is skipped.
Cumulative
Previously taught material is continuously reviewed. Every session revisits earlier concepts to strengthen retention.
Multisensory
Instruction engages multiple senses: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-tactile. This strengthens sound-symbol connections.
Diagnostic and Prescriptive
The instructor continuously assesses and adjusts. Instruction follows the student, not the other way around.
Language-Based
Students learn how sounds, letters, syllables, morphemes, and syntax work together. The goal is understanding the system, not memorization.
Part Three
What to Look For
Not every program claiming to be OG-based actually follows these principles. Here is what to look for.
Is instruction one-on-one or very small group?
Does the instructor follow a structured scope and sequence?
Is phonics taught explicitly and systematically, not incidentally?
Does the instruction include multisensory components?
Is progress monitored regularly with data?
Does the instructor have specific training in structured literacy or OG methods?
Why it works for dyslexia specifically:
OG directly addresses the core difficulty in dyslexia: the brain's challenge in connecting sounds to printed symbols. By teaching this connection explicitly, systematically, and through multiple sensory pathways, the approach builds neural pathways that do not develop naturally in dyslexic readers.
Get Started
Want to learn more?
If you would like to learn how Orton-Gillingham-based structured literacy can help your child, or if you want to discuss what intervention would look like, I would love to hear from you.
info@northwoodsliteracylodge.com