Reading Lessons Through Literature

Note: Book 4 has not yet transitioned from Reading Lessons Through Literature. This text will eventually become the new Book 3.

This learning to read program is an answer for a busy homeschooling mom who wants to teach a child to read. Phonograms, spelling and reading are all woven into one course of study. This program is inexpensive and helps you learn quickly to effectively teach your child to read using the Orton Gillingham phonics method.

You’ll want to take a bit of time to read through the brief introductory material and get yourself comfortable with the process (I'd guess a week or so). After that, the program really is pick-up-and-go. It’s thorough, compact, straight-forward, and comes at a comfortable price. If you add the author's corresponding grammar program, English Lessons Through Literature (which begins at approximately Grade 1 reading ability), you would have a complete language arts program.

The Text (program book) for each level is the one necessary component. In addition, you’ll most likely want a notebook for your student to record the spelling words they’re learning to read and write. Flashcards to help teach the phonograms are included in back of each text (laminate for sturdy reuse). After brief introductory teacher instructions, there are three sections in each level’s Text. Part 1 contains the 75 phonograms (with pronunciation) and 30 spelling rules. Part 2 contains the spelling lists (taken from the included Elson Reader) that are organized by sound or word type, followed by detailed, scripted lesson instructions for teaching your students. For each word, the text provides a sample sentence, and step-by-step directions to read to the student (including short directions for you). Part 3 contains the complete (slightly edited) text of the corresponding level of Elson Reader. See our individual book descriptions for details on each level.

This Orton-Gillingham teaching method is based on the premise that by learning the basic phonograms and spelling rules, students will have the tools needed to decipher new words. In contrast, just relying on sight words forces the student to memorize those words and then (hopefully) intuit the phonograms. Instead, with the O-G method, students learn the phonograms, then add word analysis, and then learn to apply the spelling rules (many of which are pronunciation rules, as well). These spelling/reading lists are arranged around the Elson Readers stories, so introducing the stories comes next. After a student has learned all the words in the story and is comfortable reading those words from his spelling notebook, a student is ready to read a story. Reading skills progress incrementally. In most levels, each Elson Reader text will include diacritical marks to cue pronunciation: for example, “underline i and o when they say /ī/ and /ō/ when followed by two consonants”. Books 1 through 2 also include the phonogram flashcards needed for each volume. Primer Level begins with teaching the phonograms, teaching 80 spelling words before reading the first story in the included Elson Reader Primer. Once the first 26 phonograms have been learned, the student will begin working on the spelling lists which are first dictated at the rate of two-three words per day. Multi-letter phonograms are underlined; multi-syllable words are written with the syllables separated. After the first 80 words have been learned, students will begin reading stories from the classic Elson Reader. Pace the learning at your child’s ability. A steady learning speed goal is learning one list per week. The student will create a spelling notebook and then read these spelling words from their notebook daily. The Book 1 (Elson Readers, Book 1) and Book 2 (Elson Readers Book 2) utilize diacritical marks and the syllables are separated. Currently, Book 4 (Elson Readers Book 3) is in revision with an expected print update of 2025 and will become the new Book 3. At that point, the series will be complete with 4 total books. Each book includes a glossary.

Where do I start my child? If you’re new to the Orton Gillingham method, the author recommends starting with Primer which teaches the phonograms, but you may need to start based on your student’s ability. In the Primer, students will need to have familiarity with the 26 alphabet sounds (including short vowels). Then, they’ll start with CVC words phonograms and end with eigh, number words, proper nouns, and a review of capitals and contractions. In Book 1, students will start with silent E, syllables and consonant blends and end the book with suffixes and proper nouns. Level 2 starts students with suffixes, silent E, and articles, and then ends with possessive nouns, additional suffixes, days of the week, and more.

Each level includes a full Elson Reader text. The Elson readers are reprints from the early 1920s and feature stories about traditional life reflective of the time: folk tales, fables, nature stories, and poetry. Story themes might include mythology, farm and animal stories, and others of that time. Noted authors include Mother Goose, Christina G. Rossetti, and Robert Louis Stevenson. These reprints mirror the originals but have had a few editing changes such as using more modern animal names and including minor punctuation and wording changes. Because the author wants to encourage children’s decoding skills, just a few original black and white pictures are included.

If you are looking for an intensive phonics approach to reading that is easy to implement and won't consume your homeschooling budget, take a closer look. If you're clueless about the ins and outs of intensive phonics compared to other types of programs, don't sweat it. This is a straight-forward program that will have you up and moving through those phonograms before you even know what they mean. Reading is right around the corner!  Nonconsumable. paperback. ~ Ruth