Testimonials

"What a gift you have given to the struggling readers of this world, who might otherwise have had little to no chance for a successful life!" 

"Connect to Comprehension is a highly effective reading intervention program that seamlessly integrates decoding and comprehension instruction, making it a valuable tool for educators supporting struggling readers. Grounded in Science of Reading principles, its leveled curriculum and scripted lessons provide a systematic, easy-to-implement framework that requires minimal training. The program's engaging decodable texts and hands-on activities motivate students across various age groups, while its incorporation of writing in every lesson fosters measurable improvements in both reading and writing skills. CtoC demonstrates versatility, successfully addressing the needs of diverse learners, including K-3 students, older English Language Learners, and those with emotional and behavioral challenges. CtoC’s comprehensive design and proven outcomes make it an outstanding resource for building foundational and higher-level literacy skills in struggling readers."

"I have been searching for an easy to use grammar resource and sequential program that was deep but not too complex for my dyslexic students. I ordered this because I saw Lynn was celebrating a year’s anniversary in print, and I love her comprehension program. It was like an answer to prayer. I love it!"

"I was just doing some summer professional development. I was listening to one about leveled readers and the negative effects because there's no phonics or comprehension hooked with leveled reader programs. All I can think about was what they don't know: Lynn and Connect to Comprehension. Still always impressed with your program and suggest it to everyone.

Thanks again for all you do for teachers." 

"We are delighted with our implementation of Connect to Comprehension this year and excited to continue in the future."

""I really enjoyed your course! As an instructional coach, it really helped me to understand how to support teachers in growing students' fluency."

"It's an excellent program, and I really enjoy the meaningful discussions it sparks among the students." 

"Thank you for creating Connect to Comprehension! It’s a fantastic resource for teachers and incredibly beneficial for students. The engaging books capture students’ interest and make learning enjoyable. I’ve used it with K-3 students as well as older ELLs. In most cases, I observed noticeable growth within just the first two weeks, which significantly boosts students’ confidence. My students find the word games particularly fun. It’s a joy to use and a valuable tool for any classroom. I highly recommend it for its ease of use and impactful results!"

 "I am such a fan of your work. I have been quoting you and referring your talks and trainings to my colleagues for years.....
I will continue recommending Connect to Comprehension and all of your work to all of the educators I know."

"I want to recommend an amazing program I started using in 2021. The “Connect to Comprehension Program” by: Lynne Givens, is an intensive intervention program for struggling readers. Through scripted teacher manuals and High Noon decodable books, teachers can provide evidence-based instruction and practice in all 6 components of reading as well as written expression. The kit also includes pretests, posttests, fluency strips, and progress monitoring assessments.... High Noon books are decodable and multicultural while creating a perfect story to work on all elements of reading." 

This a strongly created program with all the components of reading instruction embedded. I have successfully used it with struggling and regular readers who need a program that has phonics, text, and comprehension included.

"I am a special education teacher for K-3. We utilize CtoC, and I love the program. I love CtoC because it covers several areas of reading. My students get support and practice in phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension while being engaged with a chapter book. My 2nd and 3rd grade students love these books because they are chapter books. They love the story lines in these books, and I see them building their confidence in reading!"

"I have been working with a 1st-grade student since mid-November. When he came to my reading clinic, he struggled to decode cvc words. The structure and consistency of this program are the biggest takeaway and success from using Connect to Comprehension with this student. This student thrives on knowing what to expect and loves practicing learned skills with the decodable texts. In a short six months, he has grown into a confident reader, and his skills continue to grow!  The parents are so happy too!"

"I have 12 students who are all making great progress! I love C to C!" 

"CtoC is a wonderful reading program for younger learners. In my classroom, CtoC is used as core instruction.... It offers decodable books integrated with rich vocabulary. These books provide the opportunity for fluency practice as well as phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension. Each day, students are provided the opportunity to read, discuss, and write about a new chapter. The curriculum allows flexibility to focus on different elements based on each groups' needs. It also helps reinforce skills that are being taught in our day to day learning." 

"As an international learning specialist, I am delighted to have found an intervention program that is so beautifully aligned with the Science of Reading and complementary to the structured literacy method of our program. Connect to Comprehension has increased my instructional confidence, as it clearly follows recommendations from the National Reading Panel. It is also wonderful to see my students so excited about reading the books enclosed.  Recently a student on Level A exclaimed, "Wow! I am reading a real chapter book!". 

"I love your program and it works!"

"The teachers are loving the curriculum. Thank you for all your efforts in helping kids learn how to read!!"

"I love the way C to C so effortlessly

incorporates writing with every lesson! My students don’t love the writing component.  But, the progress in writing is undeniable… all we have to do is turn back in their journals and we can see the progress in writing!" 

