Your Role

Let’s walk through a session together.

“Could I really do this at home?”

The answer is yes. You’re not being asked to become a reading teacher.

Before your child begins, I’ve already assessed their reading, planned each lesson, and prepared every activity.

Your role is to guide your child through the session.

A Typical Session

A familiar rhythm, tailored to your child.

Most sessions take about 20–30 minutes.

  1. 1 Phonemic Awareness
  2. 2 Phonics
  3. 3 Targeted Reading
  4. 4 Spelling (Encoding)

Every session is different, yet the structure stays familiar.

See An Example

A Real Literacy Session

Open either example to see the type of directions parents receive during the program.

Phonemic Awareness Listen, remove, and change sounds

Compound Word Deletion

  • Say “highchair.” Now say “highchair” but don’t say “high.” (chair)
  • Say “nightlight.” Now say “nightlight” but don’t say “night.” (light)
  • Say “highway.” Now say “highway” but don’t say “high.” (way)

Sound Deletion

  • Say “bright.” Now say “bright” but don’t say /b/. (right)
  • Say “flight.” Now say “flight” but don’t say /f/. (light)
  • Say “fright.” Now say “fright” but don’t say /f/. (right)
  • Say “slight.” Now say “slight” but don’t say /s/. (light)
  • Say “sight.” Now say “sight” but don’t say /s/. (ight) Nonsense words are okay in phonological awareness.

Sound Substitution – Initial Sound

  • Say “light.” Change the /l/ in “light” to /n/. (night)
  • Say “fight.” Change the /f/ in “fight” to /m/. (might)
  • Say “right.” Change the /r/ in “right” to /t/. (tight)
  • Say “bright.” Change the /br/ in “bright” to /fr/. (fright)
  • Say “flight.” Change the /fl/ in “flight” to /sl/. (slight)
Phonics Learn and practice a spelling pattern

Explain

Say: “Today we’re learning a new spelling pattern. These three letters—i-g-h—work together to spell the long /ī/ sound, like in the word high. The g and h are silent. When you see igh, it says /ī/.”

Read

Read the following words to your child slowly.

  • igh → /ī/
  • light → /l/ /ī/ /t/
  • night → /n/ /ī/ /t/

Say: “Remember, igh says /ī/.”

Your Child Reads

Have your child read the following words.

  • high
  • light
  • night
  • right
  • sigh
  • bright
  • fight

Say: “Find the igh. What sound does it make?” (/ī/)

Map It

Using a whiteboard, map the words below one at a time. Follow the same protocol for each word.

  1. Say the word.
  2. Count the number of sounds. Example: night → /n/ + /igh/ + /t/ = 3 sounds, so draw 3 boxes.
  3. Draw the number of boxes.
  4. Map the letters into the correct boxes.
  5. Blend the word back together.
Example of mapping the word 'light' into sound boxes.
An example showing how one word is mapped into sound boxes before blending it back together.

Word List

  • high
  • sight
  • might
  • fight
  • bright
  • right

See It in Action

Watch the same guide being used.

As you watch, notice how closely I’m following the session guide you just read.

Where the Expertise Lives

I prepare the learning. You guide your child.

I’m not inventing the lesson as I go. I’m following the same carefully prepared guide you just read.

I prepare the learning

  • Assess your child’s reading
  • Plan each lesson
  • Choose the activities
  • Monitor progress
  • Adjust future sessions

You guide your child

  • Follow the session guide
  • Lead each activity
  • Encourage effort
  • Celebrate progress
  • Share what you notice

Ready to Talk?

Let’s talk about your child.

Share what you’ve been noticing, ask questions, and learn whether the Tailored Literacy Intervention Program may be a good fit for your family.

Start the Conversation

Want To Learn More?

Meet Annie Learn about Annie’s experience and how she partners with families.
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