Teachers & Tutors are Saying . . .

“Rooted in Language understands that a teacher must be equipped well in order to teach reading. Therefore the program has explicit instructions to aid the teacher while even more importantly providing demonstrations and training on how to teach reading. Rooted in Language is not just a curriculum, it is a resource center for faculty. From working with pre-readers first learning to read, to older students struggling with comprehension, Rooted in Language provides the support and tools necessary for instruction. Teachers have access to ideas and material that equip them to work with all types of learners and develop the important deep skill of reading and using words well.” ~ Heather Lloyd, Executive Director, Concordis Education Partners

 

“My students and I enjoy the step-by-step approach to early literacy in Pinwheels.  We can smoothly go from one unit to another without feeling any pressure or anxiety about grasping a new concept.  The curriculum has many multimodal and multisensory activities, ideal for ESL students. It makes teaching so much easier!” ~ Celvina, ESL Teacher

 

“I appreciate all your work on this curriculum.  It is wonderful and working well in our classroom!” ~ Annette, Classroom Teacher

 

“Wow! Just so overcome with feeling like after almost 25 years of teaching (both as an English teacher in schools and homeschooling) that it’s all FINALLY coming together. Amazing! Read Trees in the Forest, people. Read. It. Thank you, Rita and Tracy, for this lovely book.” ~ Carrie, Home Educator & Former Classroom Teacher

 

“I use Pinwheels in coordination with parents for their weekly language arts program. I teach the Pinwheels explicit lessons, and my students take home the practice and workbook activities as homework. The Pinwheels Educator Guide is invaluable! It not only gives explicit detailed plans to teach successfully, but it also explains the science and reasoning for the activities that are in each lesson.” ~ Lisa, OG Trained Reading & Writing Tutor

 

“As a former public school teacher I was extremely particular about the curriculum we utilize with our daughters. Pinwheels was the only one that fit all my personal boxes.” Katie, Former Classroom Teacher

 

“I tutor a student who has had struggles in the past with blending sounds and keeping sounds straight from left to right. I had to completely start over in my approach with her which I did with Pinwheels Year 1. Today she did a quick round of letter tiles with 3-letter words and said she felt ready to read ‘Bob’ and she did! She read it with very few stumbles. I’m so excited—this is such a big win. She’s 8 and though I’ve been working with her for 2 years, we just were not getting anywhere. Today feels awesome! Thank you RIL.” ~ Julia, Tutor

 

“I just wanted to say THANK YOU for creating such an incredible language arts program! We are absolutely LOVING it! My Kinder is such a hands-on learner and he is excelling with Pinwheels! We do a hybrid homeschool so he does another program two days a week, and Pinwheels is where he finds true joy in reading and learning. THANK YOU for this gift! As a former teacher, I wish everyone could use this program!” ~ Molly, Home Educator & Former Classroom Teacher

 

“The highlight of my day was one of my students sharing that he is using the things I am teaching him all the time at school, and they are things the other students don't know! He is 9, has ADHD, and this is our second year working together. We started with Pinwheels Year 1; now we are in Pinwheels Year 2. We aren't working at his grade level. We are filling gaps and developing his foundational skills, which is supporting his ability to make progress. He is now testing at grade level and doing amazing! I love how his confidence and enthusiasm have grown and that he sees value in what he learns in tutoring. Thank you Rooted Crew for the great things you are doing to make your approach available to more struggling learners!” ~ Kelli, Tutor & Former Home Educator

 

“The Foundations course is PHENOMENAL! I'm loving the synthesis of information and the Thinkific platform is incredibly functional and so well organized. I am appreciating the review and updates based on the most current research. This is such an incredible value... I really can't say enough about it! Today I was reminded about how my education coursework was often broken into theory and practice/methods. This workshop feels like a class that encompasses both. I have learned SO much from RiL due to their research-based, speech language pathology informed approach!”  ~ Jenn, Home Educator & Former Classroom Teacher

 

“The Foundations class has helped equip our teachers to understand the many processes that go into teaching students to be strong readers and writers. Foundations is a very thorough course, covering all aspects needed to teach literacy, with many practical teaching demonstrations. We now have a broader range of strategies to support and help our young scholars!” Carmela, ESL School Director

 

“I used the Grammar Bugs program with a Deaf middle school student last year. This student came to me unable to write a simple, grammatically correct sentence in English. His primary language is ASL and his writing reflected that. Following completion of the program, he wrote his own short story using the visuals to write and edit his own work with minimal support. This student is an example of how the visual nature of your products can help Deaf learners!” ~ Andrea, Speech-Language Pathologist

 

“Looking for an effective, multisensory way to present grammar to students of any age? Check out Grammar Bugs. Research on best practice for teaching grammar has found teaching grammar in the context of the student’s reading and writing provides the ‘glue’ that helps develop both skills.” ~ Anita, OG Tutor & Language Arts Instructor

 

“Writing sets Pinwheels apart! Pinwheels incorporates writing from the start which serves to strengthen and improve reading skills. As a tutor, Pinwheels is the most flexible and adaptable curriculum I have found. Other programs separate skills and move too fast. Pinwheels teaches each discrete skill and the consolidation of those skills in an explicit and systematic way, and it was especially designed to teach students with dyslexia and other literacy struggles. It has everything I need and more. The program gives me the flexibility to individualize instruction, selecting lessons and activities to match my students' needs. I may not use all that is there for each student, but it’s all there if I need it!” ~ Kelli, Tutor & Former Home Educator

 

“I really appreciate all these insights from the SLP's perspective and the clinician's perspective of working with students with learning differences. I can't tell you how many times I've wished I earned my master's as an SLP instead of a reading specialist.  Thank you for sharing your specialized knowledge. You're really breaking down the skill set of learning to read and write into these subskills that others don’t acknowledge or teach us (educators) to do. . . . It's always reassuring to hear about your honest experiences working with struggling learners and how we can adjust our teaching and planning - short term and long term. This is valuable for all students but critical for those who struggle.” ~ Jennifer, Dyslexia Specialist

 

“As a former teacher, trained in Orton Gillingham literacy, Rooted in Language is the ONLY curriculum that I found that fits what is considered research-based literacy instruction in true practice. I won’t do any other curriculum with my kiddos. ” ~ Alyssa, OG Trained Former Teacher

 

“Rooted in Language is the real deal. It works. I’m a special education teacher, and I believe it’s better than any school curriculum that I’ve seen.” ~ Kaitlyn, Special Education Teacher

 

“I so wish that I had access to this knowledge when I was a practicing school psychologist! I have learned so much more about evidence-based literacy instruction and supporting struggling learners from this class than I ever learned during my 3 years of graduate study. Thank you, Rooted Crew, for sharing your expertise and providing us with such powerful and transformative knowledge!” ~ Danielle, Former School Psychologist

 

“Wow!! The content I learned through the Grammar & Mechanics course was inspiring and tangible. The Rooted in Language staff clearly explained the importance grammar plays in writing, reading comprehension, and editing. This is the best professional development I have encountered.” ~ Alexis, 8th grade English teacher