"Truly, what an incredible program!"  

"I will vouch for Connect to Comprehension.

We absolutely love it! Scripted lessons and decodables. Our school uses this for MTSS (multi-tiered system of support), but I’d like to use it for everyone."

"I can’t put into words how much I wish I had C to C when I was still teaching in a public school! It would have made such a difference for my students and me! "

"The more I use this program.. the more I love it !!" 

"I can recommend this! It incorporates components of Orton Gillingham, yet it is easy to follow. My Paraprofessional can run groups using this. I am also Wilson trained, but it is too complicated to try and give a quick overview to my Para. This is perfect! I still use parts of Wilson, but I love this program!"  

"As a district administrator who oversees MTSS, having Lynn Givens' expertise and support has been an absolute blessing . She is quick to respond, eager to provide meaningful professional learning opportunities, and consistently helps us improve our instructional approaches in effort to help struggling readers develop the skills and strategies necessary for becoming a proficient reader." 

"One reason I love C to C is how quickly my students are switching to feeling successful!"

“Connect to Comprehension provides teachers and tutors with a practical method of integrating decoding activities and higher-level comprehension skills into daily lessons for struggling readers. CtoC is designed to enable a teacher to quickly assess a learner’s strengths and weaknesses and immediately plan instruction at the appropriate level with resources on hand. This powerful and effective program offers a leveled curriculum, hands-on activities, and a wealth of instructional and assessment resources.”

"My 10 year-old is flourishing with CtoC, and the scaffolding is also a good model for me for when I teach from content and other literature. I am so glad I found your courses and resources!"

“I want to thank you for creating such an incredible program! I’ve taken MANY courses and trainings in reading, and I’ve never come across such a thorough program! I feel like I’ve found the Holy Grail of reading instruction! Thank you!” 

"I just completed the training for CtoC and really liked it. I started the actual lessons with 2 students this week and it worked really well. I can also vouch that Lynn Givens will answer all your questions. She has spent a lot of time answering all of mine. I’m so appreciative of her time!!"

"I have done one lesson with my son, and I can see the gaps that I have had in the past in terms of vocabulary review and missing out his lack of understanding in compare and contrast. These skill decks are one of my missing links! They are perfect and remind me a bit of Orton Gillingham!  I am very excited about what the subsequent lessons will bring for my son's understanding of reading and growth in comprehension as well as myself as a practitioner. I love your program."

"As an Orton Gillingham associate, I have loved supplementing in this curriculum with my students! The decodable chapter books along with the comprehension questions and vocabulary activities have given my students meaningful instruction that goes beyond phonics."

"It is a great way to move from decoding words to using them in text. I have a student who refused to read anything until we used this. Now he finishes the books and is starting to check his own understanding." 

“I am the ESE teacher (K-5)… We have around 40 students working in the CtoC program. Our primary teachers, myself and our instructional paraprofessionals lead small groups with CtoC throughout the day. We love the program! Our students are actively engaged with each lesson … We have observed a marked improvement in students’ comprehension and sentence structure in a very short time. Having worked for many other school districts throughout my career, it is truly a blessing to have the support (and materials needed) to reach each student here.”

“ CtoC went great with a small group of emergent readers. Not only did I see substantial gains on classroom assessments in decoding, comprehension, and spelling, but I also saw big gains on standardized test scores (NWEA), which I typically don't see with emergent readers. The program was super easy to implement and felt more impactful than simply decoding/encoding instruction… I definitely plan to continue using this program in the years to come.”

"Lynn is not only a gifted teacher & reading specialist, she is a wonderful person. She has a heart and passion for guiding her students through the learning process & on to attaining mastery of content. I have seen this passion first hand in developing coursework for the Orton Gillingham Online Academy. She spent countless numbers of hours bringing to life in her virtual classroom the Connect to Comprehension course; & she launched it with tremendous excitement and enthusiasm, not for what it can do for her, but for the number of lives it will impact for the better. Her expertise in the area of literacy is second to none and we are privileged to have her as one of our course developers & facilitators at the Orton Gillingham Online Academy."

“C. began 2nd grade as a struggling reader, having no confidence whatsoever. He started CtoC interventions, and after a few weeks … he was excited about going to his group, and I could see improvement in the classroom. His comprehension skills skyrocketed. He went from Pretest – 44%/ Level A to Posttest – 100% Level A. I am proud to say that C. has become a very happy learner who ended the year on the honor roll versus the discouraged reader he was at the beginning of the year.”

"This looks like a great program esp for some without Orton training. The scope and sequence is agreeable to my Orton brain. Everything is spelling out nicely and you include information on grouping and timing, which is nice. So many teachers struggle with how to create their groups and have enough time to get to everything. Love the fluency skill practice."

