The Orton-Gillingham Approach is a direct, explicit, multi-sensory, and structured approach for teaching
children to read and spell. This approach first began with Samuel T. Orton and Anna Gillingham. They
created this program with dyslexic children in mind, but ended up creating a method that works for all
children. OG explicitly teaches children the elements of language and facilitates student automaticity in
applying this knowledge when decoding and encoding language. Whole group OG strategies include
things such as tracing, saying the sound, writing, blending, and introducing the new phonogram. Students
then move to their independent practice.
Other strategies include card drills, vowel intensives, letter formation techniques, and decoding of words.
As mentioned before, this approach is multi-sensory so students may be forming these letters with tools
such as sand/salt trays. OG also provides students with visual cues when decoding words. These may be
symbols such as lines, squiggle lines, stars, and other shapes. Each visual cue stands for a specific
sound and helps students to remember what that part of the word should sound like when decoding a word.
children to read and spell. This approach first began with Samuel T. Orton and Anna Gillingham. They
created this program with dyslexic children in mind, but ended up creating a method that works for all
children. OG explicitly teaches children the elements of language and facilitates student automaticity in
applying this knowledge when decoding and encoding language. Whole group OG strategies include
things such as tracing, saying the sound, writing, blending, and introducing the new phonogram. Students
then move to their independent practice.
Other strategies include card drills, vowel intensives, letter formation techniques, and decoding of words.
As mentioned before, this approach is multi-sensory so students may be forming these letters with tools
such as sand/salt trays. OG also provides students with visual cues when decoding words. These may be
symbols such as lines, squiggle lines, stars, and other shapes. Each visual cue stands for a specific
sound and helps students to remember what that part of the word should sound like when decoding a word.
Students also participate in a “3 Part Drill.” Part 1 is the visual. Students are exposed to the new phonogram
and will trace the new skill. Part 2 is auditory. Students will be listening to the sound and listening for the
sound in words. Part 3 is blending. Students will now blend words that include the new phonogram.
These drills are to be done 2-3 times per week and should only last about 10-15 minutes.
OG also has the “Learning a Red Word” strategy. Red words, or sight words, are words that either cannot and will trace the new skill. Part 2 is auditory. Students will be listening to the sound and listening for the
sound in words. Part 3 is blending. Students will now blend words that include the new phonogram.
These drills are to be done 2-3 times per week and should only last about 10-15 minutes.
be sounded out or words that students do not yet have the skills to sound out yet. This strategy is multi-
sensory because it has students using screen paper, a red crayon, and a red word paper. Students will
trace the red word with the red crayon on top of the screen paper, causing the student to feel the “bumpiness”
of the screen paper as they write each letter. As students trace each letter in the red word they are to say
the letter out loud. This strategy is intended to help students spell red words easily and accurately.
Orton-Gillingham meets the needs of ALL students and enhances any classroom reading block!
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