The Science of Reading (SoR)

The Reading Sage — Comprehensive Parent Guide

The Science of Reading:
A Montessori–Orton Gillingham Master Curriculum

A PhD-level, research-grounded guide for parents raising readers from age 3 through 6th grade — phonology to philosophy, decoding to dialectic

Ages 3–13Pre-K through Grade 6Science of Reading · Montessori · Orton Gillingham

How to use this guide. This curriculum is organized into seven developmental stages. Within each stage you will find the Science of Reading (SOR) components addressed, the corresponding Orton Gillingham (OG) lesson sequences, and Montessori hands-on materials and three-period lessons. Every skill domain — phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, discourse, rhetoric, and argumentative writing — is woven throughout all stages, increasing in sophistication as the child grows.

Print this guide, place it in a binder, and work through each stage at your child's pace. Mastery, not age, advances the learner.

Table of Contents

1. The Research Foundations
2. Stage 1 · Ages 3–4 · Pre-K
3. Stage 2 · Age 4–5 · Kindergarten
4. Stage 3 · Ages 5–6 · Grade 1
5. Stage 4 · Ages 6–7 · Grade 2
6. Stage 5 · Ages 7–9 · Grades 3–4
7. Stage 6 · Ages 9–11 · Grade 5
8. Stage 7 · Ages 11–13 · Grade 6
9. Montessori Grammar Symbols Reference
10. Orton Gillingham Full Phonogram Sequence
11. Rhetoric, Argument & Dialectic Scope & Sequence
12. Recommended Materials & Resources
13. Research References

Preface

The Research Foundations

The Simple View of Reading

Reading comprehension is the product of two independent but interacting skills: decoding (the ability to translate print to sound) and language comprehension (the ability to understand oral language). This formula, established by Gough and Tunmer (1986), drives the entire architecture of this curriculum. A child who decodes fluently but cannot comprehend what is decoded has a language deficit. A child who comprehends brilliantly but cannot decode has a phonics deficit. Parents must address both dimensions simultaneously from the earliest ages.

The Reading Rope (Scarborough, 2001)

Hollis Scarborough's rope metaphor illuminates how multiple strands must be woven together and automatized. The word recognition strands — phonological awareness, decoding, and sight recognition — must become so automatic that all cognitive resources are freed for language comprehension: background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge. This curriculum explicitly addresses every strand.

Research NoteConverging evidence from cognitive neuroscience (Dehaene, 2009), educational psychology (Adams, 1990; Snow, Burns & Griffin, 1998), and longitudinal literacy studies (Hart & Risley, 1995; Lonigan & Shanahan, 2010) confirms that explicit, systematic, sequential, cumulative phonics instruction combined with robust oral language development produces the strongest reading outcomes. This is what Science of Reading means.

Why Montessori + Orton Gillingham?

Both approaches share a sensory-motor philosophy: learning is deepened through touch, movement, and multi-sensory engagement. Orton Gillingham (OG) pioneered multisensory phonics — Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, and Tactile (VAKT) pathways — specifically for the struggling reader, but research confirms these pathways accelerate all readers. Montessori materials — sandpaper letters, the moveable alphabet, metal insets, grammar boxes — provide exactly the tactile reinforcement OG prescribes, while adding a logical, self-correcting structure children can work with independently.

Together, they form a complete system: OG provides the sequential phonics scope and lesson structure; Montessori provides the manipulatives, the grammar symbols, the reading analysis materials, and a child-centered philosophy that respects the learner's pace and intrinsic motivation.

Key ResearchFoorman et al. (2016) — Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten through 3rd Grade (IES Practice Guide, NCEE 2016-4008) — identifies five core practices supported by strong evidence: teach explicit phoneme awareness, teach explicit systematic phonics, support fluency, teach vocabulary, and teach comprehension strategies. All five are integrated into every stage of this curriculum.

Stage 1

The Awakening — Foundations of Language & Literacy

Ages 3–4 · Pre-K / Early Casa dei Bambini

Developmental Goals

Children at this stage are building the oral language base upon which all reading will rest. The brain's phonological processor — situated in left perisylvian cortex — is being shaped by rhyme, rhythm, and playful attention to the sounds of language, not yet its meaning. Simultaneously, the Montessori environment introduces symbolic representation through the sensorial materials, pre-writing through metal insets, and the tactile experience of letter shapes through sandpaper letters.

Science of Reading: Phonological Awareness

Phonological awareness is an oral-language skill — no print required. It exists on a continuum from large sound units to small.

• Word awareness: Clap each word in a spoken sentence. "The / cat / sat." (3 claps)
• Rhyme recognition: "Do cat and hat rhyme?" — Yes or No.
• Rhyme production: "Tell me a word that rhymes with dog." (log, bog, fog)
• Syllable segmentation: Clap syllables — but·ter·fly (3 claps).
• Syllable blending: "What word? /rain/ — /bow/." → Rainbow.
• Onset-rime: "What's the first sound in ship? /sh/. What's the rime? /ip/."

Orton Gillingham Lesson Structure (all stages)Every OG lesson follows this sequence: (1) Phonemic drill — auditory, visual, kinesthetic cards; (2) Phonogram/spelling drill; (3) New concept introduction — VAKT; (4) Guided reading in decodable text; (5) Dictation. This structure is adapted below for each stage.

Montessori Materials: This Stage

Montessori MaterialSound Cylinders & Bells:Before letters, children compare, match, and sort sounds. These auditory discrimination exercises directly train the phonological processor. Begin here.

The Sandpaper Letters (Lettres rugueuses)

Sandpaper letters are cards on which each letter is cut from fine sandpaper and mounted. The child traces the letter with two fingers (index and middle) in the direction of writing while the parent says the sound (not the name): the letter m is presented as /m/, not "em." This is the Montessori three-period lesson applied to letters:

MontessoriOrton Gillingham

Sandpaper Letter Three-Period Lesson

Preparation: Select 2–3 sandpaper letters. Always begin with high-contrast sounds: choose letters whose sounds are very distinct (e.g., s, m, a). Never introduce visually or phonetically similar letters together (b/d, p/q, m/n, f/v).

1. Period 1 — Naming ("This is…"): Parent holds the card, says "This is /s/," guides child's fingers to trace, repeats sound. Child traces and says sound. Repeat 2–3 times per letter.
2. Period 2 — Recognition ("Show me…"): Lay 2–3 cards on the table. "Can you show me /m/? Can you find /a/?" Child points or hands you the letter. If incorrect, return to Period 1 — no correction, simply re-present.
3. Period 3 — Recall ("What is this?"): Parent holds a card and asks "What sound is this?" Child must retrieve the phoneme without prompting. Only advance when the child achieves Period 3 reliably.

OG ConnectionThis maps directly to the OG Phonogram Card Drill: Visual (see letter) + Auditory (hear/say sound) + Kinesthetic-Tactile (trace with fingers on sandpaper). This tri-modal input creates stronger, more redundant neural pathways than visual-only instruction.

Sequence for Introducing Sandpaper Letters

Introduce consonants before vowels; short vowels before long. The OG-aligned sequence begins with the most common, most useful, most distinct phonemes:

1. Group 1: s a t i p n
2. Group 2: c/k e h r m d
3. Group 3: g o u l f b
4. Group 4: j w z v y x

Do not begin with the alphabet in alphabetical order. That sequence is linguistically random and phonically inefficient.

Metal Insets (Pre-writing)

The ten metal insets — geometric frames and corresponding shapes in a graduated series of difficulty — develop pencil control, pressure regulation, and the curved and straight strokes from which all letters are made. Daily practice with metal insets for 10–15 minutes precedes formal letter writing. Children trace the frame, then fill the interior with parallel lines, progressing from straight lines to overlapping, curved, and spiral fills.

Oral Language & Read-Aloud (Ages 3–4)

Hart and Risley (1995) documented that by age 3, children of professional families have heard 30 million more words than children in poverty. Vocabulary breadth at age 5 is among the strongest predictors of reading comprehension at age 10 (Biemiller, 2011). Daily read-aloud with rich discussion is therefore not optional — it is the most important literacy activity at this stage.

Parent Practice: Dialogic ReadingWhen reading aloud, use the PEER sequence:Prompt the child to say something about the book;Evaluate the response;Expand the response by adding information;Repeat the prompt. Example: "What is the bear doing?" → "Good, the bear is sleeping. He is hibernating for winter. Why do you think animals hibernate?" Research (Whitehurst et al., 1994) shows dialogic reading produces vocabulary gains two to three times larger than simple lap reading.

Comprehension Beginnings: Oral Narrative

Even before reading, comprehension is built through oral narrative. Children who can retell a story with a beginning, middle, and end; who can identify the problem and solution; and who can explain a character's motivation are developing the cognitive architecture of literary understanding. Teach the following story elements through storytelling and puppet play:

• Characters — Who is in the story?
• Setting — Where and when?
• Problem / Event — What happened?
• Resolution — How was it solved?
• Theme — What did we learn?

Stage 2

The Decoder Emerges — Phonemic Awareness & Early Phonics

Ages 4–5 · Kindergarten / Casa dei Bambini

Phonemic Awareness: The Critical Threshold

Phonemic awareness — the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual phonemes (the smallest sound units) within spoken words — is the single strongest predictor of reading acquisition (NICHD, 2000; NRP, 2000). English has approximately 44 phonemes represented by 26 letters and 70+ grapheme combinations. Children must first hear these phonemes before they can map them to print.

Phonemic Awareness Skill Hierarchy

Skill	Example Task	Target Age
Phoneme Isolation	"What is the first sound in van?" /v/	4.5–5
Phoneme Identity	"What sound is the same in fan, fin, fog?" /f/	4.5–5
Phoneme Categorization	"Which word doesn't belong: bus, bun, rug?" rug	5
Phoneme Blending	/k/ /æ/ /t/ → cat	4.5–5
Phoneme Segmentation	"How many sounds in ship?" /ʃ/ /ɪ/ /p/ → 3	5–5.5
Phoneme Deletion	"Say cat without /k/." → at	5–6
Phoneme Substitution	"Change /k/ in cat to /b/." → bat	5.5–6
Phoneme Reversal	"Say the sounds in top backward." → pot	6–7

Orton GillinghamSOR

OG Phoneme Segmentation with Elkonin Boxes

Draw 3 squares in a row (Elkonin boxes). Say a CVC word: /cat/. Child pushes a token (penny, bead) into each box as they say each phoneme: /k/ — /æ/ — /t/. Then reverse: touch each box and blend. OG requires this be done aloud, with physical movement, to engage kinesthetic pathways.

Montessori variation: Use small colored counters from the arithmetic materials, or dedicated phoneme counters on a felt mat. The child writes the letter in a sand tray as each phoneme is isolated.

The Moveable Alphabet

The Montessori Moveable Alphabet consists of cut-out letters (traditionally red vowels, blue consonants) that children use to build words before they have the fine-motor capacity to write them. This is crucial: children can encode (spell) before they can write, and encoding is one of the most powerful phonics instructors.

MontessoriOG

Moveable Alphabet Phonics Building

1. Parent says a CVC word (cat, sit, hop). Child segments into phonemes aloud: /k/ /æ/ /t/.
2. Child selects each letter from the alphabet box and places it in sequence, left to right, saying the sound as it's placed.
3. Child blends by running a finger under the word and reading it.
4. Parent adds or substitutes one letter — "Now change the /k/ to /h/. What word?" Child adjusts the moveable alphabet. This is phoneme substitution in print — a powerful bridge between phonemic awareness and phonics.

Early Phonics: The OG Scope & Sequence Begins

Orton Gillingham phonics instruction is explicit, systematic, and cumulative. No pattern is introduced before the prerequisites are secure. Below is the Kindergarten phonics sequence:

1. CVC words with short vowels in sequence: a, i, o, u, e (in order of frequency and distinctiveness)
2. Final consonant clusters (blends): st, nd, nt, nk, lk, sk, mp, lt, lp, ft
3. Initial consonant blends: bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl, br, cr, dr, fr, gr, pr, tr, sc, sk, sl, sm, sn, sp, st, sw, tw
4. Consonant digraphs: sh, ch, th (voiced and voiceless), wh, ck, ng
5. Glued (welded) sounds: all, am, an, ang, ing, ong, ung, ank, ink, onk, unk

OG Drill Card SystemFor each phonogram, create an index card with the grapheme on the front and a keyword + phoneme on the back (e.g., front: sh; back: /ʃ/ — ship). Drill in both directions: (1) Show grapheme → child says phoneme and keyword; (2) Say phoneme → child writes grapheme from memory. This is the OG red and white card deck system. Practice daily for 5 minutes.

