Wilson Program Comparison
How is the We All Can Read Program
similar to the Wilson Reading System?
Both the Wilson System and the We All Can Read Program share many similarities in their target audience, curriculum and teaching philosophy. But each program serves a separate niche as well.
One Critical Difference Between
the Wilson System and the We All Can Read Program
These two programs diverge on one critical point. The We All Can Read Program from the outset was predicated on the instructional model that one does not have to be a reading expert to teach another to read. Our entire program is accessible online and is intended for use by parents, teachers, tutors, and adult students who are learning independently. Prior teacher training is not necessary to implement our science-based, Orton-Gillingham instruction. The Wilson System, on the other hand, is developed primarily for use by reading specialists and requires a great deal of professional training in order to become certified to teach the program. Students are not able to work independently online in order to proceed through the Wilson System; students must be taught by an instructor.
Both programs offer a valuable model. The Wilson Program through its certified teacher-training curriculum has created a growing cadre of thousands of reading specialists grounded in the science of effective, research-based reading instruction. At a time when many of our teaching colleges and universities continue to fail us in providing research-based, teacher training programs grounded in the science of reading, the Wilson Program continues to provide materials and training aligned to the scientific principles of reading instruction.
The We All Can Read Program is also aligned to the teaching of science-based reading instruction and committed to the dissemination of this information through the materials it publishes. However, our focus is in making our hands-on program accessible not only for the reading specialist but also for parents, volunteer tutors, and older students and adults working independently. Prior training is not necessary to proceed through our 720 online lessons. Parents with or without a college degree are able to teach their children to read and spell with our online curriculum.
The Many Similarities Between
the Wilson System and We All Can Read
Both programs offer instruction for students in the third grade to adults (second grade to adult for the Wilson System) who struggle in reading. Both programs teach explicit phonics utilizing a systematic and multisensory method. Many students using these programs have been labeled as learning disabled or dyslexic. Both programs teach phonemic awareness, phonics and alphabetic understanding, decoding accuracy and fluency, and vocabulary and spelling.
Other Similarities in Curriculum between
the Wilson System and We All Can Read
Nonsense Words: Extensive use of nonsense words is made to require students to rely upon their knowledge of the phonetic code to read and spell words. No guessing is permitted.
Decodable/Controlled Text: Extensive use is made of decodable or controlled text in words lists, sentences, and short stories. Decodable/Controlled text is text that is composed of words that primarily contain only those phonetic elements that have been previously introduced. Words containing phonic elements not yet taught in these programs are not included in the lessons.
Redundancy: Both programs provide an abundance of lessons using words, sentences and stories to illustrate each concept as it is introduced. Students have ample material to access to learn each new skill.
Review: Each new concept once introduced is continually reviewed and repeated in subsequent lessons.
Reading and Spelling: Both skills of reading and spelling are taught simultaneously. Reading and spelling are mutually reinforcing activities which when used in tandem promote the understanding of the sound/symbol relationship of the English alphabet.
Assessment: Both programs integrate assessment organically into the curriculum. Assessment is critical because lessons are cumulative, and students must demonstrate mastery before being permitted to proceed to subsequent lessons.
Analytic: Students are taught to analyze and identify the phonetic components within words in a systematic way. Both programs teach a marking system students use to identify various phonetic elements in words such as the silent e, consonant teams, and vowel teams.