Why Orton-Gillingham

Orton-Gillingham is a proven approach to literacy.
Read on to learn more.​

What is Orton-Gillingham?

Orton-Gillingham (OG) is an approach to teaching the structure of language, from the sound/symbol awareness of consonants and vowels to reading comprehension and written expression.

OG is based on the fact that all learning is multisensory and that all instruction to students must be visual (eyes), auditory (ears), kinesthetic (muscles), and tactile (fingers).

OG is not a rigid program with a page-by-page script. The trained educator comes to understand that true instruction is diagnostic and prescriptive and is based on the needs of each student.

Why Orton-Gillingham?

OG is based on the Language Continuum, which includes reading (decoding), spelling (encoding), listening, speaking, fluency, comprehension, and writing. Therefore, OG is the approach that should be used for every student in order to introduce and facilitate the natural growth of language.

Orton-Gillingham & the Science of Reading

OG is the Science of Reading because it is a structured literacy approach that includes the five tenets of language - Phonemic Awareness, Phonics and Word Recognition, Reading Fluency, Vocabulary and Oral Language Comprehension, and Text Comprehension and Written Expression. OG also incorporates  orthographic mapping, the process that occurs when unfamiliar words become automatic sight words.

Orton-Gillingham should be in all classrooms

OG improves students' literacy skills in mainstream, resource and self-contained classrooms at all grade levels because it incorporates the best practices for literacy learning.

​Meet your instructor​​

David’s passion for literacy instruction and teacher development is evident throughout the course, and he looks forward to working with you!

David Katz, a Fellow of the Orton-Gillingham Academy, has trained and mentored thousands of teachers in the Orton-Gillingham methodology throughout the United States and abroad.

An experienced educator, David has a Master of Arts in Teaching in Special Education and has taught and worked as an administrator at the elementary, middle, and high school levels where he successfully integrated Orton-Gillingham in both mainstream and special education classrooms. He also has extensive experience as a tutor through his private practice in Metuchen, New Jersey.

A past president of the New Jersey Branch of the International Dyslexia Association and advisory board member of the New Jersey Learning Disabilities Association, David is the co-author of our training manual for teachers, The Orton-Gillingham Educators’ Guide. In addition, he has created The Orton-Gillingham Sound Card Deck for the Visual and Auditory Drills, a training card pack for educators who are implementing multi-sensory instruction.

Ready to get started?

Register for our Accredited 30-Hour Course with David Katz