Really Great Reading

The curriculum employs explicit, teacher-directed instruction aligned with direct instruction principles.

Pedagogy Non Grata notes the program uses 'explicit and individualized instruction' and The Reading League describes it as 'primarily teacher-directed'

The curriculum demonstrates strong systematic phonics instruction with comprehensive scope and sequence aligned to the science of reading.

The Reading League found 'no red flags in Phonics and Phonic Decoding' and noted the curriculum 'emphasizes sound-symbol correspondences' with 'well-aligned student workbooks, word sorts, decoding and encoding practice'

The curriculum focuses primarily on foundational skills rather than systematic domain knowledge building across content areas.

The Reading League review identified 'limitations in reading comprehension instruction' and noted the curriculum lacks emphasis on complex literary texts and higher-order thinking

The curriculum uses controlled decodable texts that may not provide sufficient complexity progression for developing readers.

The Reading League notes students 'only read controlled text aligned with phonics skills' and the curriculum 'lacks emphasis on complex literary texts'

Writing instruction is limited to basic dictation and sentence work, with minimal composition instruction included in core materials.

The Reading League notes that 'for composition, learners primarily engage in word and sentence dictation, with optional Really Great Handwriting materials available for sentence structure instruction'

The curriculum primarily uses controlled, decodable texts aligned with phonics skills rather than whole books or authentic literature.

The Reading League review notes that 'students are only asked to read controlled text aligned with phonics skills, and read-alouds are not included in materials'

The curriculum appears to include teacher materials but some users report wanting more instructional support and guidance.

A homeschool user found it 'lacking sufficient teacher instruction' while the structured nature suggests some guidance is provided

The curriculum appears to include some review practices but may be lacking in sufficient spaced review according to some users.

A homeschool educator noted the program was 'lacking sufficient review' while teacher reports indicate students made progress through the structured approach

The curriculum includes some vocabulary work through the Heart Word Magic routine for high-frequency words but appears limited in comprehensive vocabulary instruction.

The Reading League review mentions 'Heart Word Magic routine for irregular high-frequency words' but does not indicate systematic vocabulary building beyond sight words