When your child struggles with reading...finding a reading curriculum and resources that are easy to use is everything.

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Whether you’re a veteran teacher, or phrases like “phonics” and “reading comprehension” freak you out…you will love this reading program for struggling readers.

I was compensated for my time in writing this post. As always, all opinions are my own.

When I receive inquiries about tutoring, reading comprehension is often at the top of the list of concerns for elementary aged students. It doesn’t seem to matter if I’m working with kids who are in homeschool, public, private, or charter school. Lots of kids struggle with reading comprehension.

I’m always on the lookout for resources to use with my clients, as well as things I can wholeheartedly recommend to readers here. And after using PRIDE Reading Program with my own students I thought, as we sometimes say around my house…quoting a movie we enjoy… “That’s a Bingo!”

Orton-Gillingham Reading Curriculum

I had heard of the Orton-Gillingham method of instruction but, to be honest, wasn’t all that familiar with it. The website describes it like this:

Orton-Gillingham was developed specifically to teach struggling and non-readers how to read, write, spell and comprehend. While the method works with all children, it is especially successful for children with dyslexia, auditory and visual processing disorder, speech deficits and other learning differences.

My own kids learned to read with the Spalding Writing Road to Reading method, which, I found out from a friend when chatting about my new find, is based on the research of Dr. Orton. She told me that, “Dr. Orton was a neurologist that Mrs. Spalding and Madam Montessori studied under on how the brain works in regard to writing, reading and spelling specializing in Dyslexia.” (Thanks, Jan!)

I did a little digging online and I won’t bore you with all of the itty-bitty details (I do love brain research!) but my friend’s info was correct, and more than that, I found out why the Orton-Gillingham method is so effective ==> It’s a multisensory approach!

Homeschool Reading Curriculum

If you’re looking for a complete reading curriculum, I strongly encourage you to check out the PRIDE Reading Program. Here are some of the features you’ll find:

100% scripted and planned lessons in the Teacher’s Guide
6 levels (Levels 1-5), and a Pre-reading program
Choose a pace that works for your child
Quick placement guide online
Reading Comprehension Kit available
Multisensory Approach (multisensory activities such as sky writing, arm tapping, letter building, sound association and visualization)
Your kit provides everything you need. (Each kit is slightly different, but may include things like: student workbook, online teacher’s guide, PRIDE sound cards, letter tiles, whiteboard activity kit.)

One of the best things about homeschooling is that we have the opportunity to use what works for our family, for our children. Sometimes that means making a change mid-year. Sometimes that means teaching in a way that is different from the way that I learn because it’s the way that my child learns.

This is why I am a curriculum junkie! And oh how I love when my habit leads to finding a gem like this that I know I will be using and talking about for years to come.

I like this reading curriculum y’all. Let me tell you about the kit that I used.

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Reading Comprehension

It’s hard to find tools that work on reading comprehension that are not the same old same old. Short passages with comprehension questions (usually multiple choice). As one of my more expressive young clients has expressed…. “BO-ring!”

When I got the PRIDE Reading Comprehension Program Kit I was impressed right off the bat with the chunky book and spiral binding. The book follows a pattern of having students interact with some simple drawings, doing some thinking/talking exercises, some writing, and finally reading and discussing.

Each section, however, focuses on a different comprehension skill:

Sequencing
Predicting
Visualizing
Inferencing
and Putting it All Together

The online Teacher’s Guide is scripted and easy to follow. I’ll admit, scripted lessons aren’t really my bag. But, I never rule a curriculum out because of them because I can use them as a guide to get an idea of what a lesson should look like and take it from there.

And these are fantastic. If you do prefer a scripted lesson, you will love them!

Here are some things I really appreciated about the lessons I’ve used:

They model and teach the thinking skills that students who struggle with comprehension need.
The simple pictures and layouts are easy to use.
All aspects of language are involved: reading, writing, listening, speaking. LOVE!
The story that students read has challenging words, unlike many resources I’ve found, providing a great opportunity for vocabulary extension and discussion. (I could do a million things with these stories alone.)
A wide variety of topics.