Teacher expertise highlight: Miss Christina is an Early Childhood Education, Special Education, and Dyslexia certified teacher. 

Using a multi-sensory approach grounded in the Science of Reading and Orton-Gillingham methodologies, this course integrates visual, auditory, and tactile experiences to enhance learning. Our evidence-based curriculum focuses on phonics foundations, helping learners identify sounds, blend words, and improve decoding skills. Engaging activities make reading and spelling enjoyable, while practicing with real and nonsense words builds confidence. Each week, targeted phonetic patterns and blends, such as suffixes, closed syllables, and three-letter blends, are explored to strengthen literacy skills.

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Weekly Topics Include:

- Real and nonsense words using more complex suffixes (such as -s, -es, and -ed)
- Advanced closed syllables with blends
- Three-letter blends and their applications in context
- and more

This course is designed to empower every learner to build advanced literacy skills within a supportive and stimulating environment. Enroll today to continue your child's journey in reading!
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Please note, these class topics can vary. We have listed a lot of the same words to highlight the target for that week.
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Week of September 2:
Review of Short Vowels: Mastering CVC Words
Learners will review short vowels and focus on spelling and reading consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words to reinforce their foundational skills.

Week of September 9:
Blending Sounds: Practice with Beginning and Ending Blends
This week, learners will work on blending sounds at the beginning and end of words, focusing on common blends like "st," "bl," and "gr."

Week of September 16:
Digraphs: Mastering Words with Ch, Sh, Th, Wh
Learners will be introduced to digraphs, focusing on words that contain common sound combinations like "ch," "sh," "th," and "wh."

Week of September 23:
Introduction to Vowel-Consonant E
This week, learners will begin exploring the vowel-consonant "e" pattern and how the silent "e" makes the vowel long.

Week of September 30:
Mastering Vowel-Consonant E: Long Vowels in One-Syllable Words
Learners will practice reading and spelling one-syllable words with long vowels formed by the silent "e."

Week of October 7:
Mastering Vowel-Consonant E: Long Vowels in One-Syllable Words
Learners will explore how the silent "e" at the end of a word changes the vowel to a long sound, focusing on reading and spelling one-syllable words.

Week of October 14:
Vowel-Consonant E Continued: More Long Vowels in One-Syllable Words
This week continues practicing vowel-consonant "e" words, helping learners build fluency and confidence with these spelling patterns.

Week of October 21:
Breaking Down Multisyllabic Words: Syllable Division
Learners will begin tackling longer, multisyllabic words, learning how to break them down into manageable parts for easier spelling and reading.

Week of October 28:
Mastering Multisyllabic Words: Syllable Division Practice
We’ll continue working on reading and spelling multisyllabic words, focusing on dividing words into syllables and understanding vowel patterns.

Week of November 4:
Introduction to Open and Closed Syllables
This week introduces open syllables (which end in a vowel) and closed syllables (which end in a consonant) and how they affect vowel sounds in words.

Week of November 11:
Building Skills with Open and Closed Syllables
Learners will practice reading and spelling words with open and closed syllables to understand the difference between short and long vowel sounds.

Week of November 18:
Mastering Consonant Blends and Digraphs
This week focuses on consonant blends (like "bl" and "st") and digraphs (like "ch" and "th") to help learners improve their reading and spelling accuracy.

Week of November 25:
Consonant Blends and Digraphs Continued
We’ll continue practicing consonant blends and digraphs, reinforcing their use in reading and spelling multisyllabic words.

Week of December 2:
Vowel Teams: Understanding Long Vowel Combinations
Learners will focus on vowel teams (like "ai" in "rain" and "ee" in "tree") to understand how two vowels can work together to make a long sound.

Week of December 9:
Vowel Teams Continued: Long Vowels in Multisyllabic Words
We’ll continue working with vowel teams, focusing on spelling and reading multisyllabic words with long vowel sounds.

Week of December 16:
Mastering Vowel Teams in Longer Words
Learners will practice using vowel teams in more complex words, building fluency and confidence with multisyllabic words.

Week of January 6:
Silent Letters: Spelling Words with Kn-, Wr-, and Mb-
This week introduces silent letters (like "kn" in "knight" and "wr" in "write"), helping learners understand and spell words with tricky letter patterns.

Week of January 13:
Silent Letters Continued: Mastering Kn-, Wr-, and Mb- Words
We’ll continue practicing silent letter words to improve reading and spelling accuracy.

Week of January 20:
The Schwa Sound: Spelling Unaccented Syllables
Learners will explore the schwa sound, an unaccented vowel sound in words, and how to recognize it in multisyllabic words.

Week of January 27:
Schwa Sound Practice: Building Fluency in Multisyllabic Words
This week continues to practice words with the schwa sound, helping learners master the pronunciation and spelling of these common words.

Week of February 3:
Mastering the 1-1-1 Rule: Doubling the Final Consonant
We’ll introduce the 1-1-1 spelling rule (one vowel, one consonant, one syllable) and how it helps determine when to double the final consonant before adding a suffix.

Week of February 10:
Applying the 1-1-1 Rule: More Practice with Doubling Consonants
Learners will continue practicing the 1-1-1 rule, doubling consonants before adding suffixes like -ing and -ed.

