Classes & Workshops
Intro to SWI
This course teaches the foundations of theory and practice for those wanting to begin using SWI. Participants learn to:
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Analyze words using word sums and matrices
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Identify and differentiate between free bases, bound bases, and historical roots
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Begin to use Etymonline.com to find etymological information
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Teach the three suffixing conventions
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Teach about function vs. content words, including high frequency words
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Construct lessons to support content area vocabulary and writing
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Lead investigations that help students make sense of English orthography
Course is available now!
Investigating Words with Etymonline
This course is appropriate for those who have been already been working with word sums and matrices, but find themselves getting stuck when researching etymology. It aligns with the first session of my "Beyond the Intro" course. Participants will:
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Create annotations of etymology entries from the Online Etymology Dictionary
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Gain tools to recognize the roots of words, a key element needed to determine word structures and relatives
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Gain confidence in creating morphological and etymological word families with word sums and matrices
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Improve your ability to tell fascinating stories of words' histories
Coming late summer
SWI for Early Readers
This intro level course teaches the foundations of SWI theory and practice including special considerations for our youngest and more emergent learners. Topics include:
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Getting started with word families and morphology
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The role of phonology, phonemic awareness, and orthographic mapping
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High frequency words and first conventions
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Introducing word sums and matrices
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What reading instruction looks like
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What writing instruction looks like
Course begins September 25th!
Beyond the Intro: a word studies course
For those who have experience with word sums and the matrix. Flexible course content allows for us to incorporate student-driven investigations. The primary goal is for participants to become more independent with their own investigations. Conventions studied include:
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Deeper understanding of Etymonline.com entries
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Exploring further with bound bases
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How to know if an element is a base or an affix
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Alternant base and twin base elements
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Assimilated prefixes; consonant doubling
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Morphological vs. etymological relatives
Coming this fall
Teaching Real Script
Real Script is based on the Chancery hand, originally an italic script developed by the writing masters of the Renaissance and still in use today. It can be used by all ages either as a ligatured "cursive" style, or non-ligatured. Participants will learn:
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The history and philosophy of Real Script – how it differs from conventional “cursive”
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The mechanics of healthy writing – posture & pen hold
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How to write the lowercase letters - pathways and terminology
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How to write the uppercase alphabet
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Ligatures and the true sense of cursive
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Teaching strategies for introducing Real Script to students
If you’d like more information about these courses, get in touch today.