Reading

The basic five areas covered in every lesson are:

• Phonological awareness
• Phonics
• Fluency
• Vocabulary
• Comprehension

Here is what a basic lesson looks like.  Of course, it will be adjusted to meets your child’s specific needs.

This structure is based on the S.P.I.R.E. reading and language arts curriculum, which I've chosen because it has proven to be very successful for all students, and it is a multisensory program that teaches all of the skills recommended by the National Reading Panel.

Also, the curriculum is based on solid research and the  time-tested methodology by Orton-Gillingham.  (Orton-Gillingham was created for learners with challenges, so it works beautifully for all young readers, no matter what level or pace is best suited to them.)

Writing

The writing program begins with learning the construction of good sentences. Included in this phase and all phases of the program are essentials such as vocabulary building, organizational skills, and even study skills. The student keeps a vocabulary and idea notebook. 

After we have mastered good sentence structure, we move to creating a good paragraph. We learn several methods of pre-writing and then use those to write paragraphs. The student keeps a vocabulary and idea notebook. 

Some of the paragraph types are descriptive, persuasive, narrative, expository, autobiographical, among others. 

Punctuation and spelling are included in the skills that fall naturally into a writing program, and so they are taught regularly.

The writing course is designed to be creative and fun as well as instructive. At each level my students meet or exceed the state standards for writing. What I do is help the student to find his or her own “voice,” one they feel comfortable with and that works for them in print.