We Cover all the Bases!

Traditional programs break up Penmanship, Phonics, Reading, Spelling, Grammar, Vocabulary, and Writing Skills into separate subject areas taught in separate class times.

With many traditional programs, vital skills are taught out of sequence, are left to chance, or may not be taught at all, creating gaps in students' language arts skills. Though skills are taught separately, students are still expected to implement them simultaneously and in an integrated manner.

 

How Do ‘The Works’ Compare?

The “Works” starts with what students already know, uses that content to teach the “language of instruction” and then begins to carefully build a foundation upon which skills of ever increasing difficulty can be built. One skill builds upon another like building with blocks.

  • Line segments and circle portions combine to create single letter phonograms.
  • Single letter phonograms combine to make multiple letter phonograms.
  • Multiple letter phonograms combine to make words.
  • Words combine to make sentences.
  • Sentences combine to make paragraphs.
  • Paragraphs combine to make larger written works.
  • Tasks that seem overwhelming can be broken down into manageable components, building success and confidence in both teacher and student while simultaneously teaching valuable life skills of logic and reasoning.

 

Here's The Scoop

Multi-Level: ‘The Works’ materials are designed for use with Levels K-8 and can easily be adapted for pre-school and high school.

Multi-Student: Instructions for all appropriate grade levels are contained within each Lesson or Step, making it ideal for teaching more than one grade level at the same time. All students do the work at the lowest level with more advanced students doing the added expectancies as well.

Multi-School Year: The method builds sequentially year after year upon what students already know in incremental steps of ever increasing difficulty. Confusion is minimized and consistency is maintained throughout K-8 as the same definitions, skills, and expectancies are progressively enhanced and expanded upon in each higher level of instruction.

Multi-Subject: Reading Works covers handwriting, spelling, phonics, and reading. And, as it discusses the history of our language, it teaches about word origins and vocabulary. At the point at which students can form simple sentences, Grammar Works complements and further completes the curriculum with basic grammar from parts of speech, sentence construction, and punctuation to paragraphs, outlines, letter writing, library skills, book reports, and more.

Multi-Sensory: ‘The Works’ employs a three-step process that simultaneously involves students visually, auditorially, kinesthetically, and vocally. This process utilizes all four avenues to the brain to embed language skills thereby teaching to every learning style.

Cost and Time Efficient: The ‘Works’ materials provide word-for-word teacher dialogue which does require direct student-teacher instruction, at least at beginning levels. Efficiency is maximized when students can be instructed simultaneously or more advanced students can learn as they instruct younger students. Evaluation is a result of teacher-student interaction rather than lengthy correcting of workbooks or worksheets.

 

Experiences with “The Works”…..

"My son and I were attending a birthday party for a neighbor girl. He had given the little girl a handwritten card. Immediately after studying the card, the girl’s grandmother (who happened to be a retired elementary school teacher) came to ask me my son’s age. Not knowing why she was asking I casually said, “Seven years old. Why do you ask?” With a look of astonishment on her face she said, “In all my thirty years of teaching I have never seen a seven-year-old with such neat and accurate handwriting! This is just amazing! How did you get him to write so beautifully?” As for me, an immediate burst of gratitude for Dr. Orton, Romalda Bishop Spalding, and Jay and Jeanne Patterson welled up inside me. Also, I thank God for leading me to The Writing Road to Reading and to the Patterson’s workshop on how to implement the method. Their Reading Works workshop is money and time very well spent. For my family, it has been an invaluable and life-changing investment. Thank you!"

Christin Beaurline, Ham Lake, MN

For my family, it has been an invaluable and life-changing investment. - Christin Beaurline, MN

Our Impact

5100

Students have completed Reading Works

4750

Students have completed Grammar Works

112

Students are National Merit Scholars

890

Students scored a Perfect 36 in the ACT Exam