RiL Method

Mission
The Language Tree
Approach
Steps to Learning
Teaching Principles
Research-Based
The Rooted Crew
Way to Grow!

Mission

Literacy is the single most important skill we teach children. The ability to read and write opens up a world of possibilities — and should be available to everyone. At Rooted in Language, our mission is to help all learners become the best readers and writers they can be. We share our knowledge and resources based on the Science of Reading. We share our strategies, based on our experience in speech & language therapy, reading & writing intervention, and linguistics. We provide all parents and educators with the knowledge and tools they need to help their students learn, especially students who struggle.

The Language Tree

The language tree represents how we approach literacy at Rooted in Language. We think of language as a tree . . . not a scope and sequence, or a path, but a living, breathing entity, fully formed, yet ever-growing.

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Approach

Rooted in Language provides a truly comprehensive approach to developing reading and writing skills, adhering to evidence-based best practices from the Science of Reading.

We focus on educating the educator, providing the tools you need to teach the many layers of literacy. We build your confidence — and your student’s confidence — as reading and writing skills flourish.

Rooted in Language provides literacy instruction using a combination of educator training classes and instructional materials. Our approach is comprehensive in four unique and critical ways:

Multimodal activities utilize the four language modes — listening, speaking, reading, and writing — which deepens learning and makes literacy practice more meaningful.

This approach starts with what students know, their oral language skills (phonology), and connects to what they are learning, their reading and writing skills. Students learn by connecting sound, meaning, and spelling.

Critical skills include:

  • phonological awareness — sound skills
  • orthographic knowledge — sound-to-letter connections and spelling patterns
  • morphological knowledge — word parts and their attached meanings and spellings
  • semantics — word meaning and vocabulary
  • syntax — grammar, word usage, sentence structure
  • pragmatics — rules governing the use of language, including prosody, phrasing, and executive functioning skills

It takes many years to learn the English spelling and writing system. Our LA Binder and Vowel Chart are key resources created by students to encourage their ownership in the learning process and to support new concepts as they progress from exposure to usage to mastery — all leading to student independence.

Steps to Learning

Rooted in Language creates a unique learning path for educators and students. We show educators how to provide explicit and systematic instruction that includes a variety of practice opportunities, as well as meaningful application in reading and writing. We teach students that learning is a journey, not a destination. Our methods allow students to gain knowledge in successful steps, because learning how to learn is the key to all future literacy growth and independence.

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Teaching Principles

Our resources develop and grow literacy learners of all ages — especially those who struggle. We train and coach the educator to apply modifications and adaptations for unique learners. We support dyslexia, dysgraphia, and developmental language disorders — the three most common causes of literacy delays.

  • We know that students learn best when they are encouraged and feel hopeful.
  • We know students are engaged when they understand the process.
  • We know students are inspired when they see their own words come to life in print!

We promote these teaching principles:

We must teach children at a pace they can manage. But no one learns to swim by sitting on a raft either, so educators need to encourage students’ hard work and resilience, showing each discouraged child that they can make progress and succeed by engaging in the process.

Every child wants to read and write. They do not choose to struggle, and any resistance is usually a response to their struggle. We show educators how to explicitly and systematically create small, successful steps for each student, smoothing rough patches in their literacy journey.

Knowing and caring for children instills trust and is crucial to their growth. We build the educator’s knowledge and confidence so you can have a positive and productive impact on your student’s lives.

At Rooted in Language, these ideals are evident in how we make ourselves available to the educator through our online community, live classes, free office hours, individual coaching sessions, and our year-long coaching class, Roots Entwined. We also share ideas and knowledge through our social media platforms.

For more on our Teaching Principles:

Research-Based

The term Science of Reading refers to a compilation of ongoing research gathered across many disciplines: neuroscience, cognitive science, education, communication science, and neuropsychology. This research has evolved in the last four plus decades, enriched by technological advances in brain studies. This term should be called the Science of Reading & Writing because investigations include writing and spelling, as well. Current research reveals that reading, writing, and spelling must be taught together.

Rooted in Language is committed to following this research, and we create classes and products using “best practice” strategies. Because there are gaps between the Science of Reading and “the science of teaching,” we fill those gaps by sharing our decades of instructional experience as speech-language pathologists, tutors, and interventionists.

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The Rooted Crew

Rooted in Language began with the mission to equip any English-speaking adult — whether homeschool educator, classroom teacher, tutor, or therapist — with the training and materials they need to teach all children to read and write, most especially those with learning struggles. Rita Cevasco, is a speech-language pathologist who built her life-long work on knowledge from the fields of communication sciences, cognitive science, reading education, and writing, using methods tested on her own students. In 2016, Rita co-created Rooted in Language with artist and resident grammarian, Tracy Molitors, to reach as many students as possible by bringing deep learning strategies to educators so they may, in turn, guide students toward significant literacy growth and progress.

RiL instructors have extensive training in research-supported intervention strategies including Wilson Reading System, Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing, Phono-graphix Reading Method, Structured Word Inquiry, Orton-Gillingham, and ongoing continuing education supported by IDA, ASHA, The Reading League, and other professional organizations.

Rita and Tracy are joined in this mission by three remarkable women, Moira Chrzanowski, MA, Claire Molitors, MA, and Linda Plass, BSBA, each of whom provide direct intervention to students or have experience as home educators.

All Rooted in Language products and classes are secular and do not promote one specific belief system; our employees, students, and community represent many backgrounds and world views.

Rooted in Language has no affiliation with the customers who use our products, including individuals, schools, and organizations. We are nonpolitical, and we do not necessarily share nor do we promote the views or philosophies of our customers.

Meet the team . . .

Rita Cevasco, MA, SLP-CCC, homeschooled her own children and has spent over forty years working as a speech-language pathologist and reading-writing specialist. Rita generates and oversees Rooted in Language’s teaching by curating and creating literacy-related instructional content. Her work focuses on children who struggle with developmental language disorders, dyslexia, and dysgraphia, and she is trained in Phonographix, Wilson, basic Orton-Gillingham, LiPPs, and SWI interventions. Rita reviews and studies the latest research on reading and writing to ensure RiL products and classes continue to follow evidence-based practices.

Tracy Molitors, who has an MBA in Quantitative Analysis, brings her skills in design, painting, and story-telling to create the teaching materials educators need. Tracy is a Renaissance woman with practical experience in education, language arts, and creating art classes and hands-on experiences for children. Tracy manages all design and development for Rooted in Language.

Moira Chrzanowski, MA, SLP-CCC, provides private therapy to students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and other language-based struggles. She teaches RiL classes and creates social media content that both informs and entertains. Moira is trained in Orton-Gillingham and LiPPs interventions. She manages RiL’s sharing and educating through social media while raising two young children.

Claire Molitors, who has an undergraduate degree in creative writing and a masters degree in linguistics, develops content and oversees its delivery, provides private intervention, and teaches RiL classes. She is trained in Orton-Gillingham and LiPPs interventions. Claire manages RiL’s educational technology while studying as a doctoral student in Instructional Technology.

Linda Plass is a former Certified Public Accountant turned homeschool educator. She was introduced to RiL when she first discovered some learning struggles with one of her children, prompting her to use every RiL product she could in her homeschooling. She later joined the Rooted Crew and now oversees RiL’s customer experience, manages editing, and shares her wisdom from the homeschool trenches. Linda has pursued a great deal of continuing education in the area of word study to satisfy her own interests and curiosity about the English language.