Learning Opportunities

"Tricking the Brain" Into Reading: How to Use Brain Science as a Road Map to Fast-Track Phonics Skills for Reading, Writing & Spelling

Presented By

Katie Garner

Series Sessions

Date Time
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday, May 26, 2021 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday, June 09, 2021 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Location

Online Online

Join Katie Garner, author of "Secret Stories® Cracking the Reading Code with the Brain in Mind!" for this 3-part professional development series.

Help all students become strong decoders instead of weak guessers AND make meaning as they engage with text across the instructional day. Using brain science as a road map, discover how to take advantage of “backdoor” learning systems to fast-track MORE of the phonics code kids need to read, write and spell. By aligning abstract phonics concepts with already familiar “universal” experiences and understanding (i.e. having a crush, not getting along, getting hurt, being left out, doing what your mom or babysitter tells you, knowing where and when to be sneaky, etc.) we can leverage social-emotional intelligence to fast-track skill mastery. In this way, even struggling readers are empowered with all of the tools they need to become fearless codebreakers — not just during in the reading block, but across in all subject areas across the entire instructional day.

This 3-part professional development series will include:

  • Research on early brain development ("back to front") and how the brain learns to read
  • Understanding of the brain's processes for learning, including the social-emotional “superhighways” 
  • Strategies for aligning high-leverage phonics skill concepts to “universal" experiences & understanding
  • Fast-tracking individual letter sound mastery (in 2 weeks to 1 month) via muscle memory
  • Increasing automaticity of sound-symbol ("speech to print") connections with musical drills for rapid decoding & encoding  
  • The Decodable Truth About Sight Words
  • Maximizing Instructional Value with Phonics-Focused and Brain-Aligned Teacher Moves 
  • Turning “Landmines” into “Playgrounds” by Coaching Students to Strategize, not Memorize

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