The Barton Reading & Spelling System is an Orton-Gillingham influenced, multi-sensory, direct, explicit, structured and sequential program designed for intense intervention. The system is research and evidence based, and approved by the California, Colorado, and Arkansas Boards of Education. The program meets all requirements of No Child Left Behind and supports the Common Core. The Barton System will improve the spelling, reading, and writing skills of any student you know or suspect has dyslexia.
A Barton student must:
- Be at least 5 years old and in kindergarten
- Speak and comprehend spoken English
- This is not for students with receptive or expressive language disorders.
- This is not an ESL program- a non-native English speaker must be able to speak and understand spoken English at a second grade level.
- Have an IQ of 70 or higher
- Struggle with spelling when writing stories, and cannot easily sound out unknown words when reading. This system is not for students who can already read accurately and fluently, but struggle only with comprehension.
- Pass the 10 minute Barton Student Screening
*Students need a minimum of 2 hours of one-on-one tutoring per week, and can take 18-36 months for the student to complete the program. More sessions per week is always better for student progress.
For more information or to register, please contact:
Hadassa Meyers
Director of Educational Services
at 216.896.0111
Here are the steps in a Barton Lesson:
- Quick review of prior lesson.
- Phonemic awareness warmup.
- Teach new skill or rule, in color.
- Read & spell real words using new skill or rule, in color.
- Read & spell nonsense words using new skill or rule, in color.
- Read & spell both real and nonsense words,on paper, in black and white.
- Read & spell phrases on paper, in black and white for fluency as well as accuracy.
- Read & spell sentences on paper, in black and white
for fluency, accuracy, and phrasing.
- Read controlled-text stories on paper, in black and white, for fluency, accuracy, and phrasing. Also to check for comprehension.
- Extra practice pages can be done as seatwork or sent home.
Sight word teaching/practice is also included as part of each lesson, beginning with Level 3.
Barton Levels: The levels do not correspond to grade levels and all students begin with Level 1.
Level 1: Phonemic Awareness
We teach the 7 essential phonemic awareness skills as rapidly as possible.
Lesson 1: CV and VC nonsense words
Lesson 2: CVC nonsense words
Lesson 3: VCC nonsense words
Lesson 4: CCV nonsense words
Lesson 5: Rhyming & Real Words
Level 2: Consonants & Short Vowels
Lesson 1: A, B, F, M, P, S, T
Lesson 2: I, C, G, H, L, N, R
Lesson 3: O, D, J, K, V, Z
Lesson 4: U, W, X, Y, QU
Lesson 5: E, SH, TH, CH, WH, CK
Level 3: Closed & Unit Syllables
Lesson 1: Blends at the End
Lesson 2: Blends at the Beginning
Lesson 3: Blends at Both Ends
Lesson 4: Digraph & 3-Letter Blends
Lesson 5: Spelling–Floss
Lesson 6: Spelling–Kiss the Cat Rule
Lesson 7: Spelling–Milk Truck Rule
Lesson 8: Spelling–ING INK Units
Lesson 9: Spelling–Catch Lunch Rule
Lesson 10: Spelling–Contractions
Lesson 11: Spelling–Kind Old Units
Level 4: Multi-Syllable words and Vowel Teams
Lesson 1: Open Syllables
Lesson 2: Syllable Division Rule #1
Lesson 3: Syllable Division Rule #2
Lesson 4: Spelling–/k/ in the middle
Lesson 5: Spelling–Double Letters
Lesson 6: Spelling–Schwa
Lesson 7: Syllable Division Rule #3
Lesson 8: Syllable Division Rule #4
Lesson 9: Three-Syllable Words
Lesson 10: Spelling–The Banana Rule
Lesson 11: Spelling–The Confident Rule
Lesson 12: Spelling–Long A, E, I at End (Vowel Teams)
Lesson 13: Spelling–Long O, U at End (Vowel Teams)
Lesson 14: Spelling–Vowel Teams in Middle 3 (Vowel Teams)
Level 5: Prefixes & Suffixes
Lesson 1: Plurals–S versus ES
Lesson 2: Consonant Suffixes
Lesson 3: ED and ING, The Doubling Rule
Lesson 4: Other Sounds of ED
Lesson 5: Vowel Suffixes
Lesson 6: Spelling–The Change Rule
Lesson 7: Spelling–TION versus SION
Lesson 8: Prefixes: dis, in, un, non
Lesson 9: Prefixes: mis, sub, re, pre
Lesson 10: Prefixes: inter, mid, over, up
Level 6: Six Reasons for Silent-E
Lesson 1: Silent-E’s in One-Syllable words
Lesson 2: Syllable Division with Silent-E
Lesson 3: C’s and G’s with Silent-E’s
Lesson 4: Spelling–V at the End
Lesson 5: Spelling–The Huge Bridge Rule
Lesson 6: Spelling–The Dropping Rule
Lesson 7: Spelling–Tricky Suffixes
Lesson 8: Spelling–PH and Medial Y
Lesson 9: Unit–TURE
Lesson 10: Spelling–TION and SION
Lesson 11: Silent-E Units
Lesson 12: Consonant-LE Syllables
Lesson 13: Spelling–The Sprinkle Vehicle Rule
Lesson 14: Spelling–ABLE versus IBLE
Level 7: Vowel-R’s
Lesson 1: AR and OR
Lesson 2: ER, IR, and UR
Lesson 3: Vowel-R with Silent-E
Lesson 4: Prefixes & Suffixes with Vowel-R
Lesson 5: Spelling–Commodore Sailor Rule
Lesson 6: Bossy W
Lesson 7: Spelling–Edward the Lizard Rule
Lesson 8: The Three Sounds of EAR
Lesson 9: AR and ER can say /AIR/
Lesson 10: Word Endings ARY, ERY, and ORY
Lesson 11: Vowel-R Plus R
Level 8: Advanced Vowel Teams
Lesson 1: Spelling: India Indian Musician
Lesson 2: Spelling: Obvious Spacious Religious
Lesson 3: Spelling: Radio Union Million Region
Lesson 4: Spelling: Industrial Special Dial
Lesson 5: IE: Piece of Pie
Lesson 6: OI, OY, EY: Oil Boy, Turkey
Lesson 7: AU, AW: Audience Saw
Lesson 8: OO: Good Food
Lesson 9: OU, OW: Mouse Group, Slow Down
Lesson 10: EA: Clean Breath is Great
Lesson 11: IGH, AUGH, EIGH, EI
Lesson 12: EU, TU: Feud, Sleuth, Actual
Lesson 13: Split Vowels
Level 9: Influence of Foreign Languages
Lesson 1: Greek Words
Lesson 2: Silent Letter Pairs
Lesson 3: Words That End in I and INE
Lesson 4: French Words: QUE and CH
Lesson 5: French Words: AGE and 2 Suffixes
Lesson 6: French Words: Silent and Accented E
Lesson 7: French Words: Silent S and T plus EAU
Lesson 8: French Words: OUR
Lesson 9: Spelling: G, GU, and GUE
Level 10: Latin Roots & Greek Combining Forms
Lesson 1: Latin: Chameleon Prefix: IN
Lesson 2: Latin: Chameleon Prefix: CON
Lesson 3: Latin: Chameleon Prefixes: OB and SUB
Lesson 4: Latin: Chameleon Prefix: AB
Lesson 5: Latin: Chameleon Prefixes: EX and DIS
Lesson 6: Greek Combining Forms
Lesson 7: Greek Forms in Science
Lesson 8: Greek Forms in Math
Lesson 9: Greek Forms in Medicine
Lesson 10: Greek Forms in Social Studies