Register today for
Structured Literacy
2 Series | Fall 2024
9/18, 10/2, 10/23, 11/6, 11/13, 12/4, 12/11
Learn from the Literacy How experts in this 35-hour course developed by Dr. Margie Gillis, a Certified Academic Language Therapist and founder of Literacy How.
- Developed for special educators, reading specialists and interventionists
- Course Time: 9am- 3pm with an hour for lunch
- Participants must attend all sessions
7-session series is $1295/person
(includes 4 LiteracyHow Professional Learning Series
books & Structured Literacy Planner).
This is an in-person training with limited capacity and will take place at Literacy How, 101 Merritt Blvd, Suite 210, Trumbull, CT
Course Description
In this seven-day (35 hour) course developed by Dr. Margie Gillis, a Certified Academic Language Therapist and president and founder of Literacy How, teachers will learn how to explicitly and systematically teach word recognition skills (i.e., phonemic awareness, decoding, and encoding) along with comprehension-related methods of instruction (i.e., reading comprehension, vocabulary development, and written expression) to students with SLD/Dyslexia and other language-based learning disabilities.
This course will empower teachers with knowledge to enhance their tiered intervention or special education specialized instruction. The instructional strategies and techniques that teachers will learn may be used with an existing program or as part of a Structured Literacy approach.
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FALL REGISTRATION IS CLOSED
limited seats AVAILABLE
Structured Literacy 2 is offered across 7 full day sessions and customized for teachers based on their grade level
our course will include the following topics
1. The Science of Reading and Structured Literacy: What’s the Difference?
Wednesday, September 18, 2024 9:00 am—3:00 pm
This session will provide the background for the series by describing what the Science of Reading is and how Structured Literacy is based on the research. Learn the importance of oral language (at the core), the difference between evidence-based and research-based instruction, a program and an approach, and the what (content) and how (pedagogy) of Structured Literacy – that is, how literacy instruction should be taught and what it should include. The session will introduce participants to the importance of designing and delivering lessons that will integrate the content and the principles of Structured Literacy instruction.
2. Understanding and Assessing SLD/Dyslexia and Other Language-based Learning Disabilities
Wednesday, October 2, 2024 9:00 am—3:00 pm
Most students with learning disabilities have difficulties with some aspect of language. Learn about dyslexia, the most prevalent and best understood learning disability, and other language-based learning disabilities. Recognize the warning signs and how to use a variety of assessments – screening, diagnostic and progress monitoring – to identify and understand your students’ phonological processing difficulties. Learn about commonly co-occurring cognitive difficulties including executive functioning, processing speed, and attention deficit.
3. The Relationship Between Phonology and Orthography and Its Importance
Wednesday, October 23, 2024 9:00 am—3:00 pm
Students who struggle with word recognition often have difficulty with phonemic awareness, decoding, encoding and reading fluency. As a result, their reading is labored and error prone. Key to providing targeted instruction is diagnostic assessment. Understand how to link assessment data to reading material selection and learn how to engage children in key instructional strategies and activities that teach these essential skills. Participants will also learn how to integrate handwriting into foundational skill instruction as they apply their new learning to lesson planning.
4. Advanced Phonics, Spelling, and Morphology Instruction: Linking Sounds, Symbols, and Meaning
Wednesday, November 6, 2024 9:00 am—3:00 pm
Once basic phonics skills are mastered, students learn how to identify six syllable/vowel patterns in order to read and spell multisyllabic words including those that are comprised of more than one unit of meaning. Morphology – the study of base/root words and affixes – helps readers decode and unlock the meanings of complex words. Learn how to teach these advanced skills, including morphology, in engaging and meaningful ways, and how to incorporate the skills into your lesson plans.
5. Semantics: Strengthening Vocabulary and Text Comprehension
Wednesday, November 13, 2024 9:00 am—3:00 pm
Semantics refers to meaning conveyed by words and sentences that help make sense of the world. Reading comprehension depends on knowing what words and sentences mean in context. Students with dyslexia and other language-based learning disabilities have difficulty with this important element of language. Learn how to incorporate explicit vocabulary instruction into your reading comprehension lessons, building on the first four workshops in the series.
6. Grammar and Syntax: The Building Blocks of Comprehending and Writing Sentences
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 9:00 am—3:00 pm
Many children with comprehension problems have difficulty understanding sentences. Students must learn the function of the words in sentences and how their arrangement changes meaning. Learn engaging ways to improve students’ ability to speak, read, and write different types of sentences with a variety of structures. Participants will also learn techniques to support their students’ ability to comprehend sentences and write coherent, interesting, and complex sentences.
7. Reading Comprehension and Written Expression: Reciprocal Skills
Wednesday, December 11, 2024 9:00 am—3:00 pm
The organization of spoken and written communication is referred to as discourse. Students’ proficiency in understanding text at oral and written levels predicts reading comprehension and writing proficiency. Learn about the relationship between language comprehension and reading comprehension, how to assess each, and importantly, how to support students’ development of a mental model while listening to and or reading complex text. Participants will learn a variety of activities to teach text structure and build students’ background knowledge, inferencing, and metacognitive skills to support comprehension