Study of Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling Part l (K-12)

Presented by Carol Tolman, Ed.D.
July 10, 11, 12, 24, 25, 26, 2012 (6 days)
To download a registration form click here

Course Description
This course provides foundational knowledge to all teachers of reading with the goal of understanding how children learn to read, the nature and causes of individual differences in reading skill, and the research-based practices that lead to optimal student achievement. The course is the first of two that address all the essential components of reading. This first course focuses on the acquisition of phoneme awareness, word reading and spelling accuracy, and passage reading fluency. We study the processing requirements of reading and the language systems upon which proficient reading depends. This content knowledge base is applied to the design of instruction of a diverse group of students, including those with disabilities, students from culturally and linguistically diverse populations, and high-achieving students. Grades K-12

Learning Outcomes
Upon mastery of the course objectives, the education student will demonstrate knowledge of:

1. Current and historical theoretical underpinnings of reading instruction, to include brain studies depicting the nature of skilled reading; findings of eye movement research; and results of longitudinal research on the development of literacy. Comparisons will be made to the earlier three-cueing system model.

2. The phases of early reading and spelling development and implications for assessment and instruction.

3. Phonetics of the English language: accurate identification and articulation of phonemes in spoken words; the vowel and consonant phonemes of English and their relationship with one another; the contrast between English and Spanish phonology and American dialects.

4. Phonological Awareness Instruction: terminology, scope and sequence of skills, and instructional practices.

5. Structure of English Orthography: historical roots, terminology, scope and sequence of skills, and instructional practices for teaching decoding and encoding.

6. Morphology: connections to vocabulary development; scope and sequence for instructional purposes, including inflectional suffixes, prefixes, Anglo-Saxon words, and Latin roots.

7. The impact of fluency on reading comprehension, with a focus on research-based instructional practices.

8. Selection and use of appropriate screening tools, informal assessments, spelling inventories, and instructional materials for core and supplemental programming.

9. Resources for research based reading practices, to include publications, international associations, web sites, and peer-reviewed journals.

10. Methods to support classroom teachers, paraprofessionals, and other support personnel in their reading instruction.

Materials Required
Birsh, J. R. (2011) Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills, Third Edition, Baltimore, MD: Brooke's Publishing

Moats, L.C. (2005). Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS). Longmont, CO: Sopris West

LETRS Module 1, Second Edition: The Challenge of Learning to Read
LETRS Module 2, Second Edition: The Speech Sounds of English: Phonetics, Phonology, and Phoneme Awareness
LETRS Module 3, Second Edition: Spellography for Teachers: How English Spelling Works
LETRS Module 5, Second Edition: Getting Up to Speed: Developing Fluency
LETRS Module 7, Second Edition: Teaching Phonics, Word Study, and The Alphabetic Principle

Who Should Attend
General education teachers
Reading specialists
Special educators
Curriculum coordinators
Literacy coordinators
Title 1 teachers
Speech and language pathologists
Administrators – principals, superintendents
Interventionists
Literacy coaches
Reading coaches

About LETRS
LETRS® (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) is a professional development program that responds to the need for high-quality literacy educators at all levels. Developed by Louisa C. Moats, Ed.D., LETRS provides the deep foundational knowledge necessary to understand how students learn to read, write, and spell—and why some of them struggle.

The program's underlying principles are the groundwork in many scientific research reports, including “Blueprint for Professional Development,” Reading First Leadership Academy, U.S. Department of Education (Moats, 2002); “The Missing Foundation in Teacher Education,” American Educator (Moats, 1995); and “Measuring Teachers' Content Knowledge of Language and Reading,” Annals of Dyslexia (Moats and Foorman, 2003).

LETRS provides educators with a core understanding of language structure and helps them gain in-depth instructional information to complement their teaching practices. Rather than replacing the core basal reading program, LETRS brings deeper knowledge of reading instruction by addressing each component– phoneme awareness; phonics, decoding, spelling, and word study; oral language development; vocabulary; reading fluency; comprehension; and writing–as well as the foundational concepts that link them.