Each session will have a core skill/strategy and practice with that skill. The session will consist of the target lesson, practice, and application. Your child will work with color-coded tiles and then paper to master each skill taught. Students are reading and writing words, phrases, and sentences. Starting with Level 3, your child will read two one-page stories and orally answer comprehension questions. Classes will be relaxed and fun while still focusing on learning!

That’s a great question, but it takes an understanding of current classroom phonics versus the type of phonics approach used at The Reading Place to be able to answer that question. Current classroom phonics is adequate for most kids; however, these methods of instruction are not logical or clear enough for dyslexic children. In school, the introduction of a type of word, or “word family,” occurs one week and then disappears the next. Assigned spelling words are often confusing because the words do not follow the same spelling rule. “Grade-level” words tend to be random and are assigned by a curriculum company, usually based on the length or complexity of the word, not the rules that govern the word. This is why many people feel that the English language is arbitrary and full of contradictions. Our tutoring system is called an “Orton-Gillingham” or “Structured Literacy” method, and it is divided into ten levels. Each level in the program does NOT correspond to a “grade level.” Instead, children learn comprehensively and accumulatively according to types of words. There are seven different types of syllables in the English language, and we work from the most common syllable type to the least common while learning reliable spelling rules along the way.

That will depend on the student, the setting, and the frequency of sessions. No two children are exactly the same. Some have mild dyslexia, while others are severe to profound. Some children can sit for an hour while others can only sit for 30 minutes. Some children are easily distracted while others are not. Some can master a lesson the first time through, while others may need to repeat some lessons.

The setting makes a difference as well. At The Reading Place, all tutoring sessions are one-on-one versus group learning. Your child can learn at their own pace and not have to wait for other children to catch up.

The frequency of tutoring also makes a difference. A child with dyslexia must be tutored at least twice a week. Three times a week is better than twice. Getting tutored every day is ideal.

So how long it takes to complete the entire Barton System depends on the student, the setting, and the frequency. I can give you an estimate. If a child has average or classic dyslexia without being easily distracted and tutors two times a week all year, it will take 3 to 4 years to finish the entire Barton System. If your child has severe dyslexia or severe distractibility issues, it will take longer. If your child has mild dyslexia he will finish the Barton System sooner.

They will be reading and spelling at the mid 9th grade level. Your child will have learned virtually every reading and spelling rule. At the very end, your child will learn Latin Roots, Chameleon Prefixes, and Greek Combining Forms to prepare them for all the science, math, and social studies words they’ll encounter in high school and college. The Reading Place teaches in a way that makes logical sense without memorizing, and your child will amaze you and go much farther than you thought possible!

Parents are welcome to be in the room in the background. Your child needs to be in a quiet, distraction free area. Most parents are in another part of the house.

Tutoring sessions are 45-50 minutes each to allow questions and brief conversations with parents afterward. While I try not to, sometimes we run a bit “over” if we are really into the lesson or wrapping up an activity.

There will usually not be required homework, except when agreed upon in tutoring. I have Extra Practice worksheets and stories your child can read starting in Level 3.