Enrollment: $695
*Graduate level professional development credits are offered to those who successfully complete the course Bachelor’s degree required to register for graduate credit hours.
The Orton Gillingham Basic Language Course for Older Students is appropriate for those who teach older students. This may mean upper elementary, middle school, high school, or even adults who have gaps in their foundational literacy skills. We often get questions from people who are interested in
This Basic Language Course PLUS is designed specifically for educators, tutors, interventionists, and parents working with students in grades K-3 who are learning literacy skills and those in 4th grade+ who have gaps in foundational literacy skills. While many older students still require explicit instruction in the basic building blocks of reading and spelling, traditional foundational programs often rely on primary-level vocabulary and materials that may feel inappropriate or discouraging for older learners. This course addresses that need by respectfully teaching foundational language skills through age-appropriate language structures, morphology, and vocabulary.
Grounded in Orton Gillingham principles and aligned with structured literacy practices, this comprehensive course teaches the essential phonemes, rules, patterns, syllable types, spelling generalizations, and foundational decoding and encoding skills necessary for literacy success. However, unlike programs designed primarily for kindergarten through third-grade students, this course integrates advanced language structures and morphology from the very beginning to honor the maturity and intellectual capacity of older learners.
For example, when introducing short vowel sounds, students are not limited to highly primary words such as cat, web, sip, jog, or mud. Instead, teachers learn how to embed morphology and meaningful academic language into foundational instruction. Older students may learn that short o says /ŏ/ in the prefix “con” and that short u says /ŭ/ in the root “struct.” This allows them to blend and decode words such as “construct” while simultaneously building phonemic awareness, decoding skills, vocabulary, and morphological understanding. By integrating morphology with foundational literacy instruction, students are better prepared to engage with the literacy-rich texts they encounter in secondary classrooms, college settings, and professional environments.
While this course is the Orton Gillingham Basic Language Course for grades K-3, Appendix 7 includes modifications and instructional guidance specifically designed for teaching older students in a respectful, age-appropriate manner. These supports help educators adapt foundational literacy instruction without compromising the dignity of older learners while still maintaining the explicit, systematic, cumulative, and diagnostic nature of the Orton Gillingham Approach.
One of the greatest benefits of this course is that it equips educators with the ability to teach foundational language skills across all age groups and grade levels. This is especially valuable for Special Education teachers licensed to teach K–12 students, as they are often responsible for supporting learners with a wide range of literacy needs. The ability to respectfully teach foundational skills to both younger and older students provides educators with greater flexibility, confidence, and effectiveness in intervention settings.
The Basic Language Course Plus is ideal for intervention specialists, special education teachers, tutors, homeschool educators, and literacy professionals seeking a practical and effective pathway for remediating foundational literacy gaps while simultaneously preparing students for advanced language demands.
Included in this Course:
· Overview of Dyslexia and the Orton Gillingham Approach
· All components of a successful Orton Gillingham lesson for older students
· Initial and benchmark assessments
· Teaching resources
· Demonstration videos
· Unlimited access to course content
This course offers prepared PowerPoint presentations and Google Slide presentations for each of our lessons. Teachers use these resources to teach whole, small group, and one-on-one instruction. An outline of this course is as follows:
- Introduction & Welcome
- Basic Language Pretest
- Introduction to Dyslexia
- Overview of the Orton Gillingham Approach
- Overview of the Orton Gillingham Lesson Plan
- Phonological and Phonemic Awareness
- Initial Assessments & Lesson Plans
- Orton Gillingham Visual Drill
- Orton Gillingham Auditory Drill
- Orton Gillingham Blending Drill
- Introduction of a New Phonogram
- Basic Language Scope and Sequence Assignment
- Orton Gillingham Spelling
- Spelling Patterns & Rules
- Orton Gillingham Reading
- Non-phonetic Sight Words (Red Words)
- Basic Language Lesson Plan Assignment
- Basic Language Midterm
- Syllabication
- Final Exam
- Video Observation Assignment
After completing the Orton Gillingham comprehensive course requirements, the academy will award participants a certificate of completion.
NOTE: Immediate access to all course content is given after enrollment. Thus, all sales are final.
COURSE FAQs:
- Is there a time limit or deadline for this course?
No, the online course does not have a time limit or deadline. The courses are self-paced and can be completed at a time that works best for you.
There are no “start dates,” as you can sign up and begin at any time. You can complete the course requirements on your own time, and submit them at a pace that works for you.
After purchasing the course, you will have unlimited access to the course content, and will be able to circle back to retake the course anytime.
*NOTE: Having said this, I would allot 30-40 hours to complete the course.
- Will I need to buy additional books for this course?
No, the course is all-inclusive and comes with all necessary materials to deliver successful Orton Gillingham lessons. The Teacher’s Manual, Practitioner’s Notebook, Student Workbooks, and Informal Coding Assessment are available in PDF format to be downloaded (and printed if desired).
- When I complete the course, will I receive a certificate of completion? If so, what will the certificate say?
Yes, you will receive a Certificate of Completion that will state that you have completed a Basic Language (Level 1) Orton Gillingham Course. You may work with students using the knowledge that you have gleaned from the course.
- Will I be considered a “Certified” Orton Gillingham Practitioner after completing the Level 1 Basic Language Course?
To gain the title of a “Certified” Orton Gillingham Practitioner, you would need to complete the practicum extension (in which you will have the opportunity to work with a supervisor and build a portfolio). You would also receive a letter of recommendation from your supervisor upon completion of the practicum extension hours. The Level 1 Basic Language Course is a prerequisite to the Practicum Extension.
- Do you offer graduate professional development credit hours for this course?
Yes, when all required assignments are submitted and passed, you may register for 2 graduate professional development credit hours.
- I teach in a classroom. Is there whole group application for this course?
Yes, the course includes whole group instruction application and demonstration videos. In the appendix of the course, we have provided PowerPoint presentations for the lessons that can be used when presenting the lessons to a group or class.
- Why do I have to create a username and password for Moodle before I can enroll?
The login information that you create in Moodle is intended to protect your personal information, and give you access to information about our coursework. When you create a username and password, you are not obligated to purchase anything, but you can view the courses, webinars, and other resources that we offer on our online course platform.
- What happens if I forget my username and password?
If you forget your login information, you can follow the link that states “Forgotten your username or password?” This link will take you to a page in which you can type your username or email address. Once your account is located, you can then reset your password.