If you’ve ever watched your fourth or fifth grader avoid doing their homework, you’re not alone. That frustration is exactly why this post exists. Tracy, an Orton Gillingham tutor, discusses the “fourth-grade slump” and explains why traditional reading instruction can leave some learners behind Best of all, she shows you ways to confidently use the Orton Gillingham method at home, even if you have zero teaching experience.
Let’s talk about why you are seeing this struggle now. In the education world, it’s called the “Fourth Grade Slump.” Up until third grade, children are learning to read. But suddenly, in the third and fourth grades, the switch flips and children are reading to learn. The words get longer. The print gets smaller. The pictures disappear.
If your child struggles to read, this is when things become complicated. Children no longer can memorize their way through school.
You’ve heard me mention the “Orton Gillingham method” or OG method for short. It sounds technical, like a medical procedure, but it’s actually a way to help your child. Reading instruction at many schools is based on memorizing sight words or guessing.
The Orton Gillingham method is based on structure, logic, and multiple senses. Think of the English language like a giant, messy pile of Lego bricks. Most kids just grab handfuls and hope they stick together. Dyslexic kids need the instruction manual, even if they are only looking at the pictures. They need to know why this blue brick connects to that red brick. The Orton Gillingham method is like a specific instruction manual. It simultaneously connects the sounds we hear, with the letters we see, and the movements we make when writing.
First we need to explicitly teach a concept. Then we use different senses to practice the concept. One of the biggest mistakes parents make is assuming their child has been taught the information. The second is relying only on one sense. If your child is struggling, their brain processing might be overwhelmed. We need to open a “backdoor” to the brain. We do this by using their hands.
Let’s be specific. Say your child keeps misspelling the word “catch.” They leave out the ‘t”.
There are at least two pieces of spelling knowledge that your child needs to have in order to spell this word. Since they are using the letter c at the beginning of the word, it appears they know the rule of when to use the letter c versus the letter k for the initial (k) sound.
Next do they know when to use trigraph tch, and when to use digraph ch at the end of the word? Most children have never been taught the rule so we really can’t expect them to internalize this information. Before you can ask them to spell these words, they need to be taught that the sound (ch) at the end of the word, can be spelled 2 ways: ch and tch. Use trigraph tch if
If these 3 conditions don’t happen, we spell the sound with digraph ch. This information is critical. Otherwise your child is simply guessing.
So first we teach them the rules. Then we need to practice the rules which involves spelling words that end in tch or ch. This is where you involve the different senses. Instead of writing words with a pencil on narrow lined paper, have them use their finger on a scratchy towel. Here’s what it would look like:
You ask them to spell the word: “catch”
Pound and determine how many syllables are in the word.
Start with the first syllable and use your fingers to break apart the 3 sounds. (k)(ă)(ch)
The (k) can be spelled 2 ways depending upon the vowel after the (k). Since the sound is a short a, we use the letter c.
We just said the (ă) = a
Now we get to the final (ch). There are 2 ways to spell it. It’s a 1 syllable word with a short vowel right before the (ch) so we are going to use tch.
Your child says the letters while writing C-A-T-C-H on the towel. When they are first practicing the rule, you may want to do it with them using a white board. This adds a visual component to touch. With enough practice your child will not need you to simultaneously write the word on a white board.
Because you’re being explicit and are firing multiple parts of the brain together:
This is called Multi-Sensory Learning and it’s what makes an Orton Gillingham tutor so effective among dyslexic tutors. With enough repetitions, the information moves into long-term memory. Best of all, it turns a boring spelling list into a tactile experience that is logical.
There is a reason that your 5th grader looks at the word “entertainment” and guesses “entrance” or “entire.” Too often, a child sees a multisyllabic word, panics and starts guessing. They see the word as one long, big, scary, monster and we need to teach them how to chop the monster into pieces.
In the Orton Gillingham method, we teach syllable division. There is a way for you to teach your child to break the word into syllables using word pyramids. Think of the syllable as the heartbeat of the word with every syllable having a sounded vowel.
It would look like:
This helps struggling readers understand that “entertainment” is really four tiny syllables: en / ter / tain / ment. Revealing one syllable at a time reduces anxiety instantly. You aren’t teaching them to read faster; you are teaching them to process logically. Best of all, you are acting like expert dyslexic tutors and building their confidence.
Let’s try another word and provide guided instruction: caterpillar. We build the word pyramid using 4 lines:
One of the cornerstones of the Orton Gillingham method is providing systematic instruction. In layman’s terms this means we don’t introduce words without teaching the concepts included in the word.
For the word caterpillar your child needs to know about closed syllables, the sound the letter c makes when there is an a after it, combination er and ar, and syllable stress. Your child needs to know the closed syllable ends in a consonant and makes the vowel say the short sound. Combination er says (êr) and combination ar has 2 pronunciations depending upon if the syllable is stressed or not. When the syllable is stressed then it says (ar) and when the syllable is not stressed, it says (er).
So you show the first syllable cat and mention that this is a closed syllable so the letter A will say (ă). The letter C has 2 sounds depending upon the letter that comes after it. This is an A so the C will say (k). The T says (t). If we blend the sounds we have cat. Now you would show the next line with 2 syllables: cat / er. I like to include a slash between the syllables to separate them. You only give guided instruction for the second syllable. This is a vowel r syllable type. Combination er says (êr). Let’s blend the first and second syllables: cater. Now you show the third line with 3 syllables and provide guided instruction for the last syllable. This is a closed syllable because it ends in a consonant. The I will be short and say (ĭ), (ĭl), (pĭl). Blending the three syllables we have cat / er / pil. Now let’s look at the fourth syllable which is also a vowel r syllable. Combination ar has two pronunciations depending upon the stress. Let me show you that the stress is on the first syllable with a minor stress on the third syllable. That means that combination ar is unstressed so it will say (ĕr). Now let’s blend everything: caterpillar.
That is a lot of guided instruction that eventually your child will internalize once they reach automatic recall. Honestly, that’s part of the reason that dyslexic tutors can be expensive. I hope these two Orton Gillingham methods that dyslexic tutors use are helpful. If you would like to discuss your needs, head over to the contact page to book a consultation.
Are you a parent of teenager who doesn’t like reading? You’ve tried everything to motivate kids to read…from encouragement to consequences, but your child still avoids reading, or refuses altogether. It’s not that they don’t care. It’s that reading has slowly become a place of failure for them. In this
When a Diagnosis Lands Differently for Parent and Child When my daughter Alex was diagnosed with dyslexia, we walked out of the neuropsychologist’s office having the same information and completely different feelings: Alex felt relief. I felt crushing guilt. She heard, “You were right, your brain really does work differently.”
