Description
The Wired for Reading Introductory Course provides a fast-paced yet comprehensive exploration of linguistics for teaching reading and spelling. It simplifies English spelling patterns without sacrificing depth, enabling students to connect speech to sounds, sounds to letters, and letters to meaning. This empowers students to effectively break down words while reading and spelling. The program’s proven multi-sensory, systematic approach has successfully supported struggling readers in various learning environments. Additionally, all learners benefit from the engaging exploration of English language morphology and architecture.
In addition to large group instruction and discussion, participants will also work in small groups. Most small groups will be guided by at least one ‘alum’, a participant repeating the class to deepen his or her skills. The bulk of course time is spent on the Linguistic Foundations and Core English Phonics concepts.
View Sample Course Syllabus Below
Optional: Three credits through Seattle University Professional Development program EPDLA 900 for $59.00 per credit or 30 Washington State clock hours at $3.00 per clock hour. Credits earned may apply towards Washington State teacher certification and for advancement on the salary scale.
Wired for Reading draws upon the research of Dr. Virginia Berninger, Dr. Robert Calfee, Dr. Marcia Henry, Dr. Louisa Moats, Dr. Dick Olson, and Dr. Joe Torgesen, Dr. Barbara Wise, and Dr. Maryanne Wolf, among others.
Course Parts
Teacher Essentials
- A targeted review of the reading research needed to provide teacher background for the program
- Explanations of the underlying neural processing problems that can create barriers to reading and spelling
- Definition and discussion of the ‘Response to Intervention’ (RTI) model for providing differentiated instruction
- Exploration of Baddeley & Hitch’s model of the working memory
- A brief history of the English language to provide a context for why English phonics are challenging and a discussion of how multiple word origins have created an awkward spelling puzzle, but have also given us a tremendous reading comprehension advantage. English loves to adopt eloquent words from all over the world, and each new immigrant word carries along its own spelling tradition. Hence English is rich with words (and spelling choices).
- Exploration of Wired for Reading’s teaching philosophy and its two visual organizers: The House of English and the Learning Spiral (inspired by Bruner (1977)
Linguistic Foundation
- Using a speech-motor approach to teach phonological awareness creates a deep and powerful foundation for reading and spelling.
- Studying the relationships between speech and sounds, sounds and letter patterns, and meaning patterns in words and how these impact phonics patterns.
- Learning kid-friendly terms for Linguistic concepts
- Creating and using a Vowel Key to track all 18 English vowel sounds using multi-sensory techniques.
Research indicates that when teachers learn linguistics, the deep structure of English, they are better prepared to understand and respond to their students’ decoding and spelling errors. (McCutchen, 1998; McCutchen, Green, Abbot, & Sanders, 2009).
Core English Phonics
- Originating mostly from the Germanic-based Anglo Saxon heritage of English, these are the first words children learn to say, read, and spell.
- Phonics comes alive through stories that weave together to highlight the interconnection of English spelling patterns. Storytelling through art, music, drama, and laughter personifies patterns, and makes them engaging, imaginative, and memorable, rather than just rules to be memorized.
- In order to have one source to manage multiple spelling patterns, spelling choices are taught and attached to the Vowel key one pattern at a time from most common to least common, recursively.
- Focus is on single syllable ‘root’ base words to prepare the way for the multi-syllable work explored more intensely in the Intermediate Course.
- Using Adapted American Sign Language, learn the meanings of the most common Anglo Saxon suffixes and how they change the meaning of the root.
Common But Quirky Words
- Common and quirky words have been a part of English for so long that they no longer fit modern letter-sound correspondence. To learn how to read and spell these old, but useful words, we will use research based strategies to burn them into our mind’s eye, and understand how they impact grammar.
- Learn to look for meaning and word origin cues to know how to spell tricky words.
- Learning how to make non-phonetic words burn into the mind’s eye using the best research based strategies – color coding and mental imagery (Berninger, 2006).
- Delving into small grammar words used to glue more meaningful words together and discovering how to imbue grammar words with as much meaning as possible to aid rapid recall. By themselves, these common, grammar words are not terribly meaningful, but they are terribly important. (Wolf, 2008).
Registration
January 23-25, 30, 31 and February 1, 2025
Wired for Reading Introductory Course
Location: In Person Saturdays at a TBD Seattle Location and online Thursdays and Fridays via Zoom.
Lead Instructor: Laura Rogan
- Dates: January 23-25, 30, 31 and February 1, 2025
- Format: 10 hours of asynchronous learning including 5 hours of video viewing and 25 pages of reading in the online book to be completed by the due date shown in the online lesson content. And 11 hours live online, 9 hours in-person instruction.
- Hours: Online Jan 23-24, 30-31 3:45pm-6:30pm ; in-person Jan 25 and Feb 1 8:45am-2:30pm.
- Reserve your spot: Remit $150 Reserves place (non-refundable after deadline) or reserve by sending school Purchase Order to info@wiredforreading.com.
- Tuition: $1375 (includes materials)
- Tuition Payment and Registration Deadline: January 5, 2025
- Late Fee: $140 will be assessed after the tuition payment deadline.
- Alum: $330 (Must have previously completed the Introductory Course to be eligible for the alum rate.)
March 20-22 and 27-29, 2025
Wired for Reading Introductory Course
Location: Online via Zoom.
Lead Instructor: Elizabeth Sorby
- Dates: March 20-22 and 27-29, 2025
- Format: 10 hours of asynchronous learning including 5 hours of video viewing and 25 pages of reading in the online book to be completed by the due date shown in the online lesson content. 20 hours live online instruction.
- Hours: Thursday and Friday sessions 3:45pm-6:30pm ; Saturday sessions 8:45am-2:30pm.
- Reserve your spot: Remit $150 Reserves place (non-refundable after deadline) or reserve by sending school Purchase Order to info@wiredforreading.com.
- Tuition: $1375 (includes materials)
- Tuition Payment and Registration Deadline: March 2, 2025
- Late Fee: $140 will be assessed after the tuition payment deadline.
- Alum: $330 (Must have previously completed the Introductory Course to be eligible for the alum rate.)
July 28-31, 2025
Wired for Reading Introductory Course
Location: Online via Zoom.
Lead Instructor: Elizabeth Sorby
- Dates: July 28-31, 2025
- Format: 10 hours of asynchronous learning including 5 hours of video viewing and 25 pages of reading in the online book to be completed by the due date shown in the online lesson content. 20 hours live online instruction.
- Hours: Monday through Thursday from 9am to 3:15pm with morning and lunch breaks each day.
- Reserve your spot: Remit $150 Reserves place (non-refundable after deadline) or reserve by sending school Purchase Order to info@wiredforreading.com.
- Tuition: $1375 (includes materials)
- Tuition Payment and Registration Deadline: July 13, 2025
- Late Fee: $140 will be assessed after the tuition payment deadline.
- Alum: $330 (Must have previously completed the Introductory Course to be eligible for the alum rate.)
