The “How” of the Slingerland Approach

In our last article, we explored what students learn through Structured Literacy—from phonemes and phonics to vocabulary and critical thinking.

But knowing what to teach is only part of effective instruction.

Imagine two teachers who both teach the same skills using the same curriculum. One consistently helps students succeed. The other struggles to make lessons stick.

What's the difference?

More often than not, it comes down to how instruction is delivered.

The International Dyslexia Association identifies a set of instructional principles that help students learn efficiently and confidently. 

In this article, we'll translate those principles into everyday language and explain why each one matters.

Plain Language Definitions of Instructional Principles

Explicit Instruction

• What does this mean? Teachers clearly explain and demonstrate each new skill instead of expecting students to figure it out on their own.

• Why does this matter? Students know exactly what they are learning and receive the guidance they need to build confidence and master new skills.

Systematic Instruction

• What does this mean? Skills are taught in a carefully planned order, with each lesson building on what students have already learned.

• Why does this matter? Students develop a strong foundation because they learn one step at a time instead of trying to leap gaps in their understanding.

Sequential and Cumulative

• What does this mean? New concepts are introduced from simple to more complex, while previously learned skills are regularly reviewed and strengthened.

• Why does this matter? Frequent review helps students remember what they have learned and apply it automatically as new skills are introduced.

Highly Interactive

• What does this mean? Students actively participate in every lesson by listening, speaking, reading, writing, answering questions, and practicing new skills with their teacher.

• Why does this matter? Active participation keeps students engaged and gives teachers many opportunities to check understanding and provide support.

Modality

• What does this mean? A modality is one of the ways we learn and communicate, such as through vision (seeing), hearing, speaking, touch, or movement.

• Why does this matter? The Slingerland Approach intentionally engages multiple modalities at the same time. By seeing, hearing, speaking, and writing simultaneously, students build stronger, more lasting connections that support reading, writing, spelling, and language development.

Multisensory (Multimodal)

• What does this mean? Students learn by using multiple pathways at the same time, such as seeing, hearing, speaking, writing, and moving.

• Why does this matter? Engaging multiple senses helps many students learn more effectively, remember new concepts, and apply their learning with greater confidence. This is especially important for students who have challenges learning through a particular modality as the stronger modalities will support and help develop the one they struggle with.

Mastery Oriented

• What does this mean? Students practice each skill until they can use it accurately and automatically before moving on to something more difficult.

• Why does this matter? Focusing on accuracy ensures the skill is learned correctly, and automaticity builds a strong foundation for future use of that skill.

Data Driven

• What does this mean? Teachers use observations, classwork, and formal and informal assessments to monitor each student's progress and guide instruction.

• Why does this matter? Instruction is based on what students actually need: helping every learner continue making progress.

Targeted Prompt Feedback

• What does this mean? Teachers provide immediate, specific feedback that helps students understand mistakes and learn the correct response.

• Why does this matter? Quick, helpful feedback celebrates what is done well and prevents errors from becoming habits. This helps students build skills more accurately.

Scaffolded

• What does this mean? Teachers provide the right amount of support while students learn a new skill and gradually remove that support as confidence and independence grow.

• Why does this matter? Students experience success without becoming overwhelmed and gradually learn to apply skills on their own.

Sufficient Practice

• What does this mean? Students have many opportunities to practice new skills in different ways until they become familiar and automatic.

• Why does this matter? Regular practice strengthens learning so students can focus less on individual skills and more on understanding and communicating ideas.

Purposeful Instructional Decisions

• What does this mean? Teachers intentionally choose activities, reading materials, and writing tasks that help students connect listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

• Why does this matter? Learning becomes more meaningful because students see how literacy skills work together in real communication and across all subjects.

We hope that this series of blog posts is a useful tool for parents and teachers alike so they can communicate more easily. 

In our next blog, we will go into the “why” of instructional practices. This is where the “what” and the “how” need to come together so students can learn.