How does each method (Phonics Method, Whole-word Approach, Guided Reading,

Orton-Gillingham Approach, Reading Mastery) support the development of reading

skills in early learners?

Reading is an essential skill that is key for success in academics and everyday life.
Therefore, it is critical that children develop strong reading abilities from an early age.
As an early childhood educator and advocate, the foundational skills in reading are
essential for every learner to develop the necessary comprehension skills required in
every subject as they progress to higher grade levels. There are several methods
available to teach reading, including phonics method, whole-word approach, guided
reading, Orton-Gillingham approach and reading mastery.

PHONICS METHOD

This method focuses on the connection between sounds and letters by teaching children
how each letter or group of letters corresponds to a specific sound. Decoding words
using phonics let the children begin to process the sounding out unfamiliar words
independently. As they understand the basic rules of language structure and
pronunciation, they are able to improve their ability to read and comprehend.

WHOLE-WORD APPROACH

The whole-word approach is commonly known practice and well-known as the basic
sight words approach. This teaching method supports the development of reading skills
in early learners by emphasizing the recognition and memorization of complete words
rather than focusing on phonics and decoding. Children used to learn reading by whole-
word approach fully understand letter-sound relationship after they learn to read by
recognizing whole-word. It also encourages learner to be engage with text meaningfully
since they are not solely depended on sounding out words. This approach can be
effective to some students but it should still be combined with phonetics instruction for a
comprehensive reading program.

GUIDED READING

Guided reading is a small-group instructional context in which a teacher supports

each reader's development of systems of strategic actions for processing new texts at
increasingly challenging levels of difficulty (Fountas and Pinnel Literacy). During guided
reading sessions, teachers select books that are appropriately challenging for each
student. They employ various strategies such as pre-reading discussions, prompting for
predictions, and fostering comprehension through questioning and discussion. Through
this personalized approach, early learners gain exposure to different text genres,
develop phonemic awareness, build vocabulary, improve fluency, and strengthen their
comprehension skills. Guided reading empowers young readers by gradually giving them
greater control over their own learning as they become more proficient in decoding words
accurately and understanding text meaningfully. Overall, guided reading provides
essential scaffolding while promoting active engagement and critical thinking skills
necessary for successful literacy development in young children.

ORTON-GILLINGHAM APPROACH

According to Kidoneo, the Orton-Gillingham is a powerful approach to teaching reading

and spelling that uses instruction that is multisensory, sequential, incremental,
cumulative, individualized, phonics-based, and explicit.

Though often touted primarily as an instructional method for children with dyslexia and
other learning challenges, the OG approach helps make reading and spelling easy
for all children.

OG approach is highly effective in assisting children who struggle with reading. This
technique emphasizes repetition and reinforcement, ensuring that students never skip
any steps until they have achieved mastery. Consequently, there is no reason for them
to forget what they have read. The OG approach is a professional and proven method
that significantly aids children in overcoming reading difficulties.

READING MASTERY

According to IES Institute of Education Sciences, for over 35 years, Reading Mastery has
helped thousands of schools achieve and sustain measurable gains in literacy. This
game-changing program explicitly and systematically teaches foundational literacy
skills, teaches students how to read, comprehend, and write narrative and informational
text of increasing complexity and it builds oral language fluency skills and is equipped to
assess students with integrated voice technology that surpasses human-level accuracy

Reading mastery programs ensure that students build a strong foundation is essential
literary skills. The programs also use engaging materials and activities to keep young
learners motivated and interested in reading. Reading mastery programs play a vital role
in fostering the development of critical reading skills during the formative years of a child’s
education.

In conclusion, the methods employed to teach reading, such as the phonics method,
whole-word approach, guided reading, Orton-Gillingham approach and reading mastery,
play a pivotal role in fostering robust reading skills. Although these approaches may
vary in their methodologies, they have been proven effective in enhancing learners’
reading abilities and addressing difficulties encountered during the learning process.
Though, there are numerous ways for the students to develop a genuine love for reading,
it is crucial for teachers, parents and other caregivers to fully comprehend and explore
various approaches that cater a child’s learning abilities and help them acquire the
necessary skill for lifelong learning.
Fountas and Pinnel Literacy (n.d.). What is guided reading?
Fpblog.Fountasandpinnell.com. Retrieved November 24, 2023, from
https://fpblog.fountasandpinnell.com/what-is-guided-reading

Kidoneo (n.d.). ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ORTON-GILLINGHAM TRAINING.

Https://Kidoneo.com. Retrieved November 22, 2023, from
https://kidoneo.com/orton-gillingham-training/

Dyslexia Power Up (n.d.). CREATING LITERACY SUCCESS & EMPOWERING

CHILDREN WITH DYSLEXIA. Dyslexiapowerup.com/. Retrieved November 22,
2023, from https://dyslexiapowerup.com/orton-gillingham

The Reading Mastery (n.d.). Reading Mastery Transformation. Www.Mheducation.com.

Retrieved November 24, 2023, from https://www.mheducation.com/prek-
12/program/microsites/MKTSP-UQV01M01.html

IES Institure of Education Sciences (n.d.). What Works Clearing House. Ies.ed.gov.
Retrieved November 24, 2023, from
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/InterventionReports/wwc_readmast_081010.
pdf