Core Reading targets struggling teen readers with multisyllable word rhythm

Core Reading, a literacy program from Matthew Glavach, Ph.D., says it helps middle and high school students make major reading gains by teaching the rhythm and patterns inside multisyllable words. The program was selected by the White House as one of the two best reading programs in California and is available on Amazon for $34.95.

Why it matters: - Core Reading is aimed at middle and high school students who have fallen behind in reading and need age-appropriate instruction that connects to the academic vocabulary used in science, history, biology and social studies. - The program says it can help students rebuild decoding, fluency and comprehension while restoring confidence in readers who have been stuck in remediation cycles. - School implementations reported average gains of three to six years of reading progress in a single school year.

What happened: - Matthew Glavach, Ph.D., founder of StrugglingReaders.com, created Core Reading around the idea that multisyllable words contain natural rhythm, timing and patterned endings that can be taught directly. - Core Reading was selected by the White House as one of the two best reading programs in California. - The program is designed for students in middle and high school who struggle with reading.

The details: - Core Reading includes 25 structured lessons. - The lessons are designed to move students from about a third-grade reading level to about a 11th-grade reading level. - Each lesson combines decoding of multisyllable and rhyming word patterns with 25 timed reading selections. - The selections are tied to core curriculum subjects, including science, history and social studies. - The program focuses on word endings, suffixes and recurring sound patterns as a way to teach decoding beyond early phonics. - Example word groups include remember, November, October and December; message, passage, village, advantage and percentage; and station, vacation, examination, relation, population and organization. - These rhythmic clusters became the basis of Core Reading and later Dr. Glavach’s book, How to Short Circuit Reading Intervention. - Core Reading is available on Amazon for $34.95. - The program may be duplicated for individual classroom use.

Between the lines: - The release argues that many struggling adolescents lose progress over summer and return to school facing the same remedial work, while Core Reading is meant to replace that cycle with more engaging, content-based tasks. - The approach suggests that older students may benefit from patterns in multisyllable vocabulary that are usually not emphasized after early phonics instruction ends around third grade. - The testimonials point to unusually fast gains and stronger student engagement, though those comments are anecdotal.

What's next: - Core Reading appears positioned for use in classrooms serving struggling teen readers and in state and federal literacy projects. - The book How to Short Circuit Reading Intervention extends the same concept into print. - Educators interested in the program can contact Glavach & Associates or StrugglingReaders.com at +1 707-894-5047.