Brandi Markham, Lower School Kindergarten Teacher
Unlocking the Magic of Reading: How McLean School’s Approach Empowers Young Learners
There is so much to love about being an early elementary educator, but one of the most rewarding parts of my job is helping students discover the magic of reading. Of course, it’s not magic at all—at McLean School, we believe in a scientific and structured literacy approach that benefits all students, including those with dyslexia and ADHD.
At McLean, we embrace the Science of Reading, which has replaced Balanced Literacy as the gold standard in many schools. Evidence-based methodologies like Orton-Gillingham have been cornerstones of our instruction for years, thanks to their explicit and multisensory techniques that meet the needs of a diverse range of learners. However, not all schools are equipped to fully implement these approaches—especially with class sizes exceeding 25 students or even in smaller groupings of 10 to 12.
McLean’s unique advantage lies in our commitment to small-group instruction. With an average of two teachers per Lower School classroom and a Reading Specialist, we are able to work with small groups of three to five students at a time. This has many benefits, including closer skill alignment in each group; ensuring targeted instruction; flexibility in teaching methods and pace; individualized progress monitoring; and ensuring engagement for all students while making learning fun. No one falls through the cracks!
At McLean, we also prioritize assessment to inform our instruction. Both teachers and the Reading Specialist complete three formal reading assessments annually, with the first at the start of the school year informing reading group placement. (McLean offers a Complimentary Reading Screening to any family concerned about their child’s reading ability!) We use Acadience, a reliable and comprehensive screener that evaluates phonemic awareness, phonics, reading comprehension, reading fluency, and more. This ensures that each student receives the right balance of support, enrichment, and challenge.
So what does a K/1 reading lesson at McLean look like?
Our reading groups meet for 45 minutes every morning (prime learning time!). A single class may have as many as three or four groups running simultaneously, each with its own dedicated teacher. This includes our Reading Specialist working with our most accommodated learners. The structure of these groups is designed to feel natural and inclusive, with an emphasis on meeting every student where they are. The groups are flexible and adjust as needed to reflect each student’s progress, ensuring instruction is always aligned with their current skills. This dynamic approach fosters a positive atmosphere where students view reading time as an exciting opportunity to grow and succeed at their own pace.
Each lesson starts with five minutes of phonological awareness exercises like counting syllables or listening for beginning sounds. Phonological awareness is an important part of the Orton-Gillingham approach, and we use Heggerty, a phonological awareness program, as a tool to strengthen these foundational skills.
Next comes reinforcement and review of previous skills learned through drills using sound cards (to cue students on letter-sound correspondence), auditory kinesthetic activities (where we engage the body through activities such as “spelling” sounds by writing them in the air, on whiteboards, or with pliables like Playdoh and Wikki Sticks), and a blending board (with its visual representation of how sounds join together to form words).
Each week, we introduce a new phonics skill. We play games and tie in relevant literature. We practice the new skill using both real and “nonsense words.” Nonsense words are made-up letter combinations that require students to rely on rules rather than memory or known vocabulary to decode. We also bring back the blending board to incorporate this latest skill. Finally, we delve into short texts commensurate with skills learned to date, also known as “decodables” or “just right” books.
We often close our lessons with word and sentence dictation: I say a word or sentence, and the students break it down into its separate sounds, a practice known as “encoding.” This is a good way for them to apply the skills they’ve just learned.
We will also layer in mini-lessons specific to “heart words” (high-frequency words with irregular spelling patterns), reading comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency a few times a week. But in all we do, our primary focus is building a strong foundation of phonological awareness in ways that are fast-paced, compelling, and fun.
As one of my kindergartners recently said, “English is HARD!” She’s not wrong—there’s a lot to learn, and the rules can be complex. That’s why, at McLean, we swear by the Science of Reading and explicit, systematic instruction in small groups. This approach ensures our students confidently transition from learning to read to reading to learn, setting them up for lifelong success.
McLean School, located outside of Washington, DC, in Potomac, Maryland, is a leader in reading instruction for K-12 students, including those with dyslexia. Learn more about our approach to teaching reading, view upcoming Reading Screenings, and consider visiting today.