***This class is designed with the idea of working with small groups of 2-4 learners who want to take the class together, such as siblings or friends. This class will be scheduled by private links only when requested by a parent, at a time that works for both our schedules. Please contact me if you are interested in scheduling a session!** 


Structured Word Inquiry is literacy instruction which operates on the premise that the English spelling system is highly ordered and logical. So much so, in fact, that it can be approached scientifically through hypothesis, experimentation and conclusion. Rather than relying solely on the sounds in words to aid in spelling (phonology), SWI teaches spelling as it really functions; an intersection of phonology along with etymology (the history of a word) and morphology (the building of words from parts; prefixes, bases and suffixes.) In working with your learners, I will deepen their understanding of the order of the English spelling system by helping to replace the misconception that words can be spelled by “sounding them out.” Any speaker of English knows this approach on its own does not work given how many silent letters there are in English words, thousands of homophones (words that are spelled differently although they sound the same,) etc. If your children have been trying and failing for years to master spelling and decoding of words, the SWI approach may be just the thing that can finally help them to make sense of the English language. 

To give an example of how this would work, if we think about the word <action>, many learners who are taught to spell by “sounding out” would probably spell this word more like <akshun>. However, when we break the word apart and realize that the base is <act> with the <ion> suffix on it, it helps us to arrive at the correct spelling and to keep the <t> in the word <action> even though it's making a different sound than it did in the base word <act>. The spelling is explained by the morphemes, and not by the sounds. This is just one example of how this approach can help to explain why words are spelled the way they are, even if it doesn’t seem to make sense when we try "sounding them out."
   
Learning the SWI approach will aid not only with spelling skills, but with critical reading and vocabulary skills as well, as understanding the connections between words can help learners determine word origins and meaning.

I’m often asked if I teach Orton-Gillingham or other phonics-based programs. Structured Word Inquiry is not a curriculum or a program; there are no materials you can purchase or step-by-step lessons to follow. Rather, it is an approach, and as it grew from the field of linguistics rather than education, it’s very different than other methods of teaching spelling. While this is not a phonics-based method of instruction, and I would not work on phonics skills directly with your learner, I do believe that having a strong base in phonics is crucial for all readers and spellers. Ideally, your learner would have a good foundation in understanding the sounds that letters make and may have worked through some phonics-based programs in the past. SWI is a great way to take their learning even further, as SWI offers explanations for spellings which phonics cannot explain, such as words with silent letters, or for words which are often presented as “exceptions” or “rule-breakers” by phonics-based programs. In this way, SWI removes the need for learners to memorize rules which only work a small portion of the time and lists of words which break certain spelling “rules.” 

I will work with your learners to determine their needs and tailor lessons according to those needs, or to any questions or particular words they are wondering about or would like help with, and provide structured support and feedback along the way.  As SWI is an approach that is quite new for most learners, and as it is too complex to be summarized or thoroughly understood quickly, I recommend planning to commit to this approach for several months at least, though of course I am very happy to meet with your learners for a session or two at first to determine if we are good fit for working together. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you should have further questions for me about SWI, or my availability.

#### According to Outschool policy, if your learner is more than ten minutes late for class and I have not heard from you then I will end the class. Please note that I cannot offer refunds or rescheduling for missed classes.  This class is technically an Ongoing Class, which means parents do not have control over the scheduling as you do for 1:1s. If you ever need to cancel or reschedule just let me know and I can cancel a meeting if need be. The refund policy will be the same as with my 1:1s; I will issue a full refund if you notify me more than 24 hours in advance of needing to cancel. I will refund once in 12 weeks for something like an illness or family emergency that comes up suddenly and means you were not able to cancel in more than 24 hours. . #### 

**I also have an option to offer 1:1 support in SWI via a Self-Paced class! This means I would be better able to accommodate families in different time zones, or where we otherwise have a schedule conflict by providing asynchronous lessons, work and feedback. Please find a class link for this option here:
https://outschool.com/classes/asynchronous-11-reading-and-spelling-support-through-structured-word-inquiry-2rP2Q2E8?refuid=nD85Y1ms

I also offer small group classes that teach the Structured Word Inquiry approach, both live and Flex (pre-recorded videos) versions. Links to these other classes are here, please contact me if you are interested in a discount to try one out!

F̲o̲r̲ l̲e̲a̲r̲n̲e̲r̲s̲ a̲g̲e̲s̲ 9̲-1̲2̲:

𝐎𝐧𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬:
https://outschool.com/classes/unlocking-the-mysteries-of-english-spelling-a-structured-word-inquiry-approach-DnUQSr9s?usid=nD85Y1ms&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link

𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞, 12-𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐖𝐈:
https://outschool.com/classes/unlocking-the-mysteries-of-english-spelling-a-live-8-week-class-dyCAN9V7?usid=nD85Y1ms&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link

Self-Paced 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬:
https://outschool.com/classes/flex-unlocking-the-mysteries-of-english-spelling-structured-word-inquiry-xIijJB7W?usid=nD85Y1ms&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link

F̲o̲r̲ l̲e̲a̲r̲n̲e̲r̲s̲ a̲g̲e̲s̲ 1̲3̲-1̲6̲:

𝐎𝐧𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬:
https://outschool.com/classes/unlocking-the-mysteries-of-english-spelling-a-structured-word-inquiry-approach-HkoGyEQG?usid=nD85Y1ms&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link

𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞, 12-𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐖𝐈:
https://outschool.com/classes/unlocking-the-mysteries-of-english-spelling-a-live-8-week-class-BcfHP84y?usid=nD85Y1ms&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link

Self-Paced 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬:
https://outschool.com/classes/flex-unlocking-the-mysteries-of-english-spelling-structured-word-inquiry-OWbdoGCo?usid=nD85Y1ms&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link