By Stacy Hurst
We Don’t Need More Pieces—We Need a System
As someone who’s worked with countless reading programs, I’ve seen teachers given plenty of resources—but not always the support or structure they need to use them effectively. We know more than ever about how to teach reading thanks to the science of reading. But that knowledge only matters if we can apply it through a structured teaching approach in the classroom.
Too often, we’re handed pieces: a phonics routine here, a sound wall there, a separate scope and sequence on a PDF somewhere. What teachers need is a systematic method that puts it all together.
The RH Method: A Unified System Built on the Science of Reading
What I love most about the RH Method is how it connects all the right elements into one seamless flow:
- Skills are taught in a clear, intentional sequence—not just thrown in randomly.
- Sound-spelling walls are integrated, not bolted on.
- The marking system is an efficient scaffold that makes decoding visual and interactive.
- Phonetic Skills and Decoding Skills give students logic for what they see in print.
- The Daily Core 4 provides a predictable, evidence-based, instructional routine.
When all of these elements work together, students don’t just learn to read—they learn how reading and spelling works. That’s the difference.
A Real-World Example
Before I learned the Reading Horizons Method, teaching the VCe pattern (aka silent e) to my first graders was a much slower process. It took a lot of time and repetition before most of my students truly understood and applied the concept.
Once I started teaching with the RH Method, everything changed. The instruction is so systematic and explicit, with plenty of practice built in, that my students were prepared to master the same pattern (Phonetic Skill 4 in the RH Method) much faster than before.
That’s when I knew the method had clicked.
I was recently reminded of this while teaching the same skill to a class of first graders. As the lesson outline indicated, referring to the sound-spelling wall, I reviewed the long “o” vowel sound and the previously taught spelling for long “o” (e.g., go—Phonetic Skill 3 in the RH Method) before I introduced the new spelling pattern of o–consonant–e as in hope (Phonetic Skill 4 in the RH Method). I modeled the concept by marking the word hope, then had students practice applying the pattern through dictation (spelling) and reading. Because the instruction was systematic and explicit—with practice woven throughout—students reached mastery quickly. By the time we got to the transfer portion of the lesson, they weren’t just sounding out rope and joke—they were explaining why the “o” was long.
Why It Matters
Teachers shouldn’t have to be curriculum designers on top of everything else. We need systems that simplify and strengthen our instruction, not complicate it. Reading Horizons gives you that system—one that aligns with what we know about how to teach reading and what it takes to reach every learner.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been following this series, you’ve seen how the RH Method brings together research and reality. It offers more than a collection of strategies. It offers a way to teach reading that works, and a structure that supports both teachers and students.
See the RH Method in action with the free Teacher Edition of Reading Horizons Discovery. Try it today!
Explore the rest of the six-part blog post series below:
- Science of Reading Instruction: How the RH Method Transforms Teaching
An overview of the instructional design and its roots in the Science of Reading.
👉 Read the post - The Power of the Marking System
How visual patterns help students decode unfamiliar words with confidence.
👉 Read the post - The 5 Phonetic Skills You Need for Teaching Phonics Effectively
Why repetition, consistency, and transfer are central to mastery.
👉 Read the post - How to Simplify Your Reading Block with the Daily Core 4 Routine
A breakdown of the foundational decoding framework taught in the program.
👉 Read the post - Using Sound-Spelling Walls: A Bridge to Effective Phonics Instruction
👉 Read the post
