$20
per weekEvery Word Tells a Story (Structured Word Inquiry—Spelling)
Completed by 34 learners
Ages 7-11
Live Group Class
Live video meetings
2x per week
5-9 learners per class
25 min
What's included
2 live meetings
50 mins in-class hours per weekClass Experience
US Grade 2 - 5
Have you ever wondered why there's a "g" in sign? Or why two has that "w"? Or why friend has that i? In this class, we investigate these questions and more. The sometimes-baffling spelling of the English language is actually highly ordered. Spelling is a combination of etymology (word history), phonology (word sounds), morphology (word meaning), and orthography (the spelling of the English language). When students begin to understand how all of these work together, their understanding of the English language deepens, as well as spelling, vocabulary, and comprehension. **To be successful in this course, learners should have a basic understanding of prefixes, suffixes, and base words. It is recommended (though not required) to have completed at least one term of my "Orton Gillingham: Morphology, Vocabulary, Grammar, and More!" course.*** In this course, learners will engage in Structured Word Inquiry. This practice rests on four questions: 1. What does the word mean? 2. How is the word built? What is its structure? 3. What are the word's "relatives"? 4. What are the letters doing in the word? This method puts the learners in the driver seat--encouraging them to investigate words and discover relationships that will improve vocabulary, spelling, and morphological awareness. Since investigations are student-driven (but teacher-led), learners might: create a matrix, discover a spelling rule, figure out a root from a set of words, investigate the history of a word, explore the use of a suffix, or all of these at once. This class meets twice weekly. In the first class of each week, the teacher will present a word or set of words for inquiry. Learners will engage with the four questions of structured word inquiry. In the second meeting of each week, learners will "deep dive" with questions that came up in the first day of the week. Since learners are highly encouraged to provide words for investigations, the content of the course in the long-term will follow student needs. Individual sections may also vary in content based on the needs of each group. Please contact me for upcoming topics in your section.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
In investigations, I will share my screen while using Etymonline, an online etymology dictionary. Learners will not be asked to access this website on their own during class. Parents may wish to assist their learners with etymological investigation using etymonline at other times. Occasionally, I may show videos from Arika Okrent, the author of "Highly Irregular: Why Tough, Through, and Dough Don't Rhyme and Other Oddities of the English Language."
Supply List
Any print-outs (when appropriate) will be supplied the week before class. Other supplies include paper, pencil, white boards.
Language of Instruction
English
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Meet the teacher
Teacher expertise and credentials
Illinois Teaching Certificate in Elementary Education
2 Degrees
Master's Degree in Education from Dominican University
Bachelor's Degree from Middlebury College
I am a certified elementary teacher with years of experience in preschool and second grade. I have also taught ESL for 3 years on-line, and hold an MA in Teaching from Dominican University. I am trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach through IMSE (30-hour morphology plus course) and the Reed Charitable Foundation (30-hour classroom educator course).
Reviews
Other classes by Jess Coulter, M.A.T. (Orton-Gillingham, Dyslexia)
Other classes by Jess Coulter, M.A.T. (Orton-Gillingham, Dyslexia)
Related categories
Parents also liked
4th Grade Vocabulary
Shay Conaty
4.9
(451)
$25 per class
Next session at 1 AM on Friday
Group Class
1 wk, 5/wk, 25 min
9-10
Vocabulary Builders
Maria Ward
5.0
(477)
$12 per class
Next session at 8 PM today
Group Class
1/wk, 30 min
9-14
8th Grade Vocabulary
Shay Conaty
4.9
(451)
$25 per class
Next session at 1 AM on Friday
Group Class
1 wk, 5/wk, 25 min
13-14
5th Grade Vocabulary
Shay Conaty
4.9
(451)
$25 per class
Next session at 11:30 PM tomorrow
Group Class
1 wk, 5/wk, 25 min
10-11
7th Grade Vocabulary
Shay Conaty
4.9
(451)
$25 per class
Next session at 11:30 PM tomorrow
Group Class
1 wk, 5/wk, 25 min
12-13
Weekly Vocabulary Fun! Awesome Vocabulary Kahoot Game for 4th-5th Grade
Miss Heather
5.0
(237)
$14 per class
Next session at 9 PM on Monday
Group Class
1/wk, 50 min
8-11
Vocabulary Workshop! 7th 8th | ACT & SAT Vocabulary | Word Usage & Communication
Leaves of Learning Academy
4.8
(915)
$17 per class
Next session at 12 AM on Monday
Group Class
1/wk, 45 min
11-14
1:1 4th Grade Vocabulary
Shay Conaty
4.9
(451)
$29 per session
1-on-1 Tutoring
On Demand
9-10
6th Grade Vocabulary
Shay Conaty
4.9
(451)
$25 per class
Next session at 11:30 PM tomorrow
Group Class
1 wk, 5/wk, 25 min
11-12
Let's Learn English: Vocabulary for Flyers A2
Orchard Academy
4.8
(822)
$12 per class
Next session at 9:40 PM on Thu 2/27
Group Class
1/wk, 35 min
5-10
One-To-One 1:1 Ongoing Vocabulary Class
Let's Go Learning
4.8
(3,734)
$28 per session
1-on-1 Tutoring
On Demand
3-18
Let's Learn English: Vocabulary for Movers A1
Orchard Academy
4.8
(822)
$12 per class
Next session at 10:20 PM on Thu 2/27
Group Class
1/wk, 35 min
4-8
Vocabulary Shots With Mr. Hodge
Mr. Hodge
4.9
(60)
$15 per class
Next session at 2 PM on Friday
Group Class
1/wk, 45 min
10-15
Vocabulary Social Club
Kellie Thompson
4.8
(531)
$8 per class
Next session at 3 PM on Wed 3/12
Group Class
1/wk, 25 min
4-6
Get Set With Vocabulary Monday/Wednesday Class
Dru A Driver, M.Ed.
5.0
(61)
$6 per class
Next session at 1:05 AM tomorrow
Group Class
2/wk, 15 min
6-9
Vocabulary Workshop! 5th 6th | Complex Word Study | Reading Vocabulary Spelling
Leaves of Learning Academy
4.8
(915)
$17 per class
Next session at 10 PM today
Group Class
1/wk, 45 min
9-12
More to explore
I Write Well
The Reading Garden
Social Group for Autistic
Winter Spanish
Python Ai
Weirdest Thing
Intro To Robotics
Absolute Value
Sweet Treats And Desserts Baking
The Norse Course
Programming Java
3b Dimensions
Spanish Made Simple
Apex Legends
War Of 1812
Poem Comprehension
Chinese Immersive
Monster Mandarin
Psychology In Society
Multiplication Memorize