Alphabetics, including phonemic awareness, phonics, and decoding, is the process readers use to identify words. Readers must rely on alphabetic knowledge and decoding skills to read unfamiliar words. Alphabetics is critical for adults reading at GLE 0–3.9.
In this 6-hour self-paced online course, learn about effective alphabetics instructional strategies and activities and create a short lesson plan that corresponds to your learners’ decoding levels. Adaptations for teaching remotely will be included.
Note: STAR-trained practitioners do not need to take this course, but may choose do to so as a refresher or to extend their practice to this GLE range.
- Reading teachers and tutors for GLE 0-3.9
- Administrators and other staff who support reading teachers and tutors
This professional development activity/course is designed for:
Do your learners struggle with decoding unfamiliar words? In this course, learn strategies from a veteran reading teacher on how to effectively instruct students in alphabetics, including phonemic awareness, phonics, and decoding.
Evidence-based reading instruction (EBRI) is a set of practices, grounded in research and professional wisdom, for teaching the four essential components of reading that WIOA requires to adult learners—alphabetics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. This PD offering focuses on alphabetics.
This course consists of three required components, needing approximately six hours, spread over two months:
- Complete six self-paced online modules, containing videos, embedded readings, and quick skill checks of the content and learning objectives.
- Create a short alphabetics lesson. Receive feedback from the instructor on the submitted lesson.
- Engage with other participants in a discussion forum.
PDPs: While this course is not eligible for PDPs by itself, it may be bundled with other EBRI professional development to earn PDPs.
Please note: This course is not accessible from the SABES website. Once you have registered and your completion of the prerequisite is verified, you will receive a separate email from Joanne Harrington at Quinsigamond Community College with instructions on how to access the course.
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Explain the following terms: alphabetics, phonological awareness, and phonemic awareness.
- Identify effective, appropriate instructional strategies and activities for teaching phonemic awareness, phonological awareness, and phonics.
- Create a short alphabetics lesson using the strategies and activities identified above and the "Steps in an Alphabetics Lesson" presented during the course. The lesson should include EBRI techniques, with activities corresponding to the learners’ decoding levels as identified during diagnostic assessment.
Upon completion of this professional development activity/course, you will be able to:
See the ELA events page for current dates and registration information for the following recommended prerequisites:
- Overview of EBRI
- Diagnostic Assessments of Reading
NOTE: Previous completion of or current enrollment in STAR training fulfills these recommended courses.
Online (Blackboard)
United States
