Which feature characterizes a multisensory, explicit approach to starting readers, as exemplified by Orton-Gillingham?

• A. Systematic, cumulative, and multisensory instruction
• B. Random, unstructured activities
• C. Solely visual letter naming
• D. Listening-only activities with no movement

Answer: (A)

Starting readers well with a multisensory, explicit approach means teaching in a way that is planned, clear, and uses more than one sense to connect letters to sounds. In this approach, instruction is systematic: it follows a carefully designed sequence from simple to more complex skills, with objectives and checks along the way so students know what they are learning and why. It is also cumulative, meaning new skills build on previously learned ones, so decoding, blending, and encoding become integrated and reinforced over time.

The multisensory element is central: students engage multiple pathways—seeing the letter, hearing its sound, and using movement or touch to reinforce the connection. For example, they might trace a letter while articulating its sound or clap and manipulate objects to segment and blend phonemes. This engagement across senses helps solidify memory and retrieval, which is especially helpful for early readers as they learn to decode.

Explicit instruction is the other piece: the teacher clearly demonstrates tasks, provides guided practice, and offers feedback, so students understand exactly how to perform each skill. This combination—systematic progression, cumulative practice, multisensory engagement, and explicit modeling—aligns with how Orton-Gillingham approaches teaching reading, making it especially effective for beginning readers and for learners who struggle with phonics.

The other options don’t fit because they describe unstructured activities, a narrow visual focus, or listening-only work without movement, none of which provide the integrated, explicit, multisensory framework that supports solid phonics and decoding foundations.