Week of February 17:
Suffixes: Adding -ing and -ed to One-Syllable Words
This week focuses on adding -ing and -ed to one-syllable words, reinforcing how suffixes change the tense of a word.

Week of February 24:
More Suffix Practice: -ing and -ed with Two-Syllable Words
Learners will extend their understanding of suffixes by adding -ing and -ed to two-syllable words, focusing on correct spelling.

Week of March 3:
Introduction to Compound Words
This week introduces compound words (like "sunshine" and "snowman"), teaching learners how to recognize and spell them.

Week of March 10:
Building Fluency with Compound Words
Learners will continue practicing compound words, focusing on spelling and reading fluency.

Week of March 24:
Understanding Prefixes: Re-, Un-, and Pre-
We’ll introduce common prefixes like re-, un-, and pre-, and how they change the meaning of root words.

Week of March 31:
Mastering Prefixes: More Practice with Re-, Un-, and Pre-
Learners will continue practicing prefixes, building confidence in using them to form new words.

Week of April 7:
Introduction to Suffixes: -ly, -y, and -ty
This week introduces suffixes like -ly, -y, and -ty, helping learners understand how these endings change word meanings and parts of speech.

Week of April 14:
Suffixes Continued: -ly, -y, and -ty
We’ll continue practicing suffixes, focusing on spelling multisyllabic words with these endings.

Week of April 21:
Understanding the Final Stable Syllable: -tion and -sion
Learners will explore final stable syllables like -tion and -sion (as in "action" and "mission"), mastering their pronunciation and spelling.

Week of April 28:
Building Fluency with Final Stable Syllables
We’ll continue practicing final stable syllables, focusing on reading and spelling longer words with these endings.

Week of May 5:
Mastering Common Homophones: There, Their, They’re
This week focuses on common homophones, teaching learners to distinguish between words that sound alike but have different meanings and spellings.

Week of May 12:
Building Skills with More Homophones
Learners will practice more homophones (like "to," "too," and "two") to improve spelling and understanding of these tricky word pairs.

Week of May 19:
Review of Syllable Types and Spelling Rules
We’ll review all the syllable types and spelling rules learned so far, reinforcing key concepts 
and building fluency.

Week of May 26:
Fluency Building: Putting It All Together
Learners will practice reading and spelling multisyllabic words using all the syllable types and spelling rules learned throughout the course.

Week of June 2:
Review of Vowel Teams and Suffixes
This week will focus on reviewing vowel teams and suffixes, ensuring learners are confident in their ability to spell words with these patterns.
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CLASS ENVIRONMENT

Our classrooms are guided by a Socratic teaching approach, fostering critical thinking and encouraging open dialogue among learners. By facilitating engaging discussions and posing thought-provoking questions, students are able to explore topics more deeply and gain a comprehensive understanding of the material. 

Our class size does not exceed 5 learners. This allows for more personalized attention from the educator, ensuring that each learner's individual needs and learning styles are met. With a smaller group size, there is also more opportunity for discussion and collaboration among classmates, creating a supportive and engaging learning environment. Additionally, students may feel more comfortable and confident participating in discussions and activities in a smaller group setting.

We incorporate a mix of traditional methods such as videos and limited PowerPoint presentations to accommodate various learning styles as well. 

In addition, we gamify our lessons, as much as possible, to make learning fun and interactive for students. By adding elements of games and competition, we are able to keep learners engaged and motivated to participate in their education.

We also incorporate hands-on projects, wherever possible, to provide students with real-world application of their learning. Through these projects, students are able to apply their knowledge in practical ways and further enhance their understanding of the subject matter.

By designing this type of diverse classroom environment, utilizing multiple teaching methods, we effectively address the diverse learning styles of our learners.

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IMPORTANT DATES

Please note we value mental health and want to prevent teacher burnout. With that said, we do take company wide breaks where there will not be any classes taught nor will we be answering emails. 

Please expect a delay in responses the following dates: 

2024:

August 19-August 25 (Summer Break)
November 27-29 (Thanksgiving Break)
December 23 - December 31 (Winter Break)

2025

January 1 - Jan 5 (Winter Break)
March 17 - March 23 (Spring Break)
April 19 - April 20 (Easter Break)
August 25-31st (Summer Break)

If you are enrolled, you will not be charged!

We will be returning all emails the day or two after we return. 

In addition, teachers may need time off outside of these breaks as emergencies do happen. We always try our best to give ample notice when we can. You will never be charged for a day that we cancel classes.

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CLASS POLICIES

Refund Policy:

We strictly adhere to Outschool's refund/reschedule policy for all of our classes. This means that once a class has been paid for, there will be no deviation from Outschool's guidelines. We do not offer refunds or rescheduling outside of what Outschool allows. 

Camera Policy:

All students are required to keep their camera turned on during the entire class. The only exception is those that have been verified by Outschool and have the verification badge.  

Contact info:

In compliance with Outschool's policies, we do not accept friend or contact requests from current or former families on any social networking site (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.). We also do not provide or ask for any personal information such as email address or phone numbers.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation with these policies.