Reading & Language Arts

Intro

At Porter Academy, reading is taught using multiple approaches — phonics, whole-word, and sensory-cognitive — to maximize each child’s likelihood of success. No single method works for every learner, so rather than relying on one instructional approach, we draw on several proven, evidence-based programs and match each child to the right one at the right stage. All instruction happens in small groups, led by trained specialists, and follows a deliberate, individualized progression as students grow.

These aren’t experimental methods — they’re widely used, research-backed programs with a strong track record with students who learn differently, and we’ve seen that same success firsthand in our own students year after year.

Building the Foundation: Zoo Phonics

Our youngest learners begin with Zoo Phonics, a multisensory, kinesthetic program that pairs each letter with a memorable animal character and a physical movement — for example, “Allie Alligator” for the letter a, paired with a snapping-jaw gesture for its sound. By engaging visual, auditory, and physical memory together, Zoo Phonics helps children master letter sounds quickly and builds the specific foundational skills they’ll need to succeed in Wilson as they progress.

Structured Literacy: Wilson Decoding/Encoding

As students are ready, they move into our Wilson Decoding/Encoding class — a structured, explicit phonics program delivered in small groups, five days a week. Wilson is based on Orton-Gillingham principles and is widely considered a gold-standard intervention for students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences. It teaches the underlying structure of words — rather than memorization or guessing — so students learn to decode and spell independently, building from simple word patterns to complex, multi-syllable words through a systematic, cumulative curriculum.

Language Processing & Comprehension: Language & Literacy (Lindamood-Bell)

All students also participate in our Language & Literacy class, incorporating the Lindamood-Bell program, five days a week. Where Wilson focuses on the structure of written language, Lindamood-Bell targets the underlying sensory-cognitive skills that make reading and comprehension possible — helping students visualize sounds, words, and ideas so they can move beyond decoding into true understanding. This work is especially valuable for building reading comprehension, vocabulary, and critical thinking, and it supports students with a wide range of profiles, including dyslexia, auditory processing differences, and strong decoders who struggle with comprehension.

A Whole-Word Foundation: Edmark Reading Program

Alongside Wilson and Language & Literacy, students beyond our youngest grade level also build reading skills through the Edmark Reading Program, taught by their homeroom teachers as part of daily classroom instruction. Edmark is a research-based, whole-word approach that uses errorless learning and high repetition to build reading confidence from the ground up — giving students a second, complementary pathway into reading alongside the phonics-based instruction they receive in Wilson. Students build a strong sight-word foundation before advancing to phrases, sentences, and full stories.

Computer-Based Support: Learning A-Z & HearBuilder

Reading and language instruction is further reinforced through targeted computer-based tools. Learning A-Z provides leveled reading practice and comprehension activities matched to each student’s reading level, while HearBuilder offers targeted practice in auditory processing, listening comprehension, and language skills — giving students additional, individualized reinforcement of the skills they’re building in their core reading and language classes.

How It All Fits Together

Every Porter Academy student’s reading and language instruction is built from the same set of proven approaches, matched to how they learn:

• Zoo Phonics → foundational phonics and letter-sound skills for our youngest learners
• Wilson Decoding/Encoding → structured, systematic phonics and spelling instruction
• Language & Literacy (Lindamood-Bell) → the sensory-cognitive skills behind comprehension and language processing
• Edmark → a whole-word approach, taught by homeroom teachers, for all students beyond our youngest grade level
• Learning A-Z & HearBuilder → individualized computer-based reinforcement of reading and language skills

Together, these programs mean no Porter Academy student is limited to a single method of learning to read. Each child’s instruction is built around what actually works for them — matched to where they are today, and building toward where they’re headed next.