What Is Orton-Gillingham Structured Literacy — And Why Is It So Successful?

For many children, learning to read happens naturally over time. But for some students — especially those with dyslexia or other learning differences — reading can feel confusing, frustrating, and overwhelming. That’s where Orton-Gillingham structured literacy comes in.

At My Learning Farm, we use evidence-based, multisensory structured literacy approaches rooted in Orton-Gillingham principles to help students build strong reading, writing, and spelling skills with confidence and success.

What Is Orton-Gillingham?

Orton-Gillingham (often called “OG”) is a structured, explicit, and multisensory approach to teaching reading and spelling.

Rather than expecting children to “pick up” reading naturally, OG directly teaches:

• Letter sounds and patterns

• Phonemic awareness

• Decoding skills

• Spelling rules

• Syllable types

• Morphology (prefixes, suffixes, roots)

• Reading fluency and comprehension

Lessons are carefully sequenced from simple to more complex skills, ensuring students build a strong foundation before moving ahead.

What Does “Multisensory” Mean?

Multisensory instruction engages multiple parts of the brain at the same time.

Students may:

• Say sounds aloud

• Trace letters with their fingers

• Build words

• Identify/manipulate syllables

• Move, touch, hear, and see concepts together

This type of instruction helps many students retain information more effectively and reduces frustration during learning.

Why Is Orton-Gillingham So Successful?

Orton-Gillingham is successful because it is:

• Explicit — skills are directly taught

• Systematic — concepts build in a logical order

• Diagnostic — instruction adjusts to student needs

• Individualized — pacing matches the child

• Research-based — aligned with the science of reading

Many struggling readers do not need “more worksheets” or “more practice.” They need instruction that matches how their brain learns best.

When students finally understand why words work the way they do, confidence begins to grow.

More Than Reading

At My Learning Farm, we often see something beautiful happen alongside academic growth:children begin to believe in themselves again.

As students experience success, many become:

🌻 More willing to try

📚 More engaged in learning

💛 Less anxious about mistakes

🌿 More confident and capable

Reading instruction should not feel shame-filled or defeating. It should feel supportive, intentional, and hopeful.

How My Learning Farm Supports Students

At My Learning Farm in Penryn, California, we provide individualized academic support for students with a wide range of learning needs, including dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADHD, autism, and other learning differences.

Our instruction combines:

• Orton-Gillingham structured literacy principles

• Evidence-based reading, writing, spelling, and math instruction

• Explicit and multisensory teaching

• Scaffolded learning and guided practice

• Encouragement, connection, and confidence-building

We understand that every child learns differently, and we carefully tailor instruction to meet each student where they are academically and emotionally.

My Learning Farm is more than a tutoring program — it is a calm, supportive learning environment where children are encouraged to ask questions, make mistakes, build skills, and rediscover the joy of learning.

In addition to 1:1 academic support, My Learning Farm also offers:

🌾 Homeschool consultations

🌻 Educational Consultations

📚 My Learning Farm READS! literacy classes

🐐 Farm-based enrichment classes

💛 Special education advocacy support

✏️ Academic assessments and parent guidance

Nestled on a small farm surrounded by animals, gardens, and hands-on learning experiences, we strive to create a place where children feel safe, seen, capable, and supported.

Because when children feel connected and understood, learning begins to grow. 🌻