The Bridge

The Bridge at The Christ School serves students with dyslexia. Our compassionate and supportive teachers foster close relationships with their students. The Christ School Bridge teachers are highly-trained in the Orton-Gillingham (OG) approach and provide a unique, specialized program of instruction that meets the individual learner’s needs. In 2022, The Bridge at The Christ School became the first instructional program in the state of Florida to become accredited through the Orton-Gillingham Academy (OGA). It is one of only 18 schools in the nation to receive this distinction.

• We recognize the unique strengths of dyslexic learners. 
• Classrooms are built for the dyslexic mind to explore and grow.
• Our full-day program offers 1:10 teacher/student ratios.
• Small breakout groups with an average of 1:5 teacher/student ratios are in place for OG and math instruction. These small groups allow for individualized, diagnostic and prescriptive instruction.
• Multisensory teaching is one important aspect of instruction for dyslexic students. This style of teaching involves the use of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic/tactile pathways simultaneously to enhance memory and learning of written language. Links are consistently made between the visual (language we see), auditory (language we hear), and kinesthetic/tactile (language symbols we feel) pathways in learning to read and spell.

Orton-Gillingham Approach in The Bridge Dyslexia Program

The Orton-Gillingham approach was created by Dr. Samuel Torrey Orton, Anna Gillingham and Bessie Stillman to remediate the language processing challenges associated with dyslexia.

The Christ School Bridge utilizes this approach to teach the science of reading. What can appear to be an arbitrary and confusing system to a child with dyslexia becomes predictable and clear. Through multisensory practice and specialized instruction and specialized instruction, our dyslexic learners unlock the power of print. Our methodology uses a structured lesson plan involving visual, auditory, and kinesthetic/tactile learning. Phonemic awareness, phonics, morphology, grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension are taught using a systematic, cumulative, and sequential approach. Teachers design lesson plans based on careful observation and error analysis. Instruction addresses specific challenges unique to our students as opposed to delivering a scripted “one size fits all” program.

For further information about the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators visit www.ortonacademy.org