Sight Words: The Science of Reading Perspective

The term "sight words" is often misunderstood. The Science of Reading does not advocate memorizing words as visual wholes. Instead, through a process Linnea Ehri calls orthographic mapping, words become "sight words" through repeated successful decoding experiences that bond the phonemes to the graphemes to the meaning in long-term memory. Even irregular words (the, said, was) have mostly regular components — teach the regular parts explicitly and note only the irregular portion.

Teach "the" ScientificallyThe word the has the grapheme th (regular /ð/) and the grapheme e (says /ə/ in unstressed position — the schwa). Teach both parts explicitly. Don't ask the child to memorize it as a whole visual configuration. Orthographic mapping will do the rest with repeated exposure to correctly decoded text.

Stage 3

The Code Cracker — Systematic Phonics & Fluency Launch

Ages 5–6 · Grade 1 / Montessori Primary

OG Phonics: Grade 1 Scope

First grade is the pivotal year. Children who do not crack the alphabetic code by the end of first grade face sharply increasing odds of reading disability (Torgesen, 2000). The OG sequence for this stage introduces:

1. Vowel teams (long vowel digraphs): ai/ay, ee/ea, oa/ow, ue/ui, ie/igh
2. Magic/Silent E (CVCe): cake, bike, mole, cube, Pete — each vowel explicitly taught
3. R-controlled vowels: ar, er, ir, or, ur (these are the "bossy R" patterns)
4. Additional digraphs and trigraphs: tch, dge, ph, gh
5. Variant vowel patterns: oo (book/moon), au/aw, oi/oy, ou/ow
6. Suffixes: -s, -ed (three pronunciations: /d/, /t/, /ɪd/), -ing, -er, -est

Orton GillinghamMontessori

The Full OG Lesson Protocol (Grade 1)

Duration: 45–60 minutes, daily. Every component is included in every lesson.

1. Warm-up (5 min): Phoneme drill — auditory only. Parent says sounds, child gives back grapheme and keyword. "What says /ɔɪ/?" → "oi as in oil; oy as in boy."
2. Visual drill (5 min): Flashcard drill — child sees grapheme, says sound and keyword, then a word using that pattern.
3. New concept introduction (10–15 min): Introduce one new phonogram using VAKT: say it, see it, trace it (on sandpaper or in a sand tray), write it in the air, write it on paper. Use a discovery/guided approach: show 3 words containing the pattern, ask child what they notice.
4. Word reading (10 min): Read a list of phonetically controlled words using the new and review patterns. Child must blend aloud.
5. Decodable text reading (10 min): Read a short passage using only taught phonograms. The child should be able to decode at least 95% of words. If not, the text is too hard for current level.
6. Dictation (10 min): Parent dictates 5–8 words and 2–3 sentences using taught patterns only. Child writes and reads back. This is encoding practice — critical for orthographic mapping.
7. Notebook: Every pattern introduced is added to the student's personal phonics notebook with a keyword picture.

Montessori Language Materials: Grade 1

The Large Moveable Alphabet & Small Moveable Alphabet

The large moveable alphabet is for word and sentence building. The small moveable alphabet (cursive or print) is used for advanced word study. At this stage, children begin composing short sentences, then stories, using the moveable alphabet before writing them. This removes the cognitive load of handwriting from the composition process.

The Phonetic Object Box

A box filled with small objects whose names are decodable with taught patterns (a pin, a cup, a flag, a frog). Child removes each object, says its name, segments the phonemes, and builds it with the moveable alphabet. This grounds phonics in concrete, three-dimensional reality — a hallmark of Montessori epistemology.

Puzzle Words (Pink, Blue, Green Series)

Montessori reading series moves from fully phonetic (Pink: CVC words) → slightly more complex phonics (Blue: consonant blends, digraphs) → words requiring deeper phonics knowledge (Green: long vowels, digraphs). Pair this with OG decodable readers for systematic progression.

Fluency: The Bridge Between Decoding and Comprehension

Fluency is reading with appropriate accuracy, rate, and prosody (expression). It is the bridge to comprehension because fluent reading frees working memory for meaning-making. Non-fluent readers spend so much cognitive effort on decoding that comprehension collapses. Research (Rasinski, 2010; LaBerge & Samuels, 1974) establishes that fluency develops primarily through wide reading of appropriate-level text and repeated reading with feedback.

Fluency Instruction Practices

• Repeated Reading: Child reads a short passage (50–100 words) until achieving accuracy ≥95% and a rate within grade norms (60–90 WCPM by end of Grade 1). Record the first and last read — audible progress is intrinsically motivating.
• Echo Reading: Parent reads a sentence with full prosody; child echoes it back, matching expression.
• Choral Reading: Parent and child read aloud simultaneously. Parent provides a fluent model.
• Reader's Theater: Children read from scripts in role, emphasizing expression over memorization. Highly motivating and research-validated.

Vocabulary Instruction: Tier 2 Words

Beck, McKeown, and Kucan (2013) distinguish three tiers of vocabulary. Tier 1 words (basic, conversational: dog, run, happy) are acquired without instruction. Tier 3 words (domain-specific: photosynthesis, polygon) are taught within content domains. Tier 2 words — sophisticated, cross-domain, high-utility words (reluctant, consequence, analyze, suggest, emerge) — are the most important for academic reading comprehension and are acquired almost entirely through intentional instruction and wide reading.

The "Word Wizard" RoutineChoose 4–5 Tier 2 words per week from read-alouds. Teach using a four-step routine: (1) provide a student-friendly definition; (2) show the word in context; (3) provide multiple examples across different contexts; (4) ask the child to generate their own example. Return to words across the week in conversation.

Comprehension: Beginning Strategies

Comprehension strategies are mental processes that good readers use to construct meaning. They must be made explicit — named, explained, modeled with think-alouds, practiced with support, then released to independence. Introduce these strategies in oral language and read-aloud first, then transfer to print:

• Making connections (text-to-self, text-to-text, text-to-world)
• Visualizing — "Make a movie in your mind"
• Questioning — Before, during, and after reading
• Inferencing — Reading between the lines ("The author didn't say it, but we can figure it out because…")
• Determining importance — "What is the most important idea?"
• Synthesizing — "How has my thinking changed?"

Stage 4

The Word Analyst — Morphology, Grammar & Expanding Comprehension

Ages 6–7 · Grade 2 / Montessori Primary–Lower Elementary

Morphological Awareness: The Next Power Skill

After phonics is secure, morphological awareness — understanding how meaningful parts of words (morphemes) work — becomes the dominant predictor of reading and vocabulary growth (Carlisle, 2010; Nagy et al., 2014). English has approximately 10,000 base words, but with morphological knowledge, a reader who knows port (carry) can decode and understand transport, import, export, portable, portal, reporter, deportation. This is how vocabulary grows exponentially.

OG Morpheme Work: Grade 2

1. Common prefixes: un- (not), re- (again), pre- (before), dis- (not/opposite), mis- (wrongly), non- (not), over-, under-, sub-, inter-
2. Common suffixes: -ful, -less, -ness, -ment, -tion/-sion, -ly, -er/-or (agent), -able/-ible, -ous, -al, -ic, -ive
3. Greek and Latin roots (beginning): aud (hear), vis (see), port (carry), rupt (break), scrib/script (write), dict (say), spec (look), struct (build), tract (pull), mit/miss (send)

Montessori

The Word Study Cabinet / Etymology Work

Create a "word family" wall or cabinet. Each drawer or card holds a root word and its derivatives. Children build word families with the moveable alphabet: port → transport, import, export, portable, portal. They copy the family into their Word Study Notebook with brief definitions. This is Montessori language exploration: discovering patterns, not receiving rules.

The Montessori Grammar Symbols

Montessori grammar work introduces the eight parts of speech through a system of geometric colored shapes. These symbols allow children to analyze and classify language visually and kinesthetically — manipulating grammar rather than merely memorizing definitions. This is one of the most powerful features of the Montessori language curriculum and aligns with SOR's emphasis on language structure knowledge.

NounLarge black circle
The great, round earth

VerbRed circle (moving)
Action & being

AdjectiveDark-blue triangle
Describes the noun

AdverbOrange triangle
Modifies the verb

PronounPurple circle
Stands for noun

PrepositionGreen bridge shape
Shows relationship

ConjunctionPink connector bars
Links words/clauses

ArticleLight-blue triangle
a, an, the

Montessori

Grammar Symbol Analysis Lesson

Write a simple sentence on a strip: The happy dog ran quickly. Child places the corresponding symbol above each word:

1. Identify each word's part of speech by asking the guiding questions (see below).
2. Place the symbol: article △ (light) above The; adjective △ above happy; noun ● above dog; verb ● (red) above ran; adverb △ (orange) above quickly.
3. Read the sentence aloud, touching each symbol. Remove one word — does the sentence still work? What changes?
4. Compose a new sentence using the moveable alphabet that must include one of each symbol.

Guiding Questions for Each Part of Speech:

• Noun: What is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea?
• Verb: What is the action or state of being?
• Adjective: Which one? What kind? How many?
• Adverb: How? When? Where? To what degree?
• Pronoun: What stands in place of the noun?
• Preposition: What shows the relationship between the noun and another word?
• Conjunction: What connects the sentence elements?

Grammar Boxes & Sentence Analysis

The Montessori Grammar Box series is a sequence of materials from simple noun-article work to complex sentence analysis. The boxes contain word cards in appropriate grammatical categories. Children build sentences from the cards, color-coding each category, then analyze their own and others' writing using the grammar symbols. This is the embryo of rhetorical analysis — a skill that will mature fully in Stages 6 and 7.

Writing: The Composition Pathway

At Grade 2, children begin formal writing composition. The OG approach integrates encoding (spelling) with composition through a structured process:

1. Oral rehearsal: Say the sentence (or idea) before writing it.
2. Phonemic/phonics analysis: Segment each word. Apply known phonograms. Apply spelling rules (doubling rule, drop-e rule, change-y rule).
3. Write and read back: After writing each sentence, read it aloud to check sense.
4. Revise for meaning: Is the idea clear? Does it say what was intended?

The Six OG Spelling Rules (Introduce at Grade 2)

1. The Doubling Rule (1-1-1): Double the final consonant before adding a vowel suffix when the word has one syllable, one short vowel, one final consonant. (run → running; hop → hopped)
2. The Drop-E Rule: Drop the silent E before adding a vowel suffix. (hope → hoping; make → making)
3. The Change-Y Rule: Change Y to I before any suffix except -ing. (cry → cried; happy → happiness)
4. C or K Rule: Use C before a, o, u, or consonants; use K before e, i, y.
5. CK Rule: Use CK immediately after a short vowel at the end of a one-syllable word. (duck, block, stick)
6. TCH Rule: Use TCH immediately after a short vowel. (match, fetch, stitch, notch, hutch)

Stage 5

The Expanding Reader — Syllabication, Advanced Morphology & Comprehension Depth

Ages 7–9 · Grades 3–4 / Lower Elementary

The Six Syllable Types

Understanding syllable types allows readers to decode multisyllabic words — the great leap of Grades 3–4. The OG approach categorizes all English syllables into six types. Mastery of these types enables readers to approach any unfamiliar word with a systematic strategy:

Type	Description	Examples	Strategy
1. Closed (CVC)	Ends in consonant; vowel is short	cat, him, bus	See consonant after vowel → short vowel
2. Open (CV)	Ends in vowel; vowel is long	me, go, be, si-lent	Nothing after vowel → long vowel
3. Vowel Team	Two vowels work together	rain, boat, feet	Two vowels → use vowel team rule
4. Silent E (CVCe)	E at end makes first vowel long	cake, home, time	E at end → first vowel says its name
5. R-Controlled	Vowel + R; R changes vowel sound	car, bird, burn, corn	R controls the vowel; use known pattern
6. Consonant-le	Ends in consonant + le	ta-ble, nee-dle, sim-ple	Count back 3 from end, divide before the consonant

Orton Gillingham

Syllabication Strategy Lesson

DISSECT Strategy (OG-based): When encountering a long unknown word:

1. D — Discover the context (read the whole sentence for meaning clues).
2. I — Isolate the prefix (un-, re-, dis-, pre-). Cover it.
3. S — Separate the suffix (-tion, -ing, -er, -ness). Cover it.
4. S — Say the stem. Apply syllable type knowledge. Blend it.
5. E — Examine the stem (does it look like a known word or root?)
6. C — Check your pronunciation against the context. Does it make sense?
7. T — Try the dictionary if still unknown.

