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Home to struggling readers and those who are passionate about helping them.

Children sitting in a row reading books

The Need to Read is a non-profit organization helping to change lives, by providing effective and fun reading curriculum, rooted in the Science of Reading, that works!

Two Girls learning to read

We offer the Stevenson Language Skills Program, a unique phonics-based reading curriculum, developed by Nancy Richardson Stevenson, whose research and knowledge has revolutionized teaching students to read.

The Stevenson Reading Program is a systematic, explicit, multi-sensory, structured approach for teaching reading, writing, grammar, syntax, penmanship, and vocabulary skills.

Stevenson’s unique scope and sequence, scripted format, and extensive use of mnemonic cues, (association memory strategies) allows educators and parents to successfully teach students with dyslexia, specific learning disabilities, and other neurological based reading problems.

A few of our mnemonic clues

mnemonic of the letter c

Mnemonic clue that teaches the letter c.  Along with this clue Stevenson provides multi-sensory activities and direct instruction to elicit the hard sound of c and associate it with the letter shape.

After mastering only five letter sounds, students are ready to read two words and decode their first vowel pattern.

Peanut Butter and Jelly mnemonic to teach vowel teams cvvc syllabic words

The peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a mnemonic designed to facilitate memory. Just as importantly, however, it is a clear model that illustrates an important linguistic structure.

Mnemonic Layer Cake to teach cvc silent e words

 The first consonant is the first layer of cake. Then comes a layer of filling which contains jam and chips that you can hear as you chew. The next layer of cake is a consonant and the last layer of frosting is creamy, smooth – and silent – letter e.

The oa friends. o stands first in line and shouts his sound /0/. a will remind him with a gentle kick if he forgets…

How it works

Stevenson begins with the Green Level, progresses to the Blue Level and ends with the Peach Level. Students will complete each level.

Beginning Green Level

Introduces

  • Letter Sounds

  • Phonemic Awareness

  • Double Vowel Digraphs

  • Open and vowel-consonant-e syllable patterns

  • Option to introduce closed syllable cvc words*

  • Vocabulary

  • Penmanship

  • Grammar- including nouns, verbs and Adjectives

  • Students read at an approximate 2nd grade level after completion.

    *See Lonely Vowels guidance

Basic Blue Level

Introduces:

  • R-controlled syllable patterns,

  • Closed syllable patterns

  • Diphthongs

  • Spelling options

  • Prepositions

  • Closed syllable cvc words*

  • Students read at an approximate 4th grade level after completion.

Intermediate Peach Level

Introduces:

  • Consonant-le syllable patterns

    Frostings, Doilies and More

    Introduces:

  • Latin, Greek, and Anglo-Saxon morphology

  • Includes:

  • Science and social studies based content

  • Vocabulary

  • Grammar and Writing Skills

  • Students read at an approximate 7th grade level upon completion

2 Ways to Start:

Students will begin at one of the two entry points: The Beginning Green Level, or the Overlapping Level. (The Overlapping Level is an accelerated way to complete the program)

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Literacy Journeys

Reading isn't just about words on a page—it's developing confidence, self-expression, and understanding. Personal accounts of how our program opens new doors and fosters academic and personal success.

“The Stevenson Reading method changed our son’s life. Despite excelling in school on the surface, he couldn’t truly read, compensating with context clues and guesswork. Traditional support systems failed us, but The Stevenson Reading Program provided a clear, fun, and sequential approach that built his confidence and taught him to read in record time…

Pamela smith

“I did not learn to read in school and was illiterate with extreme learning shame. At thirty-two, I dared to learn to read because of the Stevenson Reading Program. Today, I tutor many children with the same program, and they learn to read! That's how powerful this program is. ”

Lisa Holmes

“Ms. Lori taught my dyslexic son how to read in the sixth grade through the Stevenson's Learning Method. Imran is on his way of realizing his dreams. We cannot thank the Stevenson Learning method enough”

Asmina Ikramuddin

An introduction to our reading program from The Stevenson Learning Legacy

Bill Stevenson - Editor and son of the founder: