## ***Practice 1 - Orton-Gillingham Approach*** Orton-Gillingham is a structured literacy approach that teaches the relationship between phonemes and graphemes in a sequential, multisensory way — engaging auditory, visual, and kinesthetic-tactile pathways simultaneously. Students learn phonics rules explicitly and practice through direct instruction in letter-sound correspondences, blending, and word families. |Pros|Cons| |---|---| |Multisensory engagement supports retention and recall.|Requires significant teacher training to implement correctly.| |Explicit and sequential — strong evidence base for students with dyslexia.|Time-intensive; may move slowly for students without reading difficulties.| |Highly individualizable for student need.|Not always feasible as a whole-class approach.| **** ## ***Practice 2 - Decodable Texts*** Decodable texts are leveled readers in which the vast majority of words follow phonics patterns the student has already been explicitly taught. Rather than relying on picture cues or memorized sight words, students apply their phonics knowledge to decode the text independently. |Pros|Cons| |---|---| |Directly reinforces phonics instruction and builds automaticity.|Text can feel unnatural or stilted due to phonics constraints.| |Boosts student confidence through successful independent reading.|Limited vocabulary and narrative complexity.| |Aligned with the Science of Reading.|Some students find them less engaging than authentic trade books.|