Practice word: uncomfortable → prefix: un- | suffix: -able | stem: comfort → 2 syllables: com-fort | Blend: un-com-fort-able.

Advanced Morphology: Latin and Greek Roots

By Grade 4, 60% of the words in academic texts have recognizable Latin and Greek morphemes (Padak et al., 2008). Explicit morpheme instruction at this stage is among the highest-leverage activities a parent can do to accelerate vocabulary and reading comprehension simultaneously.

Core Latin Roots (Grades 3–4)

Root	Meaning	Example Words
aud	hear	audio, auditory, audience, audible, inaudible
bene	good/well	benefit, benevolent, benefactor, benign
ced/cede/cess	go/yield	proceed, recede, succeed, concede, secede
dict	say/tell	dictate, predict, contradict, verdict, edict
duc/duct	lead	introduce, produce, conduct, educate, deduce
fac/fect/fic	make/do	factory, effect, efficient, artifact, defect
loc	place	locate, local, allocate, relocate, dislocate
mit/miss	send	transmit, submit, omit, mission, admit
port	carry	transport, import, export, portable, deportation
rupt	break	disrupt, erupt, interrupt, corrupt, bankrupt
scrib/script	write	scribble, describe, prescribe, manuscript, inscription
spec/spect/spic	look/see	spectator, inspect, perspective, conspicuous
struct	build	construct, instruct, destruction, infrastructure
tract	pull/draw	attract, extract, distract, contract, abstract
vis/vid	see	vision, visible, video, provide, evidence
voc/vok	call/voice	vocal, invoke, revoke, advocate, vocabulary

Core Greek Roots (Grades 3–4)

Root	Meaning	Example Words
astro	star	astronomy, astronaut, astrology, disaster
bio	life	biology, biography, biome, antibiotic
chron	time	chronological, synchronize, anachronism
geo	earth	geography, geology, geometry, geothermal
gram/graph	write	telegram, paragraph, photography, autograph
hydr	water	hydrogen, hydrate, hydraulic, dehydrate
log/logy	word/study	logic, biology, dialogue, monologue
micro	small	microscope, microbe, microphone, microwave
phon	sound	telephone, phonics, symphony, phoneme
photo	light	photograph, photosynthesis, photon
scope	see/examine	telescope, microscope, periscope, horoscope
tele	far	telephone, telescope, television, telepathy
therm	heat	thermometer, thermal, thermostat, hypothermia

Knowledge-Building: The Hidden Comprehension Driver

E.D. Hirsch Jr.'s decades of research demonstrate that reading comprehension is not a generalizable skill — it is radically content-dependent. A child who knows little about the Civil War will comprehend a Civil War passage poorly regardless of their "strategy" skills. A child with rich background knowledge in science will outcompete a better "reader" on a science passage. This means reading comprehension is built through systematic acquisition of broad knowledge across history, science, geography, arts, and literature.

Knowledge-Building Read-Aloud Plan (Grades 3–4)Spend 2–3 weeks on each domain. Read 3–5 books on each topic (fiction and nonfiction). This is called "text sets." Example set: Ancient Egypt → Egyptian mythology retelling + DK Eyewitness: Ancient Egypt + a historical fiction novel + 2–3 articles on mummification and hieroglyphics. The child finishes this unit knowing vastly more than if they had read random texts.

Comprehension: Text Structure

Academic reading comprehension requires knowledge of how texts are organized. There are five primary expository text structures, each with signal words the reader should learn to recognize:

Structure	Purpose	Signal Words
Description	Describes characteristics	for example, such as, including, consists of
Sequence/Chronology	Events in time order	first, then, next, finally, after, before, during
Compare/Contrast	Similarities and differences	similarly, however, on the other hand, in contrast, whereas
Cause/Effect	Why things happen	because, therefore, as a result, consequently, leads to
Problem/Solution	A problem and its resolution	the problem is, one solution, as a result

Stage 6

The Critical Reader — Literary Analysis, Rhetoric & the Argumentative Tradition

Ages 9–11 · Grade 5 / Upper Elementary

"He who wants to persuade should put his trust not in the right argument, but in the right word."

— Joseph Conrad

The Transition to Critical Reading

Stage 6 marks the transition Chall (1983) called "Reading to Learn" — text becomes a tool for acquiring knowledge, not merely a code to crack. But the Science of Reading goes further: critical reading requires understanding not only what a text says, but how it works, why it makes the choices it does, and whether its arguments are sound. This is where rhetoric enters the curriculum.

Introduction to Rhetoric: The Trivium Tradition

The classical Trivium — Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric — provides the framework for all language arts from this stage forward. Children who have been doing Montessori grammar work since Stage 4 are already practicing the first art. Stage 6 introduces the second: Logic. Stage 7 will integrate all three into Rhetoric.

• Grammar (how language is structured — mastered in Stages 2–5)
• Logic/Dialectic (how arguments are constructed and evaluated)
• Rhetoric (how persuasion is achieved effectively and ethically)

The Rhetorical Appeals: Aristotle's Framework

Aristotle identified three modes of persuasion that remain the foundational categories of rhetorical analysis. Every piece of persuasive writing — from a political speech to an advertisement to a scientific paper — employs some combination of these appeals:

Rhetoric

The Three Rhetorical Appeals (Aristotelian Pisteis)

1. Ethos (Credibility/Character): The speaker or writer establishes their authority, trustworthiness, and good character. "I have 20 years of experience in this field." "Scientists at Harvard concluded…" The audience's trust in the speaker. Questions to ask: Why should I believe this person? What credentials do they have? Are they honest?
2. Pathos (Emotion/Audience): Appeals to the emotions, values, and imagination of the audience. Stories, vivid imagery, specific examples, shared values. Questions to ask: How does this make me feel? Is this emotional appeal legitimate, or is it manipulating me?
3. Logos (Logic/Reason): Appeals to reason through evidence, data, statistics, logical arguments, and structured reasoning. Questions to ask: Is this evidence reliable? Does the conclusion follow from the premises? Are there logical fallacies?

Kairos (Timing/Context): A fourth appeal increasingly emphasized in classical education — the right argument at the right moment in the right context. Even a sound argument fails if the audience is not ready to receive it. Introduce this alongside Ethos, Pathos, and Logos.

Literary Analysis: The Story Grammar Extended

Literary analysis at this level moves beyond story retelling to textual interpretation. Using the Montessori method of discovery and the SOR emphasis on language structure, students analyze:

• Point of View & Perspective: First/third/omniscient; reliability of the narrator; how perspective shapes meaning
• Theme vs. Topic: Topic is a noun (courage); theme is a sentence (Courage requires acting despite fear)
• Figurative Language: Simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, alliteration, onomatopoeia — and their rhetorical effect
• Author's Craft: Why did the author choose this word, this structure, this detail? Every deliberate choice is a rhetorical choice
• Intertextuality: How does this text respond to, echo, or argue with other texts?

Montessori

Grammar Symbols Applied to Figurative Language

Take a literary passage rich in figurative language. Have the child:

1. Identify the literal meaning of each sentence using grammar analysis.
2. Identify where the literal meaning breaks down (this is where figurative language is at work).
3. Name the figure of speech (simile: comparison using "like" or "as"; metaphor: direct comparison; personification: human qualities given to non-human things).
4. Analyze its rhetorical effect: "Why did the author use this comparison? What does it make the reader feel or understand? What would be lost if it were literal?"
5. Write their own sentence using the same figure of speech to describe something they know.

Logical Fallacies: Recognizing Faulty Reasoning

A critical reader must be able to recognize when an argument's logic is flawed. The following fallacies are the most common and most important to recognize:

Fallacy	Description	Example
Ad Hominem	Attacking the person, not the argument	"You can't trust her views on economics — she's a terrible cook."
Straw Man	Misrepresenting the opponent's argument	"She wants stricter food safety laws — she wants the government to control everything we eat."
False Dichotomy	Presenting only two options when more exist	"You're either with us or against us."
Slippery Slope	Claiming one step inevitably leads to extreme	"If we allow exceptions to this rule, everything will fall apart."
Appeal to Authority	Using authority as substitute for evidence	"This must be right — a famous actor endorses it."
Appeal to Nature	Assuming natural = good	"It's natural, so it must be safe."
Hasty Generalization	Drawing broad conclusions from few examples	"I met two people from that city who were rude, so everyone there must be rude."
Post Hoc	Assuming correlation implies causation	"I wore my lucky socks; we won. My socks caused the win."
Circular Reasoning	The conclusion is assumed in the premise	"This book is true because it says so."
Bandwagon (Ad Populum)	Appeal to what is popular or common	"Millions of people believe this, so it must be true."

Introduction to the Argumentative Essay

The argumentative essay is the central academic writing genre of the upper grades. It is also the form that most directly develops a student's capacity for sustained logical reasoning in writing. The OG approach to writing instruction emphasizes structured, explicit teaching of each component before integration.

The Classical Five-Part Argument

1. Exordium (Introduction): Captures the reader's attention (ethos and pathos); introduces the topic; ends with a clear, defensible thesis statement.
2. Narratio (Background/Context): Provides context the audience needs; establishes common ground; defines key terms.
3. Confirmatio (Proof): Presents the arguments in support of the thesis; each paragraph is structured with Claim → Evidence → Reasoning; strongest argument saved for last.
4. Refutatio (Rebuttal): Anticipates and addresses counterarguments; demonstrates intellectual honesty; strengthens the original argument by showing its superiority to alternatives. This is the mark of mature argumentation.
5. Peroratio (Conclusion): Summarizes; reinstates the thesis in new language; ends with a call to action or a powerful emotional or logical appeal that stays with the reader.

WritingMontessori

The Thesis Statement: The Spine of the Argument

A thesis is not a topic, not a fact, not a question. A thesis is a defensible claim that a reasonable person could disagree with — a claim that requires evidence and argument to establish.

Not a Thesis	Why It Fails	Revised Thesis
Dogs are popular pets.	A fact; no one disagrees.	Dogs' social intelligence makes them uniquely suited to human companionship compared to any other pet.
Should schools have uniforms?	A question; takes no position.	School uniforms reduce socioeconomic stratification and improve academic focus, making them a worthwhile policy for public schools.
Climate change is bad.	Vague; what specifically? Bad for whom?	The economic costs of failing to address climate change will far exceed the costs of transitioning to renewable energy within this decade.

Stage 7

The Dialectician — Formal Argument, Debate & Rhetorical Mastery

Ages 11–13 · Grade 6 / Adolescent Transition

"The purpose of argument should not be victory, but progress."

— Karl Popper

The Art of Dialectic

Dialectic is the art of investigating truth through reasoned discussion and the conflict of opposing ideas. It is distinct from debate (which aims to win) and from conversation (which may aim at nothing in particular). Dialectic aims at truth through the disciplined examination of propositions — exposing contradictions, testing assumptions, and arriving at more refined understanding.

The Socratic method is the most famous form of dialectic: a series of questions designed to expose the logical implications of a proposition, ultimately revealing its limitations or confirming its truth. At this stage, students begin practicing structured Socratic dialogue as both interlocutors and questioners.

