Learning to read unlocks the door to a world of adventure, knowledge and wisdom. Yet learning to read can be difficult. The 26 letters of our alphabet represent over 40 speech sounds, and are used to spell more than a million English words – too many to memorize! 

Many students struggle through the complicated process of learning to read, in part because they do not understand how the alphabet code works. Careful instruction in the alphabet code and phonics simplifies this process, and is essential for confident reading and spelling. The goal of our Helpful Hints for Reading* manual is to provide you with a guide to these basic principles. 

*Helpful Hints for Reading was commissioned by the Academy of Columbia of the Central Carolina Community Foundation, and is co-authored by Orton-Gillingham-trained tutors Tracey Ely and Georgia Brennecke under the supervision of Janet Jones, Fellow/AOGPE.