Reading...How to Teach It

 Comprehension is the main goal in reading. To arrive at this goal, several components must be in place. One of these components is decoding.  A student must be able to translate the written word into meaningful language. Comprehension and decoding go hand in hand. Decoding is not an end in itself. Decoding, in skilled readers, is automatic; thus enabling good comprehension. Less skilled readers, especially dyslexics, lack automatic decoding skills. These readers need to be taught phonics. Recent research confirms that in order for the phonics instruction to be effective, it must be taught systematically and explicitly.  
This is nothing new to many teachers. They have been using this approach for many years. The Orton Gillingham method of teaching reading initially emerged to help dyslexics learn to read. Teachers who have used this method discovered that it is not only vital in teaching dyslexics but also a valuable tool in teaching students who are at risk in learning to read. The research from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) confirm these findings. 

 .....are there books available to teach this approach? YES!!! 

Fingertip™ Books.  They are a culmination of years of classroom teaching and tutoring experience using a systematic and explicit approach to teaching reading using the Orton Gillingham approach. 

 Fingertip Books (Phonics Lessons at your Fingertips) are sets of student books with accompanying teacher manuals. They enable students to become proficient in reading, writing, and spelling through phonics instruction based on a multi-sensory Orton Gillingham approach. They are based on the research of the NICHD. This instruction uses the auditory, visual, and kinesthetic pathways of the students in order to enhance memory and learning. Fingertip Books provide systematic, explicit, structured phonics lessons to help students grasp sound/symbol concepts of the English Language. 

They are easy to follow. They are self-explanatory. The Books provide the teacher with multi-sensory, sequential, and cumulative material at his/her fingertips. They explain how to use the tools in a multi-sensory manner and provide instruction and necessary information for teaching each lesson. Ready to copy student sheets accompany each lesson. Progress charts are included for teachers and students to record progress. 

 Students benefit from the layout and clear structure of the lessons. Slightly larger print is used to facilitate easy “fingertip reading,” efficient learning practices, tactile/kinesthetic reinforcement, highlighting, and underlining. 

 Decoding skills are not an end in themselves. The goal is comprehension. Eventually the goal is to enable students to become independent readers.