How the Written Word Works; English Orthography for Homeschoolers
How the Written Word Works; English Orthography for Homeschoolers
This class is designed for homeschool families who want to breathe life into their spelling instruction and need help teaching our spelling system without confusing rules and exceptions. Parents and students of all ages are welcome. Classes are on Zoom, two days a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays 12 to 1pm PST) for 60 minutes and packaged as 4 week sessions.
Cost: $200 for each 4 week session (10 classes)
Cost is per family. A sliding scale discount is available for families who qualify.
Session 1 begins October 8th and goes through the October 31st
Session 2 begins November 5th and goes through December 5th (off Thanksgiving week)
Deadline to sign up is one week prior to the first class.
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The Tuesday class will cover key components about English Orthography which are essential for the understanding of English Spelling, verbal expression and comprehension of written elements. We will explore key terms and concepts, consistent spelling conventions, and a dive into understanding English phonology. Participants will discover the complexity of the English orthographic spelling system and find that it is a cohesive, reliable and consistent system when viewed through the correct lens.
The Thursday class will demonstrate how Structured Word Inquiry may be used as a means of understanding the relationship between the spelling of a word and its communicated meaning. This kind of instruction improves student awareness of the structure of words and its interrelation of meaning. Students are encouraged to bring words from their studies for investigation.
Sessions are designed for students of all ages and abilities and are not linear and do not need to be taken in order. Understanding the English language is done in a circular manner, much like a tree we are building rings of knowledge from the inside out as a student grows in their understanding. They will learn to pursue spelling like any science: by asking questions, noticing patterns and using evidence to build, prove and disprove their hypotheses. Like all learning, understanding English orthography is a lifelong pursuit and the goal is to foster a joy in the pursuit of understanding our language, equip students in this pursuit and to debunk the myths that the English language is frustrating, irregular and filled with exceptions.
For any questions contact Julie at julieb@shinelearning.org.