Formal Debate Structures

Debate provides the formal, structured application of rhetorical and logical skills. It is a sport of the mind. Introduce your student to the following formats:

Rhetoric

Lincoln-Douglas Debate Format (Introductory)

Named for the famous 1858 senatorial debates, LD debate focuses on value propositions and ethical argumentation. It is a one-on-one format and is the most common high school debate format for value-based resolutions.

Speaker/Role	Time	Purpose
Affirmative Constructive (AC)	6 min	Present the affirmative case: define terms, establish value framework, present arguments
Negative Cross-Examination	3 min	Question the AC; expose weaknesses; clarify definitions
Negative Constructive (NC)	7 min	Rebut AC arguments; present negative case
Affirmative Cross-Examination	3 min	Question the NC
Affirmative Rebuttal (1AR)	4 min	Respond to NC; extend AC arguments
Negative Rebuttal (NR)	6 min	Final negative response; crystallize key issues
Affirmative Rebuttal (2AR)	3 min	Final affirmative response; voter issues

Rhetoric

Socratic Seminar Protocol

A Socratic Seminar is an inquiry-based discussion in which participants explore a complex question with no predetermined "right" answer. All claims must be supported by evidence from the text. The facilitator (teacher or parent) does not teach — they question.

1. Pre-seminar: Read the text closely. Annotate: circle key claims, underline evidence, write questions in the margin. Prepare one opening question, one question to push the discussion deeper, and one closing question.
2. Opening: Facilitator poses the essential question. All responses must begin with a reference to the text.
3. Core discussion: Participants build on each other's ideas, disagree respectfully, ask clarifying questions, and test claims against the text. Stems: "I agree with X because the text says…" / "I want to challenge that claim — on page N, the author says…" / "I'm not sure I understand. Can you say more about…?"
4. Closing: Facilitator asks: "How has your thinking changed? What new question are you sitting with?"
5. Post-seminar writing: Write a reflection: What was the most compelling argument made? Did you change your view? Why or why not?

The Forms of Persuasion: An Extended Taxonomy

Beyond Aristotle's three appeals, students at this level should understand the full range of persuasive strategies — and be able to both deploy and detect them:

Classical Figures of Rhetoric (Rhetorical Devices)

Device	Definition	Example
Anaphora	Repetition of a word/phrase at the start of successive clauses	"We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields…" (Churchill)
Antithesis	Contrasting ideas in parallel structure	"Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country." (JFK)
Chiasmus	Reversal of grammatical structure in successive clauses	"Never let a fool kiss you or a kiss fool you."
Rhetorical Question	A question asked for effect, not an answer	"Is this the kind of society we want to leave our children?"
Tricolon	Three parallel elements for rhythmic effect	"Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
Asyndeton	Omitting conjunctions for speed/power	"I came, I saw, I conquered." (Veni, vidi, vici)
Polysyndeton	Multiple conjunctions for emphasis/slowness	"And he ran and leaped and shouted and waved."
Parallelism	Similar grammatical forms for similar ideas	"To err is human, to forgive divine."
Allusion	Reference to shared cultural knowledge	"This has become our generation's D-Day."
Concession	Acknowledging the opposing view before refuting it	"While it is true that… it is also the case that…"

The Dialectic Essay: Highest Form of Academic Writing

The dialectic essay moves beyond argument (one-sided advocacy) to genuine inquiry: the writer explores a genuinely difficult question, presents the strongest case for each position, identifies the tensions and unresolved conflicts, and arrives at a synthesis — a more nuanced position that accounts for what is true in each perspective.

Structure of the Dialectic Essay

1. Statement of the Question: What is genuinely at stake? Why is this question difficult? What values or evidence are in tension?
2. Thesis (Position A): Present the strongest case for the first position, including its best evidence and reasoning.
3. Antithesis (Position B): Present the strongest case for the opposing position. This section must be as persuasive as the thesis — intellectual charity is demanded.
4. Synthesis: What do both positions get right? Where does each fall short? What more nuanced position emerges? This is not a "split the difference" — it is a genuine advancement of understanding.
5. Implications: What does this conclusion mean for how we act, think, or evaluate future evidence?

The Steel Man PrincipleThe opposite of a straw man fallacy is a "steel man" — reconstructing the opposing argument in its strongest possible form before responding to it. This is the highest intellectual virtue. Require your student to always steel-man the opposing view before critiquing it. This also tends to produce more persuasive writing, because audiences trust writers who have genuinely engaged with the other side.

Research and Evidence Literacy

At this stage, students must learn to evaluate evidence, not merely collect it. This is information literacy in its deepest sense:

• Source evaluation: Authority (who wrote this?), Accuracy (is it verifiable?), Purpose (why was it written?), Currency (is it current?), Coverage (is it comprehensive?)
• Types of evidence and their strength: Anecdote (weakest) → Expert opinion → Survey data → Peer-reviewed study → Systematic review/meta-analysis (strongest)
• Understanding correlation vs. causation
• Statistical literacy: Sample size, representative samples, effect sizes, confidence intervals — at a conceptual level
• Primary vs. secondary vs. tertiary sources
• Bias recognition: Confirmation bias, selection bias, publication bias, motivated reasoning

The Research Essay: Full Process

The culminating writing task for Grade 6 is the full research essay. The OG approach requires the process to be broken into explicit, sequenced steps with feedback at each stage:

1. Topic selection and question formation: Move from topic (climate change) to question (What is the most effective policy approach to reducing carbon emissions?) to thesis (Carbon pricing is more effective than regulatory mandates for achieving rapid emissions reductions)
2. Research: Gather evidence from primary and secondary sources; evaluate each source; take organized notes using a graphic organizer or research matrix
3. Outline: Classical 5-part structure, with each body paragraph outlined: Topic Sentence → Evidence → Analysis → Transition
4. Rough draft: Write freely; do not self-edit during drafting
5. Revision: Address argument structure, evidence sufficiency, organization, counterargument quality, and clarity of reasoning
6. Editing: Grammar, punctuation, style, citation format (MLA or Chicago, consistently applied)
7. Final draft and reflection: What did you learn? What would you argue differently? What questions remain?

Reference

Montessori Grammar Symbols: Complete Reference

The Montessori grammar symbols form a complete visual-kinesthetic system for grammatical analysis. Every symbol has a specific shape, color, and associated guiding story drawn from the natural world. The following is the complete reference for all eight parts of speech plus additional categories used in advanced work.

Part of Speech	Symbol	Color	Guiding Story / Explanation	Questions to Identify
Noun	Large circle	Black	The noun is like the earth — the great, round, black sphere, the largest and most important object. Everything revolves around the noun.	Who? What? Name of a person, place, thing, or idea?
Article	Small triangle	Light blue (sky)	The article is tiny, like a small moon circling a planet. It always accompanies the noun and points to it.	a, an, the — does it introduce a noun?
Adjective	Medium triangle	Dark blue (navy)	The adjective, like a smaller sphere, orbits the noun and modifies it — giving it color, shape, size, and texture.	Which one? What kind? How many?
Verb	Large circle	Red (movement, fire)	The verb is the sun — the source of energy, action, life. It is the most necessary word in a sentence; without it, the sentence has no life.	What is the action or state of being? What is happening?
Adverb	Small circle	Orange (warm, near the sun)	The adverb is a smaller sphere near the sun (verb) — it modifies the verb, making it brighter or dimmer, faster or slower.	How? When? Where? Why? To what degree?
Pronoun	Large circle	Purple (substitute, royalty)	The pronoun stands in place of the noun, as a regent stands in for a king. It borrows the noun's role.	Does it replace a noun? (I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who, which, that)
Preposition	Crescent/arc or half-circle	Green	The preposition is like a bridge — it connects the noun to other parts of the sentence, showing spatial, temporal, or logical relationships.	Where is the relationship? (in, on, at, by, for, with, about, under, through…)
Conjunction	Two linked arcs or bars	Pink/Salmon	The conjunction links — it holds the sentence together like a chain, connecting words, phrases, or clauses.	Does it join? (and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so; because, although, since…)
Interjection	Exclamation shape	Gold	The interjection is a sudden burst of feeling — independent of the sentence structure. It expresses pure emotion.	Is it an exclamation? (Oh! Wow! Alas! Bravo!)

Advanced Grammar Materials (Upper Elementary)

• The Noun Family Box: All noun-related words — noun, article, adjective, pronoun — grouped and analyzed together
• The Verb Family Box: Verb, adverb, and associated modifications
• The Sentence Analysis Charts: Large charts for diagramming sentence relationships, including subject, predicate, direct and indirect objects, clauses
• The Preposition Box: Object cards to physically demonstrate prepositional relationships (the ball is in the box / under the box / next to the box)

Reference

Orton Gillingham: Complete Phonogram Sequence

The following is the complete, sequenced OG phonogram and spelling pattern scope from basic CVC through advanced multi-syllabic patterns. Each phonogram is introduced after all prerequisites are secure. Never skip a level; always confirm mastery (95%+ accuracy in both decoding and encoding) before advancing.

Level 1: Basic Code (Pre-K through Mid-Grade 1)

1. Single consonants: all 21 consonants (individual phoneme-grapheme correspondences)
2. Short vowels: /æ/ a, /ɪ/ i, /ɒ/ o, /ʌ/ u, /ɛ/ e
3. CVC words (blending and segmenting)
4. Consonant digraphs: sh, ch, th (voiced /ð/; voiceless /θ/), wh, ck, ng
5. Consonant blends: all initial and final positions
6. Trigraphs: tch, dge
7. Glued/welded sounds: all, am, an; -ang, -ing, -ong, -ung; -ank, -ink, -onk, -unk
8. FLOSS rule: ff, ll, ss after short vowels in one-syllable words

Level 2: Long Vowel Patterns (Mid-Grade 1 through Grade 2)

1. Silent E (CVCe): a_e, i_e, o_e, u_e, e_e
2. Vowel teams — long sounds: ai/ay, ee/ea, oa/ow, ue/ui/ew, ie/igh
3. R-controlled vowels: ar, er, ir, or, ur
4. Variant vowel teams: oo (short: book; long: moon), au/aw, oi/oy, ou/ow (two sounds each)
5. Schwa: unstressed vowel → /ə/ in polysyllabic words
6. Spelling rules: 1-1-1 doubling, drop-e, change-y, c/k, ck, tch
7. Inflectional suffixes: -s, -es, -ed (3 pronunciations), -ing, -er, -est

Level 3: Syllable Types and Morphology (Grade 2 through Grade 3)

1. All six syllable types (see Stage 5 table)
2. Syllable division strategies: VC/CV, V/CV, VC/V, VCle
3. Compound words
4. Common prefixes: un-, re-, pre-, dis-, mis-, non-, over-, under-
5. Common suffixes: -ful, -less, -ness, -ment, -tion/-sion, -ly, -er/-or, -able/-ible
6. Additional vowel patterns: eigh, ei, ie (varying sounds), ue, ew, ui
7. Silent letters: kn, wr, mb, gn, gh
8. Soft c (before e, i, y → /s/) and soft g (before e, i, y → /dʒ/)

Level 4: Advanced Phonics and Morphology (Grade 3 through Grade 5)

1. Latin roots (see Stage 5 table)
2. Greek combining forms (see Stage 5 table)
3. Advanced prefixes: inter-, intra-, trans-, super-, anti-, circum-, contra-, co-, com-, con-, de-, ex-, per-, pro-, sub-
4. Advanced suffixes: -ance/-ence, -ant/-ent, -ary/-ery/-ory, -ify/-fy, -ize/-ise, -ous/-eous/-ious, -tion/-sion/-cion, -ive/-ative/-itive
5. Assimilated (chameleon) prefixes: in- → il-, im-, ir-; ad- → ac-, af-, ag-, al-
6. Advanced syllabication in polysyllabic words of 4+ syllables

Level 5: Etymology and Advanced Word Study (Grade 5 through Grade 6)

1. Systematic etymology study using dictionaries (etymonline.com, OED)
2. French loanwords and their phonics patterns (ch → /ʃ/: chalet; et silent t: ballet)
3. Specialized content vocabulary by domain (scientific, legal, literary, mathematical)
4. Word consciousness and appreciation of language

