The Craig School's reading curriculum is based on the Orton-Gillingham Approach — most properly understood and practiced as an approach, not a method, program, system, or technique. In the hands of a well-trained and experienced instructor, it is a powerful tool of exceptional breadth, depth, and flexibility. Individualized to meet each student's needs, it follows the logical order of language and builds on concepts previously learned, taught in a deliberate and direct manner with continuous student-teacher interaction. Instruction is driven by ongoing formal and informal assessment, moving each student toward mastery — defined as reading with automaticity, fluency, understanding, and expression.
The reading curriculum falls under the broader umbrella of Structured Literacy, which prepares students to decode words in explicit and systematic ways. Six key concepts form the backbone of this approach:
