RAVE-O Reading

We primarily work with older students; however, we can serve students in grades 2-4. For this age group we use the RAVE-O program, authored by Dr. Maryanne Wolf. This motivating small-group, evidence-based literacy intervention curriculum empowers students to read text deeply in order to build new knowledge, develop new ideas, and reach new levels of reading achievement. RAVE-O mirrors what the brain does when it reads—building new and efficient pathways for sustained reading success. By connecting phonics, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and morphology, RAVE-O deepens students’ ability to read with accuracy, fluency, comprehension, and joy.

Who is the Program For?

Grades 2-4 students who:

  • Are one or more years below grade level in reading

  • Have been identified for intervention by their school

  • May or may not have a formal diagnosis of dyslexia or other reading disability

Maryanne Wolf, PhD. is an internationally recognized teacher, researcher, and author of more than 130 publications, Dr. Maryanne Wolf has dedicated her entire professional career to children with learning challenges.

“I have lived my life in the service of words:  finding where they hide in the convoluted recesses of the brain, studying their layers of meaning and form, and teaching their secrets to the young.”

Dr. Maryanne Wolf, 2007

Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain

Meet the Author

Proven Success

RAVE-O has been rigorously tested for more than a decade in gold-standard, randomized treatment-control studies. The results are clear: RAVE-O accelerates student growth in reading.

Changes in Word Attack Standard Scores on Woodcock Reading Mastery Test-Revised

Changes in Oral Reading Quotient (fluency + comprehension) Standard Scores on Woodcock Reading Mastery Test-Revised

Federal Study Details

  • Geographic Location: multicity, urban

  • Context: school-based intervention

  • Students: 279

  • Grades 2–3, impaired readers

  • Four treatment groups

  • Controlled for socioeconomic status, race, and IQ

  • Treatment: 70 one-hour intervention sessions

  • RAVE-O* combined with phonemic awareness and blending program

Source: Morris, R., Lovett, M., Wolf, M., Sevcik, R., Steinbach, K., Frijters, J., et al. (2010). Multiple-Component Remediation for Developmental Reading Disabilities: IQ, Socioeconomic Status, and Race As Factors in Remedial Outcome. Journal of Learning Disabilities. doi:10.1177/0022219409355472

How Does RAVE-O Work?

RAVE-O offers a consistent instructional design. The overall progress within a unit moves from accuracy to fluency to fluent comprehension. In each unit students:

  • Learn foundational phonics skills, including letters, sounds, and letter combinations

  • Decoding strategies, such as sound-by-sound blending and breaking words into larger sublexical parts like onset and rime (b/at → bat)

  • Explore core words and discover related words and meanings

  • Read and write words in context

  • Respond to what they read through rich discussion and writing

The more a student knows about a word, the faster the word can be decoded, retrieved, and comprehended.

Take a Look Inside the Program

Phonics

Students receive systematic, direct instruction in phonics and decoding.

Spelling Patterns

Students learn high frequent spelling patterns and how to apply them to both reading and writing

Parts of Speech

Students learn core elements of grammar, building a foundational understanding of oral and written language

Morphology

Students learn how prefixes and suffixes can change the meaning of words.

Multiple Meanings

When students understand words deeply, they can retrieve them more quickly when reading.

Practice through Reading

In exploring imaginative and fun stories, students achieve fluent comprehension.