Outschool has made some changes to how sessions appear on teacher's availability calendars. If you are looking for a 1-time or occasional session and don't see a time that works for you, please contact me directly and I can send you a link to register for a 1-time class!

***Please note that I live in the UK and am 5 hours ahead of EST and 8 hours ahead of PST so I am afraid I am not able to accommodate working with learners in the late afternoon/evenings North America time. If you are interested in a possible self-paced/asynchronous 1:1 option please contact me.  Thank you!***


What is Strucutured Word Inquiry?

 Structured Word Inquiry is an approach to literacy that: 

-developed from the field of linguistics rather than education, hence it is very different from most spelling programs
-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)-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"
-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)

SWI is not a program or a curriculum, but an approach and framework for teaching spelling.

  
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 and send periodic updates on progress to parents

      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 learner 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.

 &&&   I am now able to offer this support in Structured Word Inquiry/Spelling/Vocabulary development to small groups of 2-4 learners, such as siblings or friend groups. Please message me if you are interested in scheduling a time. That class does not operate with a scheduling calendar as 1:1 classes do.  You can find a link for that class listing here: 
https://outschool.com/classes/small-groups-spelling-and-reading-with-structured-word-inquiry-XO0OYXiT?usid=nD85Y1ms&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link


**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/flex-11-reading-and-spelling-support-through-structured-word-inquiry-2rP2Q2E8?usid=nD85Y1ms&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link

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/sp-course-introduction-to-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/introduction-to-structured-word-inquiry-dyCAN9V7?usid=nD85Y1ms&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link

Self-Paced 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬:

https://outschool.com/classes/sp-teen-course-introduction-to-structured-word-inquiry-OWbdoGCo?usid=nD85Y1ms&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link