Introduction

Learning Through Literacy is ONlit’s approach to integrated structured literacy instruction aligned with the Ontario Language Curriculum. Each grade level includes a selection of connected practices that show students how language, literacy, and curriculum areas work together through engagement with meaningful, Canadian content. The collection is growing, so not every grade includes every element listed here, and additional components will continue to be added across our project year.

Across the resource, educators will find features such as high-quality mentor texts, explicit vocabulary routines, structured writing supports grounded in the thinkSRSD approach, fluency practice, and contextualized syntax lessons drawn from authentic texts. These elements appear in different combinations depending on the grade, and are designed to connect literacy instruction with curriculum expectations in science, social studies, the arts, and health.

The goal is to offer coherent, research-aligned supports that help students experience reading and writing as mutually reinforcing skills. Instruction is anchored in meaningful content, clear routines, and evidence-based practices so all learners can grow as readers, writers, and thinkers.