LearnUp is about more than phonics. It’s about reading.

LearnUp uses a multidisciplinary structured phonics curriculum with proprietary chapter books so students can practice their new reading concepts within a storybook environment. A typical lesson includes work on sounds, syllables, words, reading, comprehension, and writing in a scope and sequence that’s tailored to each reader.

Incredible value! Full structured phonics program, no levels.

We want to give back to educators, paraprofessionals, and parents who have been pressed and pushed to their limits this past year, by offering this workshop at a price they can afford. Yes, this is for the full structured phonics program, from sounds to comprehension.

Tuition includes our entire digital library of manuals, books, and materials!

Pre-school, Pre-literacy, Start 1

  1. The Cab

  2. The Vans

  3. Bootcamp Books Pre-literacy, Elementary, K-2, Start 1 (10 book series)


Elementary

  1. Carnival Elementary, K-2, Start 2 (14 book series)

  2. Ferris Wheel Elementary (6 book series)
    Tales of Adventure Elementary 2nd-4th grade (11 book series)

  3. Tales of Youth Elementary (26 book series)

  4. Tales of Mystery Elementary (8 book series)


Upper Elementary/Middle School

  1. Moonlight Tales Upper Elementary, Middle School Start 2 (10 book series)

  2. Sunlight Tales Upper Elementary, Middle School start (7 book series)


Middle/High School, Adult

  1. Chronicles of Yore Audience: Middle/High School, Adult (3 book series)

  2. Fantastic Adventures Middle/High School, Adult Start 3 (12 book series)

  3. Making Music Audience: Middle/High School, adult Start 2 (Novella)

  4. Pep Baker and the Georgetown Ghost Middle/High School, Adult (Novel e-book)


Homeschool

  1. Nazarene Series Audience: Middle/High School, Adult (9 book series)


Comprehension Activities (coming soon)

Comprehension activities for the classroom that corresponds to:

  1. Tales of Adventure (TOA)

  2. Tales of Youth (TOY)

  3. Sunlight Tales (ST)

  4. Moonlight Tales (MT)

  5. Tales of Mystery (TOM)


Manuals

  1. Tattum Reading Manual

  2. Tattum Reading Lessons

  3. Words and Quotes

  4. Concept Picture Cards


Text on Reading

  1. Love of Literacy by Steve Tattum

Watch Intro Video

Watch Lyuba transform his reading.

As a 3rd grader, Lyuba was struggling to read first-grade material. In less than 4 months of tutoring at LearnUp, Lyuba went from low-level reader to reading above the 3rd-grade level. In this course, you will learn how to teach reading using the same program that taught Lyuba to read.

Learn the fundamentals for teaching reading

These are the six components of each reading leasson

  • Sounds

    You will learn how to teach the student her sounds using the letters on the magnetic board (or a digital board for remote learning). Knowing how to say the letter sounds correctly is crucial for teaching reading.

  • Syllables

    Using the letters on the magnetic board, you will learn how to teach your students how to make and read nonsense words that range from 1-6 syllables.

  • Words

    You will learn how to directly transfer phonetic words into daily spelling, reading, and writing.

  • Reading and Comprehension

    Half of each reading lesson is spent reading in the reading books. Each book raises the grade level and increases the reading difficulty. You will learn our proprietary read-aloud technique called "Pressure Release".

  • Writing

    You will learn how to teach writing to reluctant writers. During each lesson, your students will complete a 5-minute written response daily. This will include techniques for improving a student's understanding of the story and how to get them to summarize, predict, and infer what a story is about.

  • Reading at home

    You will learn how to teach our fluency techniques that we call “Repeated Readings” to families so they can support their child's reading progress. These activities help activate the word form area of the brain, and daily practice reinforces and maintains learning and brain stimulation.

More about the workshop

FAQs on logistics, cost, & curriculum

  • When is the course?

    This course is self-directed.

  • How many hours is the training?

    The entire training is 20 hours of instruction. Since knowledge is only the first step to mastery, we expect you to apply your knowledge to practice during a practicum. After the course has finished, you are invited to attend our live Office Hours which is a weekly review session with Steve Tattum, LearnUp's Reading Director and founder of the reading program.

  • Why is this so cheap compared to other OG trainings?

    We want to lower the barriers that keep great reading programs from getting to our children. LearnUp wants to give access to our program to every educator, para, learning specialist, parent, or volunteer. And, we don't want economics to be the reason our teachers and community do not get trained in how to teach reading.

  • Do you have "levels"?

