300 Lessons for STRUGGLING READERS or students with DYSLEXIA
Power Tools for Literacy targets the problems of struggling readers, students with learning differences or dyslexia, and English learners. Based on Orton Gillingham principles, Power Tools for Literacy consists of 300 systematic, multisensory lessons that sustain motivation and bring about rapid improvement in reading, spelling, and vocabulary. Become an expert in teaching phonics, syllable patterns, syllabification rules, as well as Anglo-Saxon, Latin and Greek morphemes.

Intended for individual or group instruction, Power Tools for Literacy is designed for grades 3-12. (Many teachers have successfully used the easier lessons with 2nd graders.) The look and feel of the lessons is appropriate for any age group; material that appears tailored to young children has been avoided.
After extensive research, The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development validated the importance of teaching phonics. The NICHHD report states,
"For those children who are at risk for reading failure, highly direct and systematic instruction to develop phonemic awareness and phonics skills is required."
In keeping with this principle, the 300 lessons in this program show students how to analyze or “chunk” words into predictable segments including phonemes, syllables, base words, prefixes, suffixes, and Latin/Greek word elements. Mastering these phonograms and morphemes enables students to decode one-syllable and polysyllabic words with accuracy.
A Special Education teacher who has used this program remarks:
"Power Tools for Literacy breaks down an otherwise confusing reading and spelling process into a meaningful, manageable, and completely logical system. The coding component allows my students to recognize word structures, making word analysis automatic. Consequently, my students' reading and spelling functions improve dramatically, confidence levels soar, and overall school performance is elevated."
-Beverly Clayton, Resource Specialist
Jacqui Albano, a middle school teacher, commented, "I like it because the kids like it!"
This is how a former student describes her experience with the program:
"Memorizing words never worked for me because I'm dyslexic. When I entered 6th grade, I was reading at the second grade level. Ms. Rau's method put forth the English language in a way that made sense to me. Learning about different word types, prefixes, suffixes, and root words was understandable. In three short years, I was caught up to grade level and able to enter the regular curriculum. I now have a Ph.D. and couldn't have done it without Mrs. Rau's instruction."
-Sara Hawtrey-Jones, Ph.D.
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