Online Reading, Phonics and Spelling Instruction
for At-Risk Students Behind in Reading

Students who fail to receive a foundation in phonics by the
second grade often never receive that foundation.

Young children who fail to learn phonics by the second grade, generally never learn phonics. Schools that teach systematic phonics, tend to offer this instruction in grades kindergarten through the second grade. But beyond the second grade schools by-and-large no longer teach the subject of phonics because they assume that students have already mastered this information. But studies consistently show that many students continue to struggle in basic reading skills all the way through the late elementary grades, middle school and high school. Sadly students who do not receive a foundation in English phonics by the second grade usually never receive that foundation. And these very same students continue to fall further and further behind each year in school as they get older. Ultimately many of these students will drop out from school.

Phonics is a skill that must be directly taught. Students denied access to the information regarding the relationship of English letters and sounds are not able to learn this information on their own. If these at-risk students are ever to become independent readers, they must be taught phonics. Our online reading program makes learning phonics possible for students of all ages and all grade levels.

Most teachers in the late elementary grades, middle school and high school have
not been trained to teach systematic phonics instruction to struggling readers.

Teachers beyond the second grade often times don't have the training or know-how to teach systematic phonics to older students. Not only do many teachers beyond the second grade not have the training to teach phonics, they also often don't have the time available to provide the intensive drill and instruction so necessary for students to learn phonics. Our online phonics program automates the learning process so that a student can work completely independently at a computer and learn this vital information. Having access to our online program is like having access to a full time reading teacher available to work one-to-one with anyone twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week!

We All Can Read is published in both a print and online format making
it possible for teachers to offer blended instruction in the classroom.

Because our entire program is published in both a print edition and an online edition, it is possible for teachers to offer blended instruction in a classroom. Blended instruction is when a teacher presents the information in a given lesson from our core book We All Can Read in class and then students have the opportunity to practice and consolidate phonics skills from that lesson in the online program between class sessions. In some classes there is a wide disparity in reading skill levels among students. Often the only meaningful way a teacher has to address this cross spectrum of reading skills diversity among students in the same class, particularly students in middle and high school, is to allow those students who are struggling readers to work independently at a computer with headphones in class while the bulk of the class works in other activities.

After-school programs often fail to provide systematic phonics instruction for the older student.

Tutoring offered in after-school programs often does not teach the foundation reading skills of phonemics, phonics, decoding accuracy and fluency, and spelling to students past the second grade. Often tutors will focus on comprehension skills for older students and ignore the foundation reading skills. And yet students behind in reading in the late elementary grades and beyond are usually behind in reading because they have never learned the phonetic foundation of English. Their comprehension difficulty comes primarily from their inability to read the words on the page accurately and fluently. These students do not need instruction in comprehension strategies; they need tightly-structured, systematic phonics instruction taught in a format appropriate for older students.

Parents must take action on their own!

Since many schools do not make intensive, systematic phonics instruction available for students beyond the second grade, often the only recourse for parents is to teach their own children this subject in the home. Our cost-effective online remedial phonics program puts an Orton-Gillingham-based reading intervention program in the hands of anyone. You do not have to be a reading expert to offer research-based and effective reading instruction to your own child! And with our low online subscription rates, virtually anyone can afford to enroll!

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