Understanding the Orton-Gillingham Approach
A Grade 7 ELA worksheet exploring the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading instruction, its principles, and its benefits for students with dyslexia.
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Understanding the Orton-Gillingham Approach
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Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. Use complete sentences for your responses.
The Orton-Gillingham Approach to reading instruction is a highly structured, multisensory method designed to teach reading, spelling, and writing. Developed in the 1930s by neurologist Dr. Samuel Orton and educator Anna Gillingham, this approach was initially created to help students with dyslexia, a learning disorder that makes it difficult to read. However, its effectiveness has led to its use with a wider range of learners. At its core, Orton-Gillingham is based on several key principles. It is direct and explicit, meaning that concepts are taught systematically and clearly, leaving no room for guessing. It is also diagnostic and prescriptive, which means teachers continuously assess a student's progress and tailor instruction to their specific needs. This individualized approach ensures that students receive targeted support in areas where they struggle. One of the most distinctive features of Orton-Gillingham is its multisensory nature. Students learn by engaging multiple senses simultaneously—sight, hearing, touch, and movement (kinesthetic). For example, a student might see the letter 'A', hear its sound, trace it in sand or on a textured surface, and then write it in the air. This active, hands-on engagement helps to build stronger neural pathways for reading and spelling. The approach also emphasizes phonology (the study of sounds), morphology (the study of word parts like prefixes and suffixes), and syntax (the study of sentence structure). By breaking down language into its smallest components and then building it back up, students gain a deep understanding of how words work.
1. What is the primary purpose of the Orton-Gillingham Approach?
To teach advanced literary analysis.
To help students with reading, spelling, and writing, especially those with dyslexia.
To improve public speaking skills.
To introduce new vocabulary words.
2. Which of the following is NOT a core principle of the Orton-Gillingham Approach?
Diagnostic and prescriptive
Incidental and implicit
Direct and explicit
Multisensory
3. The Orton-Gillingham Approach was developed by Dr. Samuel Orton and Anna .
4. Students using this approach learn by engaging multiple senses simultaneously, including sight, hearing, touch, and .
5. The approach emphasizes phonology, morphology, and .
6. Explain what is meant by the Orton-Gillingham Approach being 'diagnostic and prescriptive'.
7. Describe one example of how a student might use the multisensory aspect of the Orton-Gillingham Approach to learn a new letter sound.
8. The Orton-Gillingham Approach is only effective for students with dyslexia.
True
False