Hill Learning Center recently launched updated Hill Readers – a series of 13 phonetically controlled, decodable texts that are designed to complement the Hill Reading Achievement Program (HillRAP); they can be used independently or also to supplement any Orton-Gillingham influenced reading program. The Readers not only have a new look; they have also been reviewed and updated, by author and editor, Ronni Davis, to reflect improved cultural responsiveness.
Based in Chicago, IL, Ronni began her editorial career with McGraw-Hill and has gone on to work with various publishing companies and consulting firms and has also written two of her own novels. Given that Hill’s work spans far from the walls of our campus in Durham, NC, and the stories should reflect the range of different backgrounds our educators and students experience, having Ronni’s check for authenticity was a top priority.
The Hill Readers are aligned with the HillRAP word attack phonics sequence, and each text (Grades K-4) focuses on specific phonetic patterns with high-frequency words introduced at the beginning of each story. Comprehension questions, based on the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (2001), are included. Hill Readers give emerging readers the opportunity to apply learned phonics skills, and transition to a focus on comprehension.