Teachers and parents have questions.

​Q: Why is the English Spelling Code so complex?

A: The English language isn’t "pure." It’s an amalgamation of several different languages that merged over time. This is a consequence of the invasions of England by the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Danish Vikings, and Norman French. As England proceeded to conquer and colonize many foreign lands, its spelling code became even more complex, and today we have a spelling code made up of over 350 languages. English has a tendency to absorb foreign spelling codes, rather than to align them with an established spelling code. It’s considered the most complex written code in the world.

Q: What makes the RFL curriculum different from other curriculums?

A: Reading For Life’s curriculum is based on a thorough understanding of the English Alphabet Code, and child development. Through fun and engaging lessons, young children quickly unlock the code and experience success. We systematically teach all the relevant knowledge and skills involved with reading, writing, and spelling.

Our curriculum makes teaching/learning the code straightforward for teachers and students. In fact, students learn without being ‘taught.’ Children have an uncanny ability to recognize patterns, and when they read and sort word cards, they get the sense of discovering spelling patterns themselves. Students become empowered as they learn to practice these words through several distinct lessons. Students use worksheets which make these lessons easy to do. Week by week, Students independently practice the entire spelling code with our curriculum as the framework.

The four levels of our curriculum include instructive code charts, sets of word cards, worksheets, assessments, and a teacher’s manual. Lessons are easy to scaffold for different learning styles and ability levels.

Q: My child has a learning disability. Can they still become a fluent reader and good speller?

A: There are many individual differences between us human beings. It takes different approaches for children with learning differences. We work with students who’ve been labeled dyslexic, with students who are autistic, have Downs Syndrome, speech disorders, auditory processing disorders, and ADD. We like to find each student’s strengths, as well as identify areas that need development. Then we create an individualized plan to train crucial literacy skills and knowledge. We hold the firm belief that nearly EVERY child can learn to read and write, given the opportunity.

​Q: My child is 'dyslexic.' Is there something wrong with their brain?

A: This is a very important question to ask - it's estimated that up to 20% of Americans are dyslexic. However, dyslexia is a phenomenon unique to countries like ours with a complex spelling code. In countries with a transparent code, dyslexia simply does not exist! Dyslexia, from the Greek, literally means the inability to read. There is a tendency in our country to pin reading difficulties on the child himself, often using soft science to suggest a child has brain differences, or "bad genes" for reading. We suggest it’s not the fault of students or teachers - 'dyslexia' results from an inability to understand and properly address the complex nature of the English alphabet code. Given proper instruction, any dyslexic child can make significant gains with their literacy skills.

My child is dyslexic. Can the RFL Curriculum work for them?

A: Dyslexia is often a result of English’s complexity, combined with ineffective teaching methods. The logic of the code is destroyed when it’s taught with a print-to-sound orientation. The actual code gets obscured when children are taught a reflexive knowledge of letter names, rather than phonemes, cleanly produced. And finally, when there’s an over-emphasis on sight words in the early grades, kids are misled into using a ‘whole words’ strategy for reading.

In addition to the above reasons, many children have individual differences which affect their ability to master written English. These students have a deficit in one or more areas, and need effective and timely help. Here are the areas dyslexics tend to have deficits in: naming fluency, visual memory, visual discernment, directionality, auditory processing, auditory memory, processing speed, code knowledge, and confidence.

The RFL curriculum has specific lessons for remediating skills deficits. When children receive targeted help and adequate practice, they CAN overcome their difficulty with reading and writing.

Q: What’s wrong with public school reading instruction?

A: 130 million Americans—54% of adults between the ages of 16 and 74 years old—lack proficiency in literacy, essentially reading below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level. 21% of adults in the US read below a third grade level–that’s 1 in 5 people!

The explanation for this is clear - our public schools are not doing a decent job teaching beginning literacy. State mandated reading curriculum does not address the true nature of the English Alphabet Code. The code is taught backwards, making its inherent logic hard to decipher. This is especially true for children with learning disabilities.

Reading failure is not the fault of teachers, parents, and curriculum designers. They simply don't know how the code works. The complexity of the code has escaped understanding for hundreds of years.