Dr. Heather L. Ramsdell utilizes Scottish Rite's Pre-flight (6 years and under) and Take Flight (7 years and older) curriculum in her therapy sessions. Scottish Rite's curriculum is a comprehensive intervention for students who struggle to read and those with dyslexia. The instructional approach is multisensory (visual, auditory, kinesthetic), process-oriented, systematic, sequential, cumulative, and meaning-based.
Each lesson systematically focuses on the five components of effective reading instruction supported by the National Reading Panel research meta-analysis and mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act:
Phonemic awareness: refers to awareness of individual sounds (phonemes) and their relationship to other sounds in words or syllables
Fluency: refers to the ability to read text with appropriate speed and accuracy
Phonics: refers to the relationship between how a word is spelled and how it is pronounced
Reading comprehension: refers to how well an individual can gain meaning from written text
Vocabulary: refers to the body of words that an individual understands
In addition to each lesson covering the above components of effective reading instruction, students also learn:
All 44 sounds of the English language, 96 letter – sound correspondence rules, and 87 affixes
Spelling rules for base words and derivatives
Lowercase cursive handwriting because it begins at a consistent starting point for each letter, reduces reversals of letters, and provides unique letter shapes for children
Correct pencil/pen grasp and writing position (e.g., feet flat, back straight, paper anchored with non-writing hand, paper parallel to writing arm, pencil pointing over shoulder)
OVERVIEW - Take Flight: - Is designed for small group instruction (4-6 students; but can also be implemented one on one). - Is provided for 45 minutes per day, five days a week, OR 6o minutes per day for four days a week. - Includes 132 lessons for a total of 230 hours of direct instruction. For more in-depth information about what these sessions may entail, see this document: Take Flight Deconstructed