Reference

Rhetoric, Argument & Dialectic: Scope & Sequence

Grade	Oral Language & Discussion	Reading / Listening	Writing	Logic & Rhetoric
Pre-K/K	Retelling stories; asking questions; dialogic reading	Story elements; main idea; literal comprehension	Oral composition; labeling; simple sentences	Cause and effect; opinion vs. fact (introduced as "I think…" vs. "The book says…")
Grade 1	Partner discussion; turn and talk; sentence starters	Character motivation; sequence; compare/contrast	Opinion writing: "I think… because…"	Fact vs. opinion; author's purpose; reason + evidence
Grade 2	Small-group discussion; accountable talk stems	Text structure; inferences; point of view	Structured opinion paragraph; persuasive letter	Supporting a claim with evidence; recognizing opinion language
Grade 3	Whole-class discussion norms; discourse moves	Author's purpose; bias; distinguishing fact from interpretation	5-paragraph opinion essay; thesis + 3 reasons	Introduction to logical fallacies (straw man, false dichotomy); evaluating evidence
Grade 4	Formal discussion protocol; building on others' ideas	Rhetorical analysis: how does the author persuade?	Argumentative essay with counterargument	Ethos, pathos, logos introduced; 5 common fallacies mastered
Grade 5	Socratic seminar (introduction); debate preparation	Full rhetorical analysis of speeches, essays, ads	Classical 5-part argumentative essay; research essay (basic)	All major fallacies; rhetorical devices; reading persuasion critically
Grade 6	Socratic seminar (student-led); formal debate (LD format)	Dialectical reading: synthesizing opposing texts	Dialectic essay; full research essay; debate cases	Formal logic (deductive/inductive); steel-manning; synthesis; full rhetorical analysis

Reference

Recommended Materials & Resources

Montessori Materials

• Sandpaper Letters (lowercase, print): Nienhuis, Bruins Education, or Albanesi Educational — purchase the full set of 26. Also available in DIY format using fine-grit sandpaper, wooden boards, and natural finish.
• Large Moveable Alphabet: Red vowels, blue consonants — full lowercase set with at least 2 of each letter. Multiple suppliers; Montessori Outlet offers affordable versions.
• Small Moveable Alphabet: For advanced word building; same color system, smaller scale.
• Metal Insets: 10-inset set with colored pencils — Nienhuis or ETC Montessori.
• Grammar Symbols Set: Nienhuis or hand-cut from colored craft foam (excellent DIY option).
• Grammar Box Series: Boxes 1–7 for complete parts-of-speech work.
• Phonetic Object Boxes: Pink, blue, and green series with miniature objects.
• Three-Part Cards (nomenclature cards): For vocabulary in all content areas.

Orton Gillingham Resources

• Barton Reading & Spelling System: Home-tutor-friendly OG-based program; complete scope and sequence; includes multisensory materials. Highly recommended for structured home use.
• All About Reading / All About Spelling: OG-based; explicit, sequential; includes letter tiles and phonogram cards. Excellent for Stages 1–4.
• Spire Reading Program: Clinical-grade OG; useful for students with dyslexia.
• Really Great Reading: Decoding for older struggling readers.
• OG Flashcard System: Orton Gillingham phonogram cards with keywords — available from IMSE (Institute for Multi-Sensory Education) or make your own.
• Decodable Book Sets: Bob Books (earliest), UFLI decodable readers (free PDF download from University of Florida), Flyleaf Publishing, Sunshine Decodable Books.

Science of Reading: Foundational Texts for Parents

• Adams, M.J. (1990). Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning about Print. MIT Press.
• Beck, I.L., McKeown, M.G., & Kucan, L. (2013). Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction. Guilford Press.
• Dehaene, S. (2009). Reading in the Brain. Viking.
• Kilpatrick, D.A. (2015). Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties. Wiley.
• Moats, L.C. (2020). Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers. Brookes Publishing.
• Rasinski, T. (2010). The Fluent Reader. Scholastic.
• Seidenberg, M. (2017). Language at the Speed of Sight. Basic Books.
• Snowling, M.J., & Hulme, C. (Eds.) (2005). The Science of Reading: A Handbook. Blackwell.

Rhetoric & Classical Reasoning Resources

• Aristotle. Rhetoric. (Any good translation; W. Rhys Roberts recommended)
• Corbett, E.P.J., & Connors, R.J. (1999). Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student. Oxford University Press.
• Heinrichs, J. (2007). Thank You for Arguing. Three Rivers Press. (Excellent, accessible introduction for middle schoolers and parents)
• The Lost Tools of Writing (Circe Institute) — classical composition curriculum
• IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing) — structured writing program compatible with OG sequence
• The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer — classical education scope and sequence

Appendix

Research References

Adams, M.J. (1990). Beginning to read: Thinking and learning about print. MIT Press.

Beck, I.L., McKeown, M.G., & Kucan, L. (2013). Bringing words to life: Robust vocabulary instruction (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.

Biemiller, A. (2011). Vocabulary: What words should we teach? Better: Evidence-based Education, 3(1), 10–11.

Carlisle, J.F. (2010). Effects of instruction in morphological awareness on literacy achievement: An integrative review. Reading Research Quarterly, 45(4), 464–487.

Chall, J.S. (1983). Stages of reading development. McGraw-Hill.

Dehaene, S. (2009). Reading in the brain: The new science of how we read. Viking.

Ehri, L.C. (2005). Learning to read words: Theory, findings, and issues. Scientific Studies of Reading, 9(2), 167–188.

Foorman, B., Beyler, N., Borradaile, K., Coyne, M., Denton, C.A., Dimino, J., Furgeson, J., Hayes, L., Henke, J., Justice, L., Keating, B., Lewis, W., Sattar, S., Streke, A., Wagner, R., & Wissel, S. (2016). Foundational skills to support reading for understanding in kindergarten through 3rd grade (NCEE 2016-4008). National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, IES.

Gough, P.B., & Tunmer, W.E. (1986). Decoding, reading, and reading disability. Remedial and Special Education, 7(1), 6–10.

Hart, B., & Risley, T.R. (1995). Meaningful differences in the everyday experiences of young American children. Brookes Publishing.

Hirsch, E.D., Jr. (2006). The knowledge deficit: Closing the shocking education gap for American children. Houghton Mifflin.

Kilpatrick, D.A. (2015). Essentials of assessing, preventing, and overcoming reading difficulties. Wiley.

LaBerge, D., & Samuels, S.J. (1974). Toward a theory of automatic information processing in reading. Cognitive Psychology, 6(2), 293–323.

Lonigan, C.J., & Shanahan, T. (2010). Developing early literacy: A summary of the National Early Literacy Panel report. Educational Researcher, 39(4), 340–346.

Moats, L.C. (2020). Speech to print: Language essentials for teachers (3rd ed.). Brookes Publishing.

Montessori, M. (1912). The Montessori method. Frederick A. Stokes Company.

Nagy, W., Berninger, V.W., & Abbott, R.D. (2006). Contributions of morphology beyond phonology to literacy outcomes of upper elementary and middle-school students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(1), 134–147.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching children to read. NIH Publication No. 00-4769.

Orton, S.T. (1937). Reading, writing and speech problems in children. Norton.

Padak, N., Newton, E., Rasinski, T., & Newton, R.M. (2008). Getting to the root of word study: Teaching Latin and Greek word roots in elementary and middle grades. In A.E. Farstrup & S.J. Samuels (Eds.), What research has to say about vocabulary instruction (pp. 6–31). IRA.

Rasinski, T.V. (2010). The fluent reader: Oral and silent reading strategies for building fluency, word recognition and comprehension (2nd ed.). Scholastic.

Scarborough, H.S. (2001). Connecting early language and literacy to later reading (dis)abilities: Evidence, theory, and practice. In S.B. Neuman & D.K. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook for research in early literacy (pp. 97–110). Guilford Press.

Seidenberg, M. (2017). Language at the speed of sight: How we read, why so many can't, and what can be done about it. Basic Books.

Snow, C.E., Burns, M.S., & Griffin, P. (Eds.). (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children. National Academy Press.

Torgesen, J.K. (2000). Individual differences in response to early interventions in reading: The lingering problem of treatment resisters. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 15(1), 55–64.

Whitehurst, G.J., Arnold, D.S., Epstein, J.N., Angell, A.L., Smith, M., & Fischel, J.E. (1994). A picture book reading intervention in day care and home for children from low-income families. Developmental Psychology, 30(5), 679–689.

The Science of Reading: A Montessori–Orton Gillingham Master Curriculum

Originally published on The Reading Sage · Sean Taylor, M.Ed.
Research-based guidance for parents and educators · Ages 3–13 · Grades Pre-K through 6

This document is provided for educational purposes. All referenced research belongs to its respective authors.
Permission granted for personal, home, and classroom use with attribution.

READING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES!

[PDF]Strategy for Reading Comprehension - Learning Sciences International
FIVES. Strategy for. Reading. Comprehension. The ...... Academic-Language-Functions-toolkit.pdf for the Academic Language Function.

[PDF]Reading Comprehension: Strategies That Work - ETA hand2mind
Reading Comprehension: Strategies That Work. “As teachers of literacy, we must have as an instructional goal, regardless of age, grade or achievement level ...

[PDF]Building comprehension strategies for the primary years
Explicit strategy instruction through group and peer teaching approaches. 14. Deliberately teaching text structure. 16. Chapter summary. 18. Chapter 2. Reading ...

[PDF]Tips for Teaching Comprehension Strategies - Reading-Tutors
Reading without comprehension or understanding is not reading. ... These strategies help make the readermake connections between the text and what they ...

[PDF]Effective Practices for Developing Reading Comprehension
Reading comhension as a process and about effective reading comprehension in- struction. ... we call collections or packages of comprehension strategies can help stu-.

[PDF]Reading Comprehension Strategies - National Geographic Learning
adolescent readers improve their comprehension performance when they learn to apply strategies.”Reading. Comprehension Strategies by Dr. David W. Moore ...

[PDF]Strategy for Reading Comprehension - Learning Sciences International
FIVES. Strategy for. Reading. Comprehension. The ...... Academic-Language-Functions-toolkit.pdf for the Academic Language Function.

[PDF]Explicit Instruction for Implicit Meaning - William & Mary School of ...
Strategies for Teaching Inferential Reading Comprehension ... results of many studies associated with comprehension strategies (e.g., Lenz & Hughes, 1990; .....

[PDF]Teaching reading and viewing: Comprehension strategies - QCAA
Comprehension strategies and activities for Years 1–9. September .... can be constructed during reading — literal, inferential and personal.

[PDF]Reading Comprehension: Strategies for ... - Lynchburg College
 READING COMPREHENSION. Reading Comprehension: Strategies for Elementary and Secondary. School Students. Michele Harvey.

[PDF]Effective Teaching Strategies for Improving Reading Comprehension ...
Effective Teaching Strategies for Reading Comprehension. 2. Comprehension ... involves teaching students comprehension strategies that help unlock the meaning of text. • supports the ...... professor/Literacy/inference.pdf. Duffy, G. G. (2002).

[PDF]Essential Elements of Fostering and Teaching Reading Comprehension
elements of effective reading comprehension instruction that research suggests every ..... betweenreading comprehension strategy instruction (e.g., predicting.

[PDF]The Savvy Teacher's Guide: Reading ... - Intervention Central
Reconstruct the reading strategy from the cited research articles with few if any ..... self-efficacy andcomprehension among students receiving remedial reading ...

[PDF]Reading Comprehension Strategies
Good readers create pictures in their minds while they read. While reading, note places where you get a clear picture in your mind that helps you understand.

[PDF]Building Comprehension Through Pre-, During-, and Post-Reading ...
and Post-Reading Strategies. Chapter Four. I. Preparing for Comprehension: Teaching Text Structures and Patterns. II. Activating Comprehension: Pre-Reading ...

[PDF]The Importance of Teaching Reading Strategies
path to comprehension. Regardless of the locus of the reading problems, teaching strategies is one of the most effective means of helping students to overcome ...

