Struggling Readers Program Overview
Teachers will spend time on learning about considerations for programming for weaknesses in basic and advanced phoneme skills– the first pillar.
Next, the participants will learn how to program sequentially for phonics weaknesses. Skills, strategies, and appropriate materials will be explored to accelerate student progress – the second pillar.
The third pillar is on fluency, tying the testing results to programming for weak fluency skills. This section will delve into the role of orthographic mapping.
The fourth pillar is on vocabulary. Teachers will be presented with options for increasing vocabulary and developing semantic knowledge.
The last pillar focuses on comprehension. It includes syntax (sentence sense) first, following with teaching students to self-monitor their understanding, and then work on systematic and explicit teaching of comprehension approaches so that students have good literal and inferential skills.
The Struggling Readers Program is estimated to take fifty hours to complete.
FAQ
The Struggling Readers course is designed to be flexible for professionals who have busy lifestyles with a learning platform that is open 24/7 and can be accessed from anywhere, including the comfort of your own home.
You will be provided with opportunities to complete article readings, view videos of experts in the field, and connect with other teachers through group discussions. You will be completing quizzes and various assignments throughout the course. As well, you will have access to supporting documents “Activities to Build Skills” for each of the Pillars.
The course is designed for practicing teachers of grades 2 – 6 who are looking for ideas to use with struggling readers. You will screen for deficits in phonemic skills, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension and then provide interventions to support growth in these areas. An array of activities and resources will be suggested, based on the most up-to-date information.
Please be aware that this course is extensive. The in-person course on which this is based spanned a week of full days.