What makes Pinwheels different?
- Pinwheels is based on research-supported strategies and approaches from the Science of Reading.
- Pinwheels supports all learners, including those who struggle with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and developmental language disorders — the three most common causes of literacy delays.
- Activities and practice are both multisensory and multimodal, meaning that they use more than one mode of language—listening, speaking, reading, or writing.
- Throughout Pinwheels, reading, writing, and spelling are taught together. Research supports teaching these in combination to provide for deep learning of new concepts.
- Explicit lessons in every area of language arts include educator scripts and student materials that are meaningful and fun.
- The practice of Intentional Copywork, Dictation & Editing is incorporated throughout, in a developmentally appropriate way.
- Strategic review is folded in throughout the program to solidify key concepts in long-term memory.
- Student assessments are provided to help educators determine which concepts have been mastered vs. concepts where students need more targeted practice. Assessments are also a means to measure growth over time.
- Professional development is built in for the educator. As you teach, you will learn the why as well as the how, gaining universally usable strategies along with the know-how and confidence to apply them.
- Pinwheels is delivered through the online learning platform, Thinkific, for flexible engagement with materials and videos.
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Where do I start with Pinwheels?
Start with Pinwheels Year 1 if your students:
- are new to reading, writing, and spelling
- do not know the primary sounds of most letters
- cannot read and spelling most simple 3-sound words
- do not know most short vowel sounds
Start with Pinwheels Year 2 if your students:
- can read and write most letters, and say their primary sounds
- can read and spell most words with short vowel sounds
- do not write and spell words with blends or multiple syllables
- cannot spell with basic vowel teams and Silent-e
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How long will it take to complete Pinwheels Year 1 or Year 2?
Each Pinwheels product is designed to be completed in approximately one school year. However, actual completion time is dependent upon many factors, including your instructional hours per week, as well as each student’s learning pace and need for modifications.
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With limited language arts time in my school day, will I be able to complete Pinwheels within the school year?
Pinwheels contains an abundance of practice activities that use different approaches and modalities. This allows the educator to split practice activities for each new concept between home and school. Teachers can vary the types of classroom activities, choosing which would provide great support as homework. We recommend that the school suggest to all parents that having their own copy of Pinwheels at home will provide deeper understanding and let them best support their children's growth in these critical life skills. The Pinwheels School License includes a Parent Letter to send home that provides an explanation of the program.
If a classroom does not complete all the material in a designated year, the Pinwheels School License includes all of Pinwheels Year 1 and Pinwheels Year 2 for the entire school location, allowing for a flexible start and stop within the program.
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Who should use Pinwheels?
- Pinwheels Year 1 is designed for the average 5-6 year old. However, Pinwheels targets a skill level rather than an age. This means that older students who need support in the acquisition of early literacy skills, alphabet knowledge, and letter formation should use Pinwheels.
- Pinwheels Year 2 is designed for the average 6-7 year old. However, Pinwheels targets a skill level rather than an age. This means that older students who need support as they begin to consolidate early reading, writing, and spelling knowledge should use Pinwheels.
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Can Pinwheels be used to teach older students?
Yes. Pinwheels is designed to support students who have dyslexia, dysgraphia, and/or developmental language disorders—the three most common causes of literacy delays. Learners with these language-based struggles have unexpected gaps in their literacy knowledge that impede progress. Because Pinwheels is so thorough in its approach and develops foundational writing skills, both educators and older students benefit from working with this program. Note: Some of the content may be a review, but the explicit lessons strengthen foundational skills. Supplemental reading material may be needed.
Because Pinwheels Year 1 focuses on building a solid sound-to-letter foundation, it is appropriate for older students who are not writing. Older students with dysgraphia benefit from Year 1’s slower writing pace, sound-to-letter practice, and reduced writing demands.
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Can Pinwheels be used to teach students with language delays?
Yes. Pinwheels is designed to support students who have dyslexia, dysgraphia, and/or developmental language disorders—the three most common causes of literacy delays. Learners who struggle will experience a slower learning pace and increased cognitive fatigue, resulting in reduced attention. In addition, writing tasks pose a particular challenge. Pinwheels is designed with short lessons which easily modify the daily pace. Hands-on manipulatives, games, and extra practice activities are abundant—essential tools for the struggling learner. Extra practice is built in the program, and educator guidance is provided.
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What if my students need a quicker pace?
Pinwheels provides numerous engaging practice opportunities. If your students are advancing rapidly and need a quicker pace, units in Year 1 can be combined to introduce more than one letter at a time. In Year 2, teachers can reduce familiar practice and focus on the more challenging activities. Be sure to do some practice for every new concept before moving on.
Many students will progress more rapidly in their reading skills than in their writing skills. Because writing is the deepest form of learning, always include the writing practice activities so students have additional time for writing skills to progress. As students increase their reading skills, you can provide supplemental reading practice at their increasing levels.
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Do you have an alternative to printing and cutting all those Letter Tiles?
Yes. Treasures from Jennifer has created two wooden Rooted in Language Letter Tile sets — coins and square tiles.
The RiL Letter Tile set represents all the tiles for the complete code, including spellings that are beyond the scope of Pinwheels. The student’s working set of Letter Tiles should only include the sounds and spellings that have been explicitly taught. It will grow over time. Store the remaining Letter Tiles separately, for future use.
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What supplies do I need to teach with Pinwheels?
- A detailed Materials List is provided in the Pinwheels Plan & Prep PDF and the Print & Setup module on Thinkific.
- Most of the supplies needed are typical office and school supplies. Some craft supplies are also needed.
- Paper - The Print & Setup module on Thinkific provides guidance for each document; 24lb. paper is recommended for double-sided printing; 28lb. paper is recommended for readers (24 lb. paper optional); cardstock is recommended for some Appendix materials
- Lamination is not required, although we note when lamination may be beneficial for specific materials.
- Documents can be stored in 3-ring binders or in folders by unit, depending on user preference.
- Student binders are recommended for specific purposes; details are provided on the Materials list.