[PDF]Research-based Teaching Comprehension Strategies - Academy ...
The study found that the teaching of reading comprehension strategies ... Vygotsky‟s theory has implications for teaching reading comprehension because in.

[PDF]READING COMPREHENSION AND READING STRATEGIES ...
READING COMPREHENSION AND READING STRATEGIES. Rebecca J. Baier. A Research Paper. Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the. Requirements for the.

[PDF]Teaching Reading Comprehension Strategies and Selecting ...
to teach students how to use reading comprehension strategies and to select appropriate text for teaching these strategies. • Several research-based reading ...

[PDF]Instructional Strategies That Facilitate Learning Across Content Areas
literacy skills of reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing and presenting that ... strategies are grouped by support for: comprehension, vocabulary, fluency


Help Struggling Readers Succeed

[PDF]Powerful Strategies to help Struggling Readers Achieve Your ...
that will support struggling readers in achieving your state standards for reading h ... of instruction that willhelp your struggling readers achieve greater success.

[PDF]Strategies for Struggling Readers - Center for Education in Law and ...
can use to help address the challenges faced by struggling readers. The purpose of ..... Before Reading. Effective readers set a foundation for reading success.

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Show you what supporting readers who struggle looks like in ... that students take them on; help you find a focus for your ... “The success of RTI hinges on the.

[PDF]Interventions for Adolescent Struggling Readers - National Center on ...
struggling older readers and outlines the implications of these findings for practice. Its purpose is to advance the knowledge of technical assistance providers .... readers are to succeed in content-area classes, demonstrate proficiency on.

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are providing instruction that helps struggling readers catch up. This is the .... grade 4 and upward, have typically shown less success in bringing struggling.

[PDF]What Really Matters When Working With Struggling Readers
every child could be reading grade level by the end of .... helping primary-grade teachers .... struggling readers into achieving readers ... succeed as readers.

[PDF]Effective Instruction for Adolescent Struggling Readers


[PDF]Styles and Strategies for Helping Struggling Learners Overcome ...
Learning Styles, RTI, and the Struggling Student: A Thoughtful Approach to ... Helping Mastery Students Overcome Common Learning Difficulties ... The skills necessary for success hold whether the skill is fairly straightforward (e.g., studying for a ... reduce the thinking, reading, writing, or problem solving in their work; it is ...

[PDF]Helping Readers Achieve and Succeed -- March 2006 (PDF)
The No Child Left Behind Act is helping schools improve reading instruction and ... But some middle and high school students still struggle with reading

Reading Sage: Reading Boot Camp95% passing rates in schools is very common for all RBC graduates! Teachers have to believe in their students, students will rise to the occasion. Playing board games, singing songs, telling jokes, musical brain breaks, and .

Reading Sage: Reading Boot Camp: "The Daily Schedule"
RBC has no magical remedy, just uses consistent teaching practices, significant time on task~reading with student accountability, coupled with high-interest reading, student motivation and effort. Students who participated in ...

Music Brain Breaks: MOTIVATIONAL MUSIC AND LYRICS
MUSIC AND LYRICS FOR STUDENTS. Music Brain Breaks: MOTIVATIONAL MUSIC AND LYRICS FOR ENGLISH STUDENTS. BUILDING READING FLUENCY AND COMPREHENSION WITH LYRICS.

Reading Sage: Student Reading Goal Setting Worksheet
My RBC Reading Goals! College Ready! Name. Grade. Text Measures 75th percentile ... for wanting to improve are: RBC Reading Progress Charts. Name____________________________ Grade _________School Year ...

Reading Sage: READING VOCABULARY GAMES .. ACADEMIC READING VOCABULARY SPARKLE PRIMARY RBC GAME Cards 3rd. Vocabulary Reading Game Cards

Reading Sage: Daily 5 Word Work | Word Work Test Prep ...
This new set of Word Work (RBC ELA Reading) games is a work in progress, designed to Help a special group of Arizona thirds graders in Mrs. D's class! Move on when READING?! You will be moving on!!!! Common Core ...

Reading Sage: Helping Students with Dyslexia | Dyslexic ...
Read over the RBC pages, and if you have any questions I will be happy to help. More on what you need with links and resources on the Reading Boot Camp pages. My class sings daily to teach reading, especially to LD, ELL ...

Reading Sage: Teaching Poetry with Mentor Poems
Teaching Poetry with Mentor Poems. Teaching Poetry Using Mentor Poems and Narrative Poems! RBC. Mentor poems or anchor poems are poetic models that students and teachers use during a poetry writing lesson. Mentor ...

Reading Sage: Student Success Skills
Student Success Skills. My RBC Student Success Skills Checklist! College Ready! My Active Learning Skills! I put school first! I take advantage of learning opportunities. I ask questions with an open mind. I set high goals and ...

Reading Sage: Why is Reading Boot Camp 20 Days?
RBC is great at changing student's habits and futures! Creating exemplary work ethic; Thriving academically; Participating actively and engaged in the learning; Attaining challenging goals with precise effort and practice .

Reading Sage: Vocabulary Games
If you are on a Blue Alien and answer correctly you stay put until your next turn. The game is a simple race to the top using the RBC Vocabulary Flash Cards, and is popular with children. Complete Vocabulary Game Card Set.

Reading Sage: Kindergarten Reading Boot Camp
.. strong visual cue of each student's progress. Morning Music and Movement Students learn to sing 10-20 songs during RBC. We usually start with fun age appropriate songs with great lyrics. Feist Sesame Street1234 Lyrics ...

Reading Sage: Academic Vocabulary Games

The game is a simple race to the top using the RBC Vocabulary Flash Cards, and is popular with children. Dragons and Airships · Complete Vocabulary Game Card Set · NO EXCUSES TESTING VOCABULARY.

CLOSE READING PASSAGES SOCRATIC SEMINAR READING PASSAGES K-12

ONE PAGE CRITICAL THINKING Close Reading PASSAGES ALIGNED TO the COMMON CORE from Depaul University http://teacher.depaul.edu More Resources

Grade Level Fiction Passages 

2nd-3rd Grade Reading Level

The Ants and the Grasshopper

A Better Community

The Big Game

The Boy Who Cried "Wolf!"

Changing Our Street (realistic fiction)

Community Meeting

Community Meeting  

Community Progress

The First Flag

Flying

How the Firefly Got Its Light

Letter to Grandmother

Little Pink Riding Hood English / Spanish 

The Little Red Hen

Making Progress

Mama's Happy Christmas

More Trees

My Community

My First Baseball Game

My Job

My New Brother

My Sister, the Soldier

My Summer

The New Family

Our Lemons

Prairie Farmers

Potawatomi Prairie

See Our Progress

Spring is Coming

The Turtle and the Rabbit

The Turtle and the Ducks

Why Did Mamma Change Her Mind?The Ants and the Grasshopper

A Better Community

The Big Game

The Boy Who Cried "Wolf!"

Changing Our Street (realistic fiction)

Community Meeting

Community Meeting  

Community Progress

The First Flag

Flying

How the Firefly Got Its Light

Letter to Grandmother

Little Pink Riding Hood English / Spanish 

The Little Red Hen

Making Progress

Mama's Happy Christmas

More Trees

My Community

My First Baseball Game

My Job

My New Brother

My Sister, the Soldier

My Summer

The New Family

Our Lemons

Prairie Farmers

Potawatomi Prairie

See Our Progress

Spring is Coming

The Turtle and the Rabbit

The Turtle and the Ducks

Why Did Mamma Change Her Mind?

Grade Level Nonfiction Passages 

2nd-3rd Grade Reading Level

 After the Chicago Fire sequence and summarize 

American Explorers evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea 

Animal Studies infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Block Clubs infer and support the main idea of a passage 

The Captain's Job infer and support the main idea of a passage

Chicago Changes identify and support the main idea in nonfiction texts

Chicago Fire sequence events, infer  motive, and write about nonfiction 

Chicago Legacy: Burnham's Plan locate and use information to analyze a situation, write about a topic English / Spanish 

Chicago Legacy, DuSable's Choices and Changes locate and use information to analyze a situation, then write about it English / Spanish

Chicago's First Leader infer and support the main idea of a passage 

The First Flyers infer and support the main idea of a passage 

George Washington Carver 

Grant Park write an extended response about a nonfiction reading 

Gwendolyn Brooks, An African American Poet 

Learn about Ghana infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Letter to the Mayor evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea

Native American Life--Potawatomi Profile 

Native American Life--Potawatomi Profile with Multiple Choice Questions and Activities

Natural Gas: An Energy Resource infer and support the main idea of a passage 

A New Park evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea 

Pigeon Creek infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Pioneer Families infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Prairie Ecology analyze information in a nonfiction text 

Prairie Ecology with Multiple Choice Questions and Activities

Read to Learn about Symbols, Maps, and Art evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea 

Saving Your Family's Energy Dollar infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Settlement infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Staying in Phoenix summarize a passage 

Transportation Changes infer and support the main idea of a passage 

4th Grade Reading Level

The Astronaut's Diary

The Challenge

Changing Transportation Routes

The Different Bird

The Election

The Food Change

The Gift

The Hero

The History Mystery

I Like Plants

The Lion and the Spider

The Little Red Hen

Letter from Chicago

Lincoln's Choice

The Missing Money

My Community

My Cousin's Lesson

My Father's Miracle

My New President

My Painting

The New Student

A New Day  Realistic Fiction about the Election of Barack Obama and Civil Rights

Pigeon Express

Potawatomi Prairie

Prairie Farmers

The Prairie Project

A Proud Flight   The story of Icarus

The Quarterback

Summer

The Technology Trip

The Train

Traveling with Lewis and Clark

Why Did Mamma Change Her Mind?

Grade Level Nonfiction Passages 

4th Grade Reading Level

 Traveling West evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea 

What is a Fable? evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea

Working at the Hospital evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea 

 Breaking the Food Chain infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Chicago Changer, Jane Addams infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Chicago High Schools evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea 

Chicago Legacy: Burnham's Plan locate and use information to analyze a situation, write about a topic English / Spanish 

Chicago Legacy, DuSable's Choices and Changes locate and use information to analyze a situation, then write about it English / Spanish 

City Government infer and support the main idea of a passage 

The Early Chicago Environment and People classify information and summarize a nonfiction topic 

Learn about Egypt infer and support the main idea of a passage 

The Football Team identify the main idea 

A Garden in Lawndale evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea (4th grade reading level)

Gwendolyn Brooks, An African American Poet 

Illinois Pioneers and Prairies infer while reading a history 

Learning about the Solar System identify the main idea of a passage, write an extended response about a nonfiction passage 

Natural Gas: An Energy Resource infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Penguins 

Pilsen, A Community Changes identify causes and effects 

Plants and Places infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Prairie Changes identify an author's purpose, write an extended response 

Prairie Changing the Ecosystem with Multiple Choice Questions analyze information in a nonfiction text 

Seasons on the Prairie infer and support the main idea of a passage

Seasons on the Prairie with Multiple Choice Questions

Settlement infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Settlement with Multiple Choice Questions

Space Food infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Staying in Phoenix infer and support the main idea of a passage

Today's Telephone infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Transportation Workers evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea

What is a Fable? evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea 

Working at the Television Station evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea

Working at the Hospital evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea 

The Working Tools of Insects infer and support the main idea of a passage 

5th Grade Reading Level

Barack Obama Makes History

The Cloud

Columbus and the Egg  historical fiction

The Difficult Journey

The Elves and the Shoemaker

Flying

The Gulls of Salt Lake

I Like Plants

Making Progress

Mama's Happy Christmas

More Trees

Mousie

My Job

My New Brother

Nature's Violet Children

Potawatomi Prairie

Soldier's Letter

The Technology Trip

Training for the Presidency

Grade Level Nonfiction Passages 

5th Grade Reading Level

 American Explorers infer and support the main idea of a passage

Animal Studies infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Better Living in Chicago: Jane Addams restate a situation presented in text; write to communicate about a situation (5th grade reading level)

Chicago Changes infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Chicago Fire infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Chicago Legacy: Burnham's Plan locate and use information to analyze a situation, write about a topic English / Spanish 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I can infer the author's purpose 

Election Choices infer and support the main idea of a passage 

From Many Places evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea 

Learn about Ethiopia  infer and support the main idea of a passage )

George Washington Carver 

Gwendolyn Brooks, An African American Poet 

How Did People Solve a Problem? 