"Lynn is giving of her time and extremely approachable. I am awestruck by this because I am in awe of all she has accomplished. I could talk to Lynn for hours about Connect to Comprehension and what led her to develop this amazing product. It is based on best practice, research-based, and the data is exciting. I now name Lynn when I list my literacy heroes."

“This my second year teaching Connect to Comprehension…. I work with 12 students in 2nd - 5th grade that are emotionally and behaviorally handicapped.

These students are enjoying the reading program because the stories are on their level and they feel more successful.… I can assess them easily using the games, sequence strips, and the after reading higher order questions. They don't even realize they are learning! I have many students who only knew sounds at the beginning of the year, but now they are reading complete books! …. Teachers have also shared with me that they have seen positive improvement in their students’ reading."

It has been wonderful to teach this program and see the growth. ”

"I have used this program and plan to extend using it with more students in the future. This program helps so much in giving my students comprehension skills in a systematic way. It cuts down on planning because the frame is there, and it might just need a part changed a little to meet an individual's needs. The best part for me is that these skills made the students really think and examine the text to be able to answer. Sometimes, it really led to interesting discussions when members of the group disagreed on the answer." 

"I just purchased it, and I love it! It has been very helpful for my students who struggle with comprehension."

"I think this course is really valuable, and the program itself is great for kids."

"I completed the virtual training course you facilitated in preparation for my new position in the upcoming school year.  I will be an interventionist for Tier 3 kiddos, and I am completely sold on your program. Last year, I was able to add the k-12 reading endorsement to my certificate, and your program mimics all that I learned regarding reading.  I am truly excited and most of all, confident about beginning your program with structure, fidelity, and enthusiasm."    

"Connect to comprehension is helping my son tremendously. He's got major fluency and comprehension deficits."

“I have loved this course so much and already have plans to use it in small groups next year. I am using it with a small group I tutor already and they are loving it and I am already seeing a

difference in them. Even after 24 years teaching I am always looking to learn more and this has been the best thing for my style of teaching in a long time.”

"Perfect. Thank you so much. I love C2C and see a difference with every one of my students. I cannot wait to help them grow even more next year! I have learned so much from going to your different training classes this year. I look forward to using the different strategies I have learned for next year.

N. is a repeat 3rd grade student who placed in Level A. He started the year with very little confidence in himself. He would not read aloud in class. His decoding skills, WCPM, and fluency were very low. After coming to C2C and SRA Decoding, he started to build these skills and his confidence. At the beginning of the third semester he was a changed student. He always wanted to be the first to read, had the answers to every question, and was always the first to finish his writing exercise. I spoke with his teacher and she noticed his progress as well. The principal and I decided to re-assess N. After completing the placement test again, he placed in Level C. Throughout the rest of the year he grew even more. He was eager to learn and excited to accept new challenges. For the first time ever, N. got on the A/B Honor Roll for the last nine weeks of the school year. N. was shocked, and I couldn't have been prouder!"

"This my second year teaching Connect to Comprehension Curriculum Guide and Scripted Lessons at St Andrew Elementary. I work with 12 students in 2nd - 5th grade that are emotionally behaviorally handicapped. These students are enjoying the reading program because the stories are on their level and they feel more successful. I too have enjoyed this program with the students especially in the area of phonetic/structural analysis patterns using the variety of different reading activities. I can assess them easily using the games, sequence strips, and the after reading higher order questions. They don't even realize they are learning! I have many students who only knew sounds at the beginning of the year, but now they are reading complete books! I like how the program is set up with a strong foundation with a focus on phonics, vocabulary and comprehension. Teachers have also shared with me that they have seen positive improvement in their student's reading. It has been wonderful to teach this program and see the growth."

“In September 2021, I took the Fluency course…. By October…I was already seeing measurable improvements. As the year progressed, I also saw growth in my students’ reading stamina. In addition, I noted that they were all reading with greater confidence. Last week (May 2022), I completed a final rubric and WCPM assessment for each student, and I could not believe the growth each one had achieved…. This course gave me the tools I needed to help my students make strides toward becoming more fluent readers….”

"I like it a lot. I use it one-on-one which allows a lot of flexibility, but it would be awesome with groups."

“Having recently completed “8 Essential Comprehensive Strategies", I must say that it is one of the most valuable professional development modules I have taken in my 25 + years of teaching…. In the past, some of my students struggled with maintaining their focus on the text, especially lengthier ones. Throughout this course, I learned multiple ways to actively engage them while reading…..You will not find a course of this caliber and length that will give you more towards building your students’ comprehension skills.