The Barton Reading and Spelling System is a one-on-one tutoring program that improves reading, spelling, and writing. Its instructional design and content align with the findings of the National Reading Panel (2000) and closely mirrors the lesson plan format used in the Orton-Gillingham approach. Phonemic awareness, phonics, and advanced word analysis are taught through a clear and systematic approach to reading and spelling that is backed by scientific research. Each sound/symbol correspondence is explicitly taught, practiced, and then reviewed during the next several lessons while additional sound/symbol correspondences are introduced.
Further evidence of the influence of the Orton-Gillingham Approach is the attention to spelling at each level of the program. Spelling rules that compliment the phonics instruction are included in each lesson. Mnemonics are frequently utilized to help students remember spelling patterns (e.g., Kiss the Cat Rule for the use of “k” versus “c”). The program incorporates vocabulary and comprehension components at various points during instruction, typically after oral reading activities with teacher direction and higher level word work: prefixes, suffixes, Greek words, and Latin roots. Fluency instruction is embedded; each skill is introduced, taught to mastery, and practiced in phrases, sentences, and decodable texts.
What does the Barton Program include?
- ✔ Listening Skills
- ✔ Level 1: Phonemic Awareness
- ✔ Level 2: Consonants & Short Vowels
- ✔ Level 3: Closed & Unit Syllables
- ✔ Level 4: Multi-Syllable words and Vowel Teams
- ✔ Level 5: Prefixes & Suffixes
- ✔ Level 6: Six Reasons for Silent-E
- ✔ Level 7: Vowel-R’s
- ✔ Level 8: Advanced Vowel Teams
- ✔ Level 9: Influence of Foreign Languages
- ✔ Level 10: Latin Roots & Greek Combining Forms
Accommodations and follow-up homework are available to those clients who wish to do practice at home or provide the school with information on how best to work with the student. The Barton Reading and Spelling System satisfies the common core standards, and follow-up homework can also be used to substitute for spelling and reading at school.
The Learning Skills Pyramid is the foundation of successful remediation. If you focus on just parts of the problem, therapy will not always bring about the desired results. You’ll be left with missing pieces in your program. And that’s where HOLS comes in. In order to identify the contributing factors, a Functional Academic and Learning Skills Evaluation must be administered to determine the source of the missing pieces. Only then can a comprehensive program be designed that will address your child’s weaknesses in developmental order.