Unfolding the magic of reading
Yellow Tree Reading Academy is an online training academy dedicated to equipping educators, therapists, and home-schooling parents with research-based strategies, resources, and support to effectively teach and support children with reading difficulties.
At Yellow Tree we believe reading is not "caught" — it should be taught daily, intentionally and systematically. When educators are equipped with the right knowledge and tools, struggling readers become confident, capable leaders.
How a reader grows
The Literacy Tree is our living map of the reading mind. Every part — from the sunlit canopy down to the deepest roots — represents a skill or condition a child needs to flourish as a confident reader.
The Sun
Reading Motivation
Just as the sun fuels every living thing, motivation fuels every reader. We nurture a love of stories and a sense of wonder so children want to come back to the page again and again.
The Learning Environment
Background Knowledge
The soil a tree grows in shapes everything above it. A rich learning environment — full of stories, conversation and real-world experiences — builds the background knowledge children draw on as they read.
The Roots
Phonological Awareness · Phonics & Decoding
Strong, hidden roots anchor every confident reader. We build phonemic awareness, phonics, and decoding skills — the foundations that make written language unlock for a child.
The Trunk
Reading Fluency
The trunk carries everything upward. Fluency — reading with accuracy, pace and expression — is the channel that lets decoding flow into meaning.
The Branches
Vocabulary · Language Structures · Literacy Knowledge
Branches reach outward into language itself. Rich vocabulary, sentence structure, and background knowledge let young readers grasp ideas far beyond the words on the page.
The Leaves
Comprehension · Higher Cognitive Processes · Morphological Awareness
Leaves are where the tree breathes. Comprehension, reasoning and word awareness turn decoded text into understanding — the moment a child truly meets meaning on the page.
The Fruits
Resource Material
Fruits are what the tree gives back. Our hand-crafted resources, games and printables put research-based reading practice into a child's hands every single day.
The Reader
Self-Regulation · Executive Functions
Every reader brings their own focus, persistence and curiosity. We help children build the self-regulation and executive skills that keep them engaged in the journey of learning to read.
The Teacher
Key to Reading Success
A skilled, supported teacher is the key that turns it all. We equip educators and parents with science-based methods, ready-to-use resources and a touch of magic.
Our Story
The Yellow Tree brand was inspired by the magically tinted yellow leaves the majestic pecan nut trees transform into during autumn at the Yellow Tree Training Centre. When the leaves drop, they form a yellow carpet — turning the garden into a wonderland.
"Reading is not caught — it should be taught daily, intentionally and systematically."
The Yellow Tree Training Centre was established in 2022 as a professional teacher training centre, with these main focus areas:
- Understanding and meeting the needs of students who experience reading and language delays
- Different language barriers (reading difficulties)
- Complexity of the reading process according to the Science of Reading
- Different methodologies to teach students with reading difficulties
- Assessment strategies to assess language skills
- Differentiation to meet individual needs and reading functioning levels
- Development and enrichment of vocabulary
- Implementation of the resource material provided during the training
In 2025 the Yellow Tree Reading Academy was launched as an online extension where teachers, remedial therapists and homeschooling parents learn how to teach and support children who experience reading difficulties — while receiving practical, fun-filled resource material ready for implementation in their classrooms.
What we believe
We are grounded in the Science of Reading approach to reading instruction and focus on the following essential components necessary to become skilled readers:
We believe that reading instruction should be structured, explicit, and multi-sensory. Children learn best when they are actively engaged — using their eyes, ears, hands, bodies (movement) and voices to build strong neural pathways necessary for reading.
Our approach is holistic, playful, and practical, supporting both skill development and confidence.
- Development of Background Knowledge
- Phonological & Phonemic Awareness
- Phonics and Decoding
- Reading Fluency
- Vocabulary Development
- Language Structures
- Reading Comprehension
- The Role of the Teacher in Reading Success
- Reading Motivation
Where research meets play
At Yellow Tree Reading Academy, every resource sits at the intersection of evidence and imagination — built to grow alongside the child, step by step, while nurturing motivation and curiosity.
- Research-based methodologies
- Hands-on, multi-sensory learning strategies
- Interactive games and physical manipulatives
- Practical tools educators can implement immediately
We meet learners where they are, offering materials and strategies that support a wide range of abilities and learning profiles.
Every child a confident reader
Our vision and dream is to empower educators, therapists, and parents with the necessary knowledge and skills, to confidently and effectively teach children with reading and language delays.
To provide specialised resource material for educators to implement within their learning environments — ensuring every child experiences reading success, confidence and a love for reading.
Meet Annemarie
Educational Psychology Specialist & Co-Founder
Annemarie is a Master Remedial Specialist, Educational Psychologist with more than three decades of experience in the field of Specialised Education in South Africa. She is an International author of several educational books and courses.
Her work focuses on supporting children with severe reading delays and learning difficulties, as well as training educators to confidently and competently teach reading using research-based methods. Additionally, Annemarie develops highly acclaimed and unique specialised support material to meet the needs of individual children with special educational needs. A special trait of her creations is her whimsical touch of humour, fun and magic.
Her passion and expertise lie in making complex Literacy Science accessible, practical, applicable and easy to implement for educators and parents alike.