How Have Students Made Community Progress? analyze a problem and solution in a text, identify and support the main idea 

Penguins 

Prairie Keepers analyze information in a nonfiction text

Prairie Keepers with Multiple Choice Questions and Activities

Public Transportation evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea 

Read to Learn about City Systems evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea 

Read to Learn about Elections evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea 

The Recycle Center evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea 

Reversing the Chicago River identify cause-effect relations and infer predictions 

Seasons on the Prairie analyze information in a nonfiction text 

Seasons on the Prairie with Multiple Choice Questions and Activities

Settlement infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Settlement with Multiple Choice Questions

Valley Forge infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Who Am I sequence events, infer  motive, and write about nonfiction 

6th Grade Reading Level

City Mouse--a Fable

Community Progress    realistic fiction about a mural

The Elves and the Shoemaker

The First Flag

A Good Student realistic fiction about starting high school

A Great Digger--A North American Fable

His First Dollar historical fiction about Abraham Lincoln

Letter to Grandmother

The Lost Dog

Potawatomi Prairie

See Our Progress

Sir Gobble

Grade Level Nonfiction Passages 

6th Grade Reading Level

Before Chicago infer and support the main idea of a passage

Chicago's First Leader infer and support the main idea of a passage 

The Early Chicago Environment and People classify information and summarize a nonfiction topic 

Election Choices infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Gwendolyn Brooks, An African American Poet

Inferential Questions: Harold Washington's Acceptance Speech 

Labor Day Address--Barack Obama Speech infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Learn about Zambia infer and support the main idea of a passage

Nutrition Lesson evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea 

Plants and Food infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Prairie Ecology evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea 

Prairie Ecology with Multiple Choice Questions and Activities

Settlement analyze information in a nonfiction text 

Settlement with Multiple Choice Questions and Activities

Seasons on the Prairie infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Seasons on the Prairie with Multiple Choice Questions and Activities

Traveling West infer and support the main idea of a passage 

7th Grade Reading Level

Barack Obama Makes History

Columbus and the Egg historical fiction about an event showing Columbus as a smart person

A Good Student  realistic fiction about starting high school

I Like Plants

John's Bright Idea

Making a Difference

My First Baseball Game

My Summer

Potawatomi Prairie

The Red Apples

Gwendolyn Brooks, An African American Poet 

Grade Level Nonfiction Passages 

7th Grade Reading Level

Honest Abe infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Inaugural Address by John F. Kennedy evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea 

Labor Day Address--Barack Obama Speech infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Learn about Kenya infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Learning about the Solar System infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Pilsen--A Community Changes identify causes and effects

Prairie Keepers infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Prairie Keepers with Multiple Choice Questions and Activities

Settlement infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Settlement with Multiple Choice Questions and Activities

Today's Telephone infer and support the main idea of a passage 

8th-10th Grade Reading Level

The Difficult Journey

The Gulls of Salt Lake

Lexington

My Job

My New President

My Sister, the Soldier

Potawatomi Prairie

See Our Progress

Training for the Presidency

Grade Level Nonfiction Passages 

8th-10th Grade Reading Level

 An African Heritage in Chicago identify and support the main idea in a nonfiction passage 

Bold Plans, Big Dreams, City Progress identify and support the theme of a text  

Changing the Ecosystem infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Changing the Ecosystem with Multiple Choice Questions and Activities

Chicago is a City of Possibilities: Deval Patrick, Leader for Chicago analyze a text and write an extended response based on it 

Deval Patrick's Acceptance Speech infer and support the main idea of a passage 

George Washington Carver 

Gwendolyn Brooks, An African American Poet 

Honest Abe infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Inaugural Address by John F. Kennedy evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea

Inferential Questions: Harold Washington's Acceptance Speech 

Labor Day Address--Barack Obama Speech infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Learn about Physical Therapists evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea 

Learn about South Africa evaluate information, summarize, and identify and support a main idea 

Maintaining Cultural Continuity infer and support the main idea of a passage 

New Leadership analyze a speech 

Settlement infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Settlement with Multiple Choice Questions and Activities

Transportation Changes infer and support the main idea of a passage 

What is Your Own Big Plan? (Barack Obama speech) analyze a text and respond to the issues it presents, write an extended response to a persuasive text 

What Values Have Shaped Chicago? identify the main idea of a passage  

Why is Community Service Important? identify the main idea and supporting information 

Chicago High Schools infer predictions 

Chicago Legacy: DuSable's Choices and Changes  infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Deval Patrick's Acceptance Speech infer and support the main idea of a passage 

Harold Washington's Acceptance Speech

Frederick Douglass Speech on Women's Suffrage

John F. Kennedy's Remarks in the Rudolph Wilde Platz, Berlin

Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address 

President Barack Obama's Speech to Students 

President Franklin D. Roosevelt's First Inaugural Address 

Dr. Mortimer J. Adler Co-Founder and Chairman Center For the Study of the Great Ideas

The 103 Great Ideas Alphabetically

The 103 Great Ideas by Category

THE 103 GREAT IDEAS

The list of 103 ideas is broken between the two volumes, as follows:
Volume I: Angel, Animal, Aristocracy, Art, Astronomy, Beauty, Being, Cause, Chance, Change, Citizen, Constitution, Courage, Custom and Convention, Definition, Democracy, Desire, Dialectic, Duty, Education, Element, Emotion, Eternity, Evolution, Experience, Family, Fate, Form, God, Good and Evil, Government, Habit, Happiness, History, Honor, Hypothesis, Idea, Immortality, Induction, Infinity, Judgment, Justice, Knowledge, Labor, Language, Law, Liberty, Life and Death, Logic, and Love.
Volume II: Man, Mathematics, Matter, Mechanics, Medicine, Memory and Imagination, Metaphysics, Mind, Monarchy, Nature, Necessity and Contingency, Oligarchy, One and Many, Opinion, Opposition,^[13] Philosophy, Physics, Pleasure and Pain, Poetry, Principle, Progress, Prophecy, Prudence, Punishment, Quality, Quantity, Reasoning, Relation,^[14] Religion, Revolution, Rhetoric, Same and Other, Science, Sense, Sign and Symbol, Sin, Slavery, Soul, Space, State, Temperance, Theology, Time, Truth, Tyranny and Despotism, Universal and Particular, Virtue and Vice, War and Peace, Wealth, Will, Wisdom, and World.

How can a Dyslexic Reading Teacher HELP 95% of all at-risk students pass the EOG Reading Test? 10 Consecutive Years!

"Mr Taylor who annually starts with a class of fourth graders, 2/3 of whom are below grade level, and ends the year with most of the class at and above grade level. He gets results by emphasizing reading and writing, and holds students responsible for the work assigned. All the students read the same challenging books, stories and poems; they spend a lot of time on vocabulary, take notes, identify the main chapter idea and write a chapter summary every day. They read about six challenging books a year...Fortunately for his students, he puts them first and is determined that every student will make at least one year of progress in his class. Some students make spectacular gains in reading, writing or math. The average student this past year made about three years academic progress....His Title I students perform as well as students in the nearby "rich" area with all top-rated schools."  Robert Cherba 

Socratic Seminar Questions?

How do laws serve or harm justice?

Why is the concept of blind justice important?

The Logicians Refuted

Logicians have but ill defined

As rational, the human kind;

Reason, they say, belongs to man,

But let them prove it if they can.

Wise Aristotle and Smiglesius,

By ratiocinations specious,

Have strove to prove, with great precision,

With definition and division,

Homo est ratione praeditum;

But for my soul I cannot credit 'em,

And must, in spite of them, maintain,

That man and all his ways are vain;

And that this boasted lord of nature

Is both a weak and erring creature;

That instinct is a surer guide

Than reason, boasting mortals' pride;

And that brute beasts are far before 'em.

Deus est anima brutorum.

Whoever knew an honest brute

At law his neighbour prosecute,

Bring action for assault or battery,

Or friend beguile with lies and flattery?

O'er plains they ramble unconfined,

No politics disturb their mind;

They eat their meals, and take their sport

Nor know who's in or out at court.

They never to the levee go

To treat, as dearest friend, a foe:

They never importune his grace,

Nor ever cringe to men in place:

Nor undertake a dirty job,

Nor draw the quill to write for Bob.

Fraught with invective, they ne'er go

To folks at Paternoster Row.

No judges, fiddlers, dancing-masters,

No pickpockets, or poetasters,

Are known to honest quadrupeds;

No single brute his fellow leads.

Brutes never meet in bloody fray,

Nor cut each other's throats for pay.

Of beasts, it is confess'd, the ape

Comes nearest us in human shape;

Like man, he imitates each fashion,

And malice is his lurking passion:

But, both in malice and grimaces,

A courtier any ape surpasses.

Behold him, humbly cringing, wait

Upon the minister of state;

View him soon after to inferiors

Aping the conduct of superiors;

He promises with equal air,

And to perform takes equal care.

He in his turn finds imitators,

At court, the porters, lacqueys, waiters,

Their masters' manner still contract,

And footmen, lords and dukes can act.

Thus, at the court, both great and small

Behave alike, for all ape all.

Draft Non-Fiction Close Reading Test Passage:

1. 13-year-old Dutch girl, Laura Dekker sails Around the World
2. Are Dogs Really Man’s Best Friend?
3. Can you Win Arguments with Your Parents with Facts?
4. Captain James Cook Mini Biography
5. Claude Monet French Impressionist Painter
6. College Knowledge: What do you need to know to succeed in college?
7. Deforestation: Facts, Causes & Effects
8. Eating Insects Is Common Around the World
9. Extraordinary Astronomical Observatories of the World
10. Getting Organized with Checklist
11. How can we save the Honey Bee?
12. How do Vaccines work?
13. How to Start Your Own Business
14. Is Clutter and Mess Really Best for Creativity?
15. Living on the International Space Station
16. Man’s Future Missions to Mars
17. Mary Shelley an English novelist: Frankenstein
18. Mary Stevenson Cassatt an American Painter
19. Mini Benjamin Franklin Biography
20. Mini Biography Astronaut Sally Ride
21. Motivation Using Fear or Reason
22. Norse explorer Leif Erikson Explores America 500 years before Columbus
23. Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize
24. RECYCLING FACTS & STATISTICS
25. Renewable Resources, Wind Solar and Hydroelectric: FACTS & STATISTICS
26. Sherlock Holmes: Man or mystery?
27. The Baja 500 off-road race
28. The Future of High Speed Trains
29. The history of ice cream
30. The History of the Taj Mahal
31. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
32. The Story of the Titans
33. The Truth about Pirates
34. What is your carbon footprint?
35. The History of the Taj Mahal
36. What will happen if a giant comet hits the Earth?
37. Who was Socrates?
38. Why aren’t there more female engineers?
39. Why We Crave Junk Food: Sugar and Fat?
40. Will California Survive the Great Drought?
41. A History of the Hanseatic League
42. A Short History of the Battle Axe
43. A Short History of the Cross Bow
44. A Short History of the Dagger
45. Child Labour and your Electronics
46. Child Slavery and your Chocolate Bar
47. Crocodile & Alligator Differences
48. Top 10-15 scientists who changed the world: Marie Curie
49. Myth vs. Fact Ancient Aliens Created the Nazca Lines
50. Myth vs. Fact the Abominable Snowman
51. Myth vs. Fact the Roswell Aliens
52. Myth vs. Fact the Voodoo Zombies
53. Neil Alden Armstrong the first person to walk on the Moon
54. The Sonoran Desert Flora and Fauna
55. Timeline of female labor and education in the early history of the US
56. What is Project Based Learning?


Coming Soon PAIRED READING PASSAGES WITH EBSR! 