    No. We teach you the whole structured phonics program because you cannot know what level of learner will be in front of you. When you exit the program you will have the foundations--from phonics to comprehension-- that will allow you to teach any student who walks through your door.

  • Do you have a short description of the program?

    LearnUp uses a multidisciplinary structured phonics curriculum with proprietary chapter books so students can practice their new reading concepts within a storybook environment. A typical lesson includes work on sounds, syllables, words, reading, comprehension, and writing in a scope and sequence that’s tailored to each reader. It is simply one of the best reading programs on the market.

  • Who is audience for this training?

    The workshop trains educators, paraprofessionals, volunteers, and community members who want to teach children to read, no matter their age, learning style, reading level or population.

  • Is this an Orton-Gillingham (OG) based course?

    Yes, in fact, Steve Tattum is an expert (train the trainer instructor) in five different Orton-Gillingham (OG) approaches. LearnUp's reading program integrates the best practices of the leading reading programs on the market (Orton- Gillingham, Linda Mood-Bell, Slingerland, Reading Recovery, Whole Language, etc.) and combines them with the latest brain research and National Reading Panel recommendations to create a superior, systematic program that accelerates reading acquisition.

  • Is this program based in the Science of Reading (SoR)?

    Our program incorporates the latest in reading brain research and overlays it into our curriculum. Research shows that stimulating the word form area of the reading brain is critical to creating fluency. While this is helpful to all emerging readers, it’s especially critical for dyslexics. Our program incorporates systematic phonics, directed reading, spelling, and repeated readings which lead to brain stimulation and reading fluency.

  • How long has this program been around?

    We have a 20+ year track record of success. Created by Steve Tattum, LearnUp’s reading director, the curriculum and chapter books have been used for years by teachers, tutors, and entire school districts with remarkable outcomes.

Our reading program checks all the boxes

Here is checklist of the key components of great reading program

  • Structured phonics/literacy

  • blend of nationally-recognized reading methods

  • Interactive, experiential, multisensory

  • Evidence-based curriculum

  • Chapter books that are phonemically aligned to program

  • Incorporates the latest in brain research

  • Based in the Science of Reading

Alumni Testimonials

  • "This training is phenomenal." -- Christie Ner

  • "This should be taught to every elementary teacher." -- Linda Farnell-Silva

  • "I'm a parent and wife of dyslexics. So what now after the diagnosis? #1: This class." -- Heather Doolittle

  • "This is an incredible tool to help all children from beginners to adults that need the help." -- Elizabeth Jones

  • "As fast as you can; as slow as you must!" What a great approach for our kids! It's not about us and the program's procedure; it's about them and their needs. This allows me to come to them, wherever they are, and then go beyond...quickly, and efficiently!" -- Janice Mcgowan

  • "You have improved with age, Steve, like a fine wine - love the hat! :) T I'm a 6-12 teacher so I've never understood how to actually teach beginner readers. Finding this very helpful, especially as I am now working with below-grade readers." -- Abena Baiden

  • "I know the program works as my son has improved tremendously through it within 3 months of summer!" -- Ina von Wunsch

  • "Thank you SO much for the opportunity to take this class. I learned SO much and will definitely be able to use this knowledge to benefit kids! Thanks again!' -- Debra Asiano

  • "Thank you for the wonderful course!" -- Carmen Whin-Yates

  • "I have almost 20 years of experience as a Title 1 Reading teacher, Literacy Specialist, and Instructional Coach. I also recently got my Masters's in Special Education. I have taken master's level courses on reading instruction from several prominent universities. I've taught kids using Four Blocks, Balanced Literacy, Reading Recovery, Stevenson, LLI, Wilson, and Phonics First, and used the district-purchased basal-type reading programs in the classroom. Most recently, I've supported students using self-paced digital reading programs. I constantly take classes, attend workshops and conferences, and read the research. Still, too many children I work with are not learning to read well. When I joined LearnUp in the spring, I finally felt I found something that would really make a difference for the students. Steve Tattum has taken the essential components from the most successful programs and research to create a fast-paced and effective program that gets kids reading from day one. This is a program that makes sense to me and aligns with the best research in the fields of reading instruction and intervention. I am taking the course again in July to make sure I understand it and to practice more. I plan to use LearnUp in my classroom, tutor privately with it, and recommend it to all my parent and teacher friends! Thank you so much for this opportunity!" -- Laura Bain

Watch Intro Video

The LearnUp Reading Program

Steve Tattum gives a quick overview of the reading program. He also describes what happens in the brain that keeps kids with learning differences from learning to read easily and how our program helps to stimulate the word form area.