****I strongly recommend choosing the "Pay Weekly" option when you enroll. As the lessons will be tailored to your learner, you will not get all 16 weeks of content released at once since I will not know what the content will be yet! Choosing "Pay Weekly" will ensure that lessons are released one week at a time. If you do choose to "Pay Upfront," please be aware that you will not see any videos or content yet; videos and assignments will be posted once a week for each of the 16 weeks.

I will issue a manual refund for any week during the 16-week period in which either the teacher or learner is taking a week off, please just be sure I know about those weeks in advance.

Also - you now have the ability to select your start date for Self-Paced classes. I ask you please choose a Monday as your start date, it will be much easier for me if all learners in this class have weeks that start on the same day. Thank you!***

 This is a Self-Paced class, meaning that we will N̲O̲T̲ meet live over Zoom. For a live version of this class, click here:

https://outschool.com/classes/11-reading-and-spelling-support-through-structured-word-inquiry-48DdKAA3?usid=nD85Y1ms&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link

   In this class, I will provide asynchronous tutoring and support for learners in the Structured Word Inquiry approach to spelling. Each week, I will provide one brief (usually between 12-20 minutes max) video lesson tailored to your learner’s needs and/or questions about spelling. I’ll also assign them some related homework to practice a concept and will provide feedback on their work. Work will be posted to a Canva slide deck that I will share with them. Content will build from week to week to help develop concepts and skills, and again will be tailored to your learner’s needs and particular questions or words they are struggling with. Your learner can communicate in turn via audio and/or video files, in writing, or by sending pictures of their work, or any combination of the above!

   This option is ideal for learners whom I may not be able to accommodate due to time zone differences, scheduling conflicts, or for families looking for a lower-cost option than receiving live 1:1 tuition and support in spelling. 

If you are interested in a shorter-term option to try out the asynchronous model or SWI as an approach to spelling, please see this listing for a 4-week class:

https://outschool.com/classes/asynchronous-11-reading-and-spelling-support-through-structured-word-inquiry-2rP2Q2E8?usid=nD85Y1ms&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link

Examples of topics I might provide lessons on would be: suffixing rules for silent 𝘦, doubling a final consonant, or changing 𝘺 to 𝘪; learning reasons for having a silent e at the end of a base (there are many more reasons than just to change the sound of the vowel!); closer looks at particular digraphs or letters; how to build words from a word family using a matrix; content words vs. function words; when to add <s> or <es> to make a plural, and much more!

Sections will begin on a Monday and run until Friday of the 16th week. 

**Please note that if I receive a learner's work or questions, I may not be able to provide feedback, follow-up lessons, etc within my promised time frame. Getting the most out of our time each week will require cooperation on both our parts! If your learner needs more time to complete their work, please just let me know. I will always provide at least one video lesson a week, even if I am not receiving posted work from your learner, but the lessons may not be a best match to their needs if I have not seen their work or had questions from them.

   What is Strucutured Word Inquiry?

 Structured Word Inquiry is an approach to literacy that: 

-is not a curriculum or a program, but an approach
-developed from the field of linguistics rather than education, hence it is very different from most spelling programs
-operates on the premise that the English spelling system is highly ordered and logical
-treats spelling as a science that can be studied through questioning, hypothesizing, experimentation and  conclusion
-offers explanations for how every word is spelled rather than labeling them as "tricky," "irregular" or "rule-breaking"
-teaches spelling as an intersection of phonology (sounds), morphology (the parts used to build words; prefixes, bases and suffixes) and etymology (word history and origin)
-is not a phonics-based approach (though I do believe a background in basic phonics is very important for readers and spellers. Ideally, your learner will have had some phonics instruction in the past)
  
In working with your learner I will:

-determine what they already know about spelling, sounds and letters to individualize my instruction
-move them away from learning to spell words by "sounding them out"
-move them away from reliance on syllables, which hold no meaning and are often in dispute (does <family> have two syllables or three? What about <different?>  How these words are typically pronounced in everyday use is not a direct match to how they are spelled and results in confusion)
-move them away from seeing spelling as a letter-by-letter system and towards seeing it as a system of graphemes (teams of letters) and morphemes (prefixes, bases, suffixes)
teach them the underlying system and order of English spelling, enabling them to identify patterns
-exponentially increase their vocabulary by learning about bases and roots, quickly multiplying the number of words they will be able to decode, spell and understand
-remove the need to memorize spelling "rules" and their lists of exceptions
-remove the need to rely on visual memory (very difficult for learners with dyslexia!)
-help them understand that every word is spelled the way it is for a reason and that every letter has a job
-provide structured support and feedback