Top 10 Future Professions: 
Data Scientist/Engineer (Machine Learning)
Mechanical Engineer
Physician.
Physical Therapist.
Civil Engineer.
Information Security Analyst (Internet)
Computer App Developer.
Website Designer
Mechanical Engineer
Database Administrator

Science Articles: 
Coastal Estuarine Food Chain/Web
Tidepool Flora and Fauna
Kelp Forest Ecosystems
Coral Reef Systems: Great Barrier Reef
Renewable Energy Resources Wind Turbine
Renewable Energy Resources Solar Power
Arizona Sky Islands Ecosystems
Australia’s Uluru | Northern Territory
Natural Phenomena: Earthquakes
Natural Phenomena: Tsunamis
Critically Endangered Species: Vaquita
Critically Endangered Species: White Rhino
Wilderness Medicine: Outdoor First Aide Essentials
Medicinal plants
Physical Phenomena: Electricity
Physical Phenomena: Magnetism
Natural Phenomena: Precipitation and The Hydrologic cycle
Natural Phenomena: Weather and Lightning
Earth-friendly Diet
The Sugar Diet: Sugar Addiction

Inspirational People:
Anne Frank
Joan of Arc
Albert Einstein
Stephen Hawking
Nikola Tesla
Thomas Edison
World at War: Winston Churchill
World at War: Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Benjamin Franklin
Thomas Jefferson

Fiction Close Reading Passages

1. The Disappeared
2. The Disappeared Readers Theater
3. Pushkin’s Powerful Poems
4. Law of Nature Overturned as Infinite Monkey Theory Proved False

HOT READING SKILLS NONWORKBOOKs (FREE Open Source Reading Resources)

Prepare your students with intensive DOK level 3 and 4 two-step reading comprehension questions, targeted word study, rigorous word analysis, skills-building daily reading comprehension practice that students need to pass demanding standards-based reading assessments. Each HOT/BOSS READING SKILLS workbook will include more than 40 fun intensive reading lessons.

Sample Cover of a Monthly Read and Respons workbook that I would like to develop.

Intensive Reading Lessons!

 

• Reading Comprehension questions: One‐Part Hot Text, Multiple Choice, Open Response, Multi‐Select, Evidence‐Based Selected Response, Two‐Part Hot Text,  Editing Task Questions, Technology Enhanced Constructed Response (TECR), Grid Select, Prose Constructed Response (PCR), and ELA-Applied Skills: ConstructedResponse, and Extended-Response. 
• Weekly/Biweekly Word Study Games 
• Weekly/Biweekly Socratic Seminars 
• Weekly/Biweekly Latin and Greek Roots and Affixes HOT Sheets
• Weekly/Biweekly Reading Game Cards: Tier 2 and 3 Academic Reading Vocabulary 
• Daily Reading Fluency Passages: Socratic Seminare STEM questions included
• Weekly/Biweekly Cornel Notes Word Analysis Journal Pages 
• Weekly Fiction Literary Elements Hide and Seek Game 
• Bimonthly Nonfiction Text Features Scavenger Hunt
• Daily Tier 2 and 3 ELA Reading Glossaries Word Match Game
• Weekly/Biweekly FUN, Silly, Foolish and Ingaging Reading Passages 
• Daily Read and Response Reading Logs
• Bimonthly Standards-Based Reading Comprehension Assessments 

Critical Thinking Reading Passages | College and Career Readiness

Critical thinking reading passages are the foundation of Socratic seminars and quality close reading. Selecting reading passages that inspire curiosity, critical thinking and can be used for either close reading or Socratic seminars takes pre-planning and a bit of text analysis. One of the best methods for selecting Critical Thinking Reading Passages is using a Syntopical examination of how many great ideas the passages contain. Dr. Mortimer J. Adler created a list of 103 philosophical topics that can be used to analyze text for the quality of ideas presented. Text selection is key to quality close reading and  immersive Socratic seminars.

syntopical

1. Referring to a type of analysis in which different works are compared and contrasted.

After finishing his syntopical reading of the leaders' speeches, he wrote an essay comparing the language used by Reagan, Carter, Gorbachev, and Qaddafi.

A list of 103 philosophical topics

1. 

HOT READING SKILLS EXTENSIONS 

Informational Text Close Reading | Socratic Seminars | Fluency Passages

Title: Chinese Dragons Word Count: 297 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 5-7pdf

Common Core Anchor Reading Standard 1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Summary: The Chinese dragon is rendered as a long and serpent-like creature without wings. The Chinese dragon is said to be a strange mixture of several animals.

1. The dragon was the sign of the Emperor and was on the national flag of the late Qing dynasty. The Chinese dragon is rendered as a long and serpent-like creature without wings. The Chinese dragon is said to be a strange mixture of several animals.

2. According to legend, Chinese dragons were supposed to be made of all the world's spare parts. The Dragon in Chinese mythology was a creature of high mountains or underground caves, breathing flames and ready for combat.

3. The imperial throne was called the dragon throne. China was regarded as the land of the dragon and the Chinese people were viewed as the dragon's descendants. Depending on their mood, Chinese dragons could be either playful or frightening. Dragons can be seen in almost all Chinese cities. The dragons decorate ancient monuments and buildings and are sometimes depicted playing with a pearl or thunder-ball. The dragon rain God is often depicted with a pearl, to symbolize thunder.

5. The Chinese wrote of dragons in their ancient book, I Ching, associating the creatures with power, fertility, and well-being. This is because the Chinese considered a dragon and phoenix as symbolic of the blissful relations between husband and wife. In ancient China, dragons could be found in decorations for weddings or royalty along with dragons.

6. The dragon is a symbol of deep desire, of wisdom and of luck, and has often been used to ward off evil spirits. Therefore, the dragon serves as a symbol of harmony, the fundamental spirit of Chinese culture. Chinese dragons traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious powers, particularly control over water, rainfall, hurricanes, and floods.

7. The dragon was said to have acquired a wide range of supernatural powers. Taoists regarded the dragon as one of the most important deified forces of nature.

Directions: Score your performance in today’s Socratic seminar homework using the following criteria:

5 = Brilliant 4 = Excellent 3 = Good 2 = Showing Progress 1 = Zero Participation

_____ I reread the text three times closely, I ranked the text, and I took Cornell notes on unknown words.

_____ I came prepared to ask HOT questions related to the text. What do you think is the main idea of the story? Why?

_____ I contributed several relevant ideas. Why do you think Laura sails around the world?

_____ I circled specific text evidence to support an idea or theme. The theme is the underlying message, what readers "think the work is about" or 'main idea.'

_____ I asked at least one thoughtful, probing question.

_____ I questioned or asked someone to clarify their comment.

_____ I built on another person’s idea by restating, paraphrasing, summarizing, or synthesizing.

_____ I encouraged other participants to enter the conversation.

_____ I treated all other participants with dignity and respect.

_____ I treated my learning opportunity with dignity and respect

Common Core PARCC Reading Test Passages with EBSR 2 Part DOK Level 2 and 3 Test Questions!

Grade 11 ELA - Conventions - Sample Student Responses

Grade 11 ELA - Literary Analysis Task - Item Set

Grade 11 ELA - Literary Analysis Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 11 ELA - Literary Text Set - Item Set

Grade 11 ELA - M/L Informational Text Set - Item Set

Grade 11 ELA - Narrative Writing Task - Item Set

Grade 11 ELA - Narrative Writing Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 11 ELA - Paired Text Set - Item Set

Grade 11 ELA - Research Simulation Task - Item Set

Grade 11 ELA - Research Simulation Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 11 ELA - S/M Informational Text Set - Item Set

Grade 10 ELA - Conventions - Sample Student Responses

Grade 10 ELA - Literary Analysis Task - Item Set

Grade 10 ELA - Literary Analysis Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 10 ELA - Literary Text Set - Item Set

Grade 10 ELA - M/L Informational Text Set - Item Set

Grade 10 ELA - Narrative Writing Task - Item Set

Grade 10 ELA - Narrative Writing Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 10 ELA - Paired Text Set - Item Set

Grade 10 ELA - Research Simulation Task - Item Set

Grade 10 ELA - Research Simulation Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 10 ELA - S/M Informational Text Set - Item Set

Grade 9 ELA - Conventions - Sample Student Responses

Grade 9 ELA - Literary Analysis Task - Item Set

Grade 9 ELA - Literary Analysis Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 9 ELA - Literary Text Set - Item Set

Grade 9 ELA - M/L Informational Text Set - Item Set

Grade 9 ELA - Narrative Writing Task - Item Set

Grade 9 ELA - Narrative Writing Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 9 ELA - Paired Text Set - Item Set

Grade 9 ELA - Research Simulation Task - Item Set

Grade 9 ELA - Research Simulation Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 9 ELA - S/M Informational Text Set - Item Set

Grade 8 ELA - Conventions - Sample Student Responses

Grade 8 ELA - Literary Analysis Task - Item Set

Grade 8 ELA - Literary Analysis Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 8 ELA - Literary Text Set - Item Set

Grade 8 ELA - M/L Informational Text Set - Item Set

Grade 8 ELA - Narrative Writing Task - Item Set

Grade 8 ELA - Narrative Writing Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 8 ELA - Paired Text Set - Item Set

Grade 8 ELA - Research Simulation Task - Item Set

Grade 8 ELA - Research Simulation Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 8 ELA - S/M Informational Text Set - Item Set

Grade 7 Released Test Item Guide Arts/Literacy Released Test Items:

Grade 7 ELA - Conventions - Sample Student Responses

Grade 7 ELA - Literary Analysis Task - Item Set

Grade 7 ELA - Literary Analysis Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 7 ELA - Literary Text Set - Item Set

Grade 7 ELA - M/L Informational Set - Item Set

Grade 7 ELA - Narrative Writing Task - Item Set

Grade 7 ELA - Narrative Writing Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 7 ELA - Paired Text Set - Item Set

Grade 7 ELA - Research Simulation Task - Item Set

Grade 7 ELA - Research Simulation Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 7 ELA - S/M Informational Text Set - Item Set

Grade 6 ELA - Conventions - Sample Student Responses

Grade 6 ELA - Literary Analysis Task - Item Set

Grade 6 ELA - Literary Analysis Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 6 ELA - Literary Text Set - Item Set

Grade 6 ELA - M/L Informational Text Set - Item Set

Grade 6 ELA - Narrative Writing Task - Item Set

Grade 6 ELA - Narrative Writing Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 6 ELA - Paired Text Set - Item Set

Grade 6 ELA - Research Simulation Task - Item Set

Grade 6 ELA - Research Simulation Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 6 ELA - S/M Informational Text Set - Item Set

Grade 5 ELA - Literary Analysis Task - Item Set

Grade 5 ELA - Literary Analysis Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 5 ELA - M/L Informational Text Set - Item Set

Grade 5 ELA - Narrative Writing Task - Item Set

Grade 5 ELA - Narrative Writing Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 5 ELA - Research Simulation Task - Item Set

Grade 5 ELA - Research Simulation Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 5 ELA - S/M Literary Text Set - Item Set

Grade 3 ELA - Conventions - Sample Student Responses

Grade 3 ELA - Literary Analysis Task - Item Set

Grade 3 ELA - Literary Analysis Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 3 ELA - M/L Informational Text Set - Item Set

Grade 3 ELA - Narrative Writing Task - Item Set

Grade 3 ELA - Narrative Writing Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 3 ELA - Research Simulation Task - Item Set

Grade 3 ELA - Research Simulation Task - Sample Student Responses

Grade 3 ELA - S/M Literary Text Set - Item Set

Grade 4 ELA - Conventions - Sample Student Responses
Grade 4 ELA - Literary Analysis Task - Item Set
Grade 4 ELA - Literary Analysis Task - Sample Student Responses
Grade 4 ELA - Narrative Writing Task - Item Set
Grade 4 ELA - Narrative Writing Task - Sample Student Responses
Grade 4 ELA - Research Simulation Task - Item Set
Grade 4 ELA - Research Simulation Task - Sample Student Responses
Grade 4 ELA - S/M Literary Text Set - Item Set
Grade 4 ELA -M/L Informational Text Set - Item Set