If you’ve ever had a student in the foundation phase who’s bright, curious, and full of ideas—but completely stuck when it comes to reading or writing—you know how heartbreaking (and frustrating) it can be.
You’ve seen the warning signs:
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Letter reversals that don’t go away
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Reading the same word five different ways
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Struggling to spell even simple words
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A growing dislike—or fear—of reading
Here’s the hard truth: many students in the foundation phase (kindergarten through second grade) are not learning to read because they’ve never been taught in a way their brain understands.
This is especially true for students with dyslexia.
In this post, I’ll walk you through how to teach reading to dyslexic students and how to build reading and writing skills for all kids in the foundation phase using a structured, research-backed approach. I’ll also show you how our Orton-Gillingham-based curriculum can make this process easier—without the guesswork.
What Dyslexia Really Is—and Why It Matters in the Early Years
Let’s clear something up: dyslexia is not about intelligence or motivation. It’s not laziness. And it’s not a visual problem.
Dyslexia is a neurological difference that affects how the brain processes language—specifically how it connects sounds to symbols (phonemes to graphemes). That’s why kids with dyslexia often struggle with phonemic awareness, spelling, and decoding—even though they may excel in storytelling, creativity, or oral language.
If we wait until third or fourth grade to intervene, we’ve already missed a critical window. That’s why foundation phase instruction matters so much. It’s not just about learning to read. It’s about building the brain’s reading circuitry—before bad habits set in and confidence collapses.
How the Science of Reading Changes Everything
The Science of Reading is a vast body of research that tells us exactly how kids learn to read. And spoiler alert: it’s not by guessing from pictures, memorizing sight words, or “picking up” reading through exposure.
Kids—especially those with dyslexia—need:
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Explicit instruction in phonics
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Systematic practice with sound-letter patterns
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Multisensory methods that engage visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning
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Cumulative review that constantly recycles old skills while introducing new ones
The problem? Most foundation phase classrooms are not built this way. Many rely on leveled readers, whole-word memorization, or broad writing prompts that leave dyslexic students behind from day one.
That’s where structured literacy—and Orton-Gillingham—comes in.
What Is Structured Literacy (and Why Is Orton-Gillingham the Gold Standard)?
Structured literacy is the umbrella term for reading and writing instruction that follows the Science of Reading. It’s systematic, cumulative, explicit, and diagnostic. And the Orton-Gillingham approach is one of the most trusted models in this category.
In an Orton-Gillingham-based approach, students are taught:
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One sound at a time
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One rule at a time
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One step at a time
They’re taught how to hear sounds, map them to letters, blend them into words, write them back out, and apply those skills across reading, spelling, and writing.
In our Teach Me to Read with Orton-Gillingham Workbook, we’ve built this process into daily phonemic awareness activities, decoding practice, word building, and writing prompts. It’s not just science-based—it’s real-classroom tested.
How to Teach Reading to Dyslexic Students in the Foundation Phase
Here’s the truth: the earlier we intervene, the better the results. But we have to use the right kind of intervention.
Here’s what effective reading instruction for dyslexic students looks like:
1. Start with Sound—Not Letters
Phonemic awareness must come first. Use oral activities to help students identify beginning, middle, and ending sounds, blend phonemes into words, and segment words into individual sounds. No print required. Just ears and voices.
2. Move to Explicit Phonics
When introducing letters, teach one sound at a time. Say it. Write it. Build it with tiles. Read it in words. Practice decoding and encoding in the same lesson so students connect reading and spelling from the beginning.
3. Use Decodable Texts—Not Leveled Books
Dyslexic students need to read books they can actually decode. Leveled readers often use patterns that haven’t been taught, forcing students to guess. Instead, use decodable books aligned with the skills your student has mastered.
4. Keep Instruction Multisensory
Every lesson should include seeing, hearing, saying, and writing. Think sand trays, skywriting, tapping out sounds on fingers, or color-coding word parts.
5. Revisit, Review, Recycle
Dyslexic brains need lots of review. Don’t assume mastery after one lesson. Spiral old skills into new lessons and use daily warm-ups to revisit previously learned sounds and rules.
How to Teach Writing in the Foundation Phase (Even for Struggling Readers)
Many foundation phase classrooms emphasize creative writing, journals, or open-ended storytelling—which is great for fluency, but not ideal for a dyslexic student still learning how to spell CVC words.
Instead, writing needs to mirror reading instruction. Here's how:
1. Start with Word Building
If you’re teaching the short a sound, have students build, spell, and write words like “cat,” “hat,” and “man.” Then ask them to write a sentence using one of those words. This keeps writing connected to the phonics skill they’re learning.
2. Use Dictation
Dictation is one of the most powerful tools you can use. Say a word aloud, and have students stretch the sounds and write it. Later, move to full sentences. Dictation strengthens encoding, punctuation, and sentence structure in one shot.
3. Scaffold Sentences
Don’t jump straight into “write a story.” Give sentence starters, visual prompts, and high-frequency word banks. For example:
“I see a ___.”
“My ___ is big.”
Let students fill in blanks and illustrate their sentences before moving to longer writing.
4. Teach Sentence Structure Directly
Young students need explicit instruction in what makes a sentence: capital letters, spacing, punctuation. Use models. Practice together. Then let them try independently.
5. Integrate Reading and Writing Daily
Writing isn’t a separate subject—it’s how students practice and apply their reading skills. After reading a decodable story, ask them to write one sentence about it using one of the words they just read.
Tips for Teachers and Parents Working with Dyslexic Learners
Whether you’re in the classroom or at the kitchen table, here’s how to support dyslexic students day-to-day:
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Keep expectations high, but steps small.
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Give extra time without lowering the bar.
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Celebrate progress—even rereading the same word without help is a win.
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Use manipulatives to teach sounds and spelling (letter tiles, magnets, sand trays).
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Avoid asking students to memorize whole word lists or “read the room.”
Most importantly, remember: dyslexic students are not slow. They’re just wired differently. And with the right instruction, they can read and write just as well as anyone else.
Final Thoughts: We Don’t Need New Tricks—We Need Real Tools That Work
When you understand how reading actually works in the brain—and how dyslexia affects that process—you stop wasting time on strategies that look good but go nowhere.
You stop saying, “He’ll get it eventually.”
You stop hoping exposure will do the job.
And you start teaching with intention.
Reading and writing instruction in the foundation phase isn’t just about preparing kids for school. It’s about unlocking the part of their brain that learns how to read. For some students—especially those with dyslexia—it’s the difference between years of struggle and a future full of possibilities.
👉 If you’re ready to take the guesswork out of teaching, explore our Complete Orton-Gillingham Curriculum—a step-by-step system designed for the foundation phase, built for kids who learn differently, and backed by what science actually says works.
You don’t need a new program.
You need a better way to teach.
And it starts with knowing what to teach, when to teach it, and how to make it stick.