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Ask the people in the room.
Parents, tutors, teachers and clinicians helping struggling readers, comparing notes in public. Ask a question, answer someone else's, and read what actually works between one reading session and the next.
A person reads every post before it goes live, usually within a day or two · Longer piece to share? Email gabe@lillory.com and we publish it as a guide with your byline
Discussions and resources
Decodable word lists by pattern
Common decodable words grouped by phonics pattern (short vowels, digraphs, silent-e, r-controlled, vowel teams). Every word checked to use only its stage graphemes. Free.
The structured literacy scope and sequence
The order decoding is taught, stage by stage, with the public sources that place each one. A free reference for tutors, clinicians and teachers.
Sound-spelling chart: every way to spell each sound
For each sound of English, the common ways to spell it, with an example word for every one. Filter by short vowels, long vowels, r-controlled, consonants and digraphs. Free.
Free printable reading practice log
A simple weekly log for the days between sessions: what a reader practiced, for how long, and how it went. Print it free, no sign-up. For tutors and families.
How to tell if a reading app is actually working
Most reading apps measure practice: minutes, streaks, lessons finished. Very few measure reading. How to tell the difference, plus five questions to ask any reading app.
Signs of dyslexia by age (with a printable checklist)
The signs of dyslexia look different at each age. What to watch for from preschool through the school years, what a pattern means, and when to ask for an evaluation. Free printable checklist.
How to get your child evaluated for dyslexia
Who evaluates children for dyslexia, how to find a good evaluator, what the evaluation tests, what it costs, and how to prepare. With a printable list of questions to ask.
Reading milestones by grade: is my child behind?
What reading looks like at each grade from preschool through fifth, the normal range, and how to tell an ordinary wobble from a real gap. A calm guide for parents.
Structured literacy, explained
What structured literacy is in plain terms, how it differs from teaching children to guess at words, and why it works for readers who struggle.
Signs a child is struggling with reading
What reading difficulty looks like at home and at school, what each sign means, what helps starting tonight, and when to ask for an evaluation.
How a reading evaluation works
What a reading or dyslexia evaluation involves, who does it, when to ask for one at school or privately, and how to arrive with a record instead of a memory.
How to teach consonant digraphs, step by step
Two letters, one new sound. How to teach sh, ch and th, plus the ck and doubling that travel with them, so a reader reads the pair as one.
How to teach r-controlled vowels, step by step
When r takes charge of the vowel. Teach ar and or first, then the three spellings of one sound: er, ir and ur, with spelling as the real work.
Word mapping: connecting sounds to spellings
The small routine that turns a word from a guess into something stored: say it, break it into sounds, and match each sound to the letters that spell it.
How to teach a closed syllable, step by step
The first and most important syllable type, taught from a single sound to reading and spelling whole words.
Silent-e: teaching the first long-vowel pattern
The pattern that makes a vowel say its name. How to teach the vowel-consonant-e syllable so it holds.
How to use decodable word lists in a lesson
Match the list to the skill, then use it for blending, dictation and a quick daily check.
Turning a paper Orton-Gillingham lesson into daily practice
An hour-long lesson, then days of nothing. How to carry the exact skill into the week, in a form a child will do.
How to use a scope and sequence to decide what to teach next
Place a reader, pick the next skill, and find the gap when progress stalls, using the order a sequence gives you.
What to practice between reading sessions, by stage
A parents short list for the days between sessions: the right thing to practice at each stage, kept calm.
Practice between sessions: the gap nobody's tool fills
A tutor teaches for one hour. The week has 167 more. What the research says about the space between sessions, and why it decides more than the lesson does.
How to read a reading progress report without being fooled
Three questions that expose whether a reading chart means anything: what words were tested, when, and how sure is sure.
Can a child outgrow dyslexia, or does it go away on its own?
My child still mixes up b and d. Is that a sign of dyslexia?
My child can read the words but does not remember or understand what they read. Why?
My child hates reading and avoids it completely. What actually helped yours?
My older child still struggles to read. Is it too late to catch up?
My child says they feel stupid because reading is hard. How do you handle that?
Is it dyslexia or ADHD? How did you tell them apart?
My child reads slowly, word by word. How do you build reading fluency?
Why is my child's spelling so bad, and does it mean dyslexia?
How do you teach sight words to a child who cannot hold on to them?
Homeschooling a child with dyslexia: where did you start?
Is the science of reading just phonics, or something more?
What sound and letter games actually help a child before they can read?
Our home speaks two languages. How does that affect learning to read?
How do you find decodable books your child can actually read?
Tutors: how do you keep your materials organized across a full caseload?
What belongs in a reading practice log you would actually trust?
How much time does your child spend in Lillory each week?
What do you do when reading practice ends in tears?
Tutors: how do you keep momentum through vacations and busy weeks?
Teachers and clinicians: what has to be true before you trust a progress chart?
How long does reading tutoring take before you notice change at home?
My child guesses at words instead of sounding them out. What helped yours?
Tutors: what do you send home between sessions that actually gets done?
How do you show parents real progress without drowning them in charts?
Teachers: how do you fit one struggling reader's practice into a full classroom day?
SLPs and psychologists: what do you wish tutors sent you before an evaluation?
What helps reading practice carry over from the resource room to the classroom?
How do you use volunteers and aides for reading practice without specialist training?
Teachers: what do you say at conferences when reading is behind?
Why does my child know a word one day and lose it the next?
What do you do when a child refuses to read out loud?
Audiobooks while learning to read: help, crutch, or both?
Tutors: what do you change when progress stalls for a month?
What do you tell parents in the first session so the whole year goes well?
How do you walk parents through an evaluation report without losing them?
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