Teaching Reading in the Early Years

This practical three-day course equips teachers with skills and resources to use evidence-based practices to teach students to read.

What is this course about?

Teaching Reading in the Early Years is a 3-day course that takes teachers through the journey of understanding how we learn to read, planning for systematic instruction, implementing explicit lessons and daily reviews, and how to read decodables readers (and when!) with early readers. Learning how to assess target skills and plan instruction based on comprehensive data analysis is also a key feature of this course!

Day 1:

How students learn to read
How to structure your literacy block
How to understand an explicit phonics scope and sequence and key terminology

Day 2:

How to plan instruction using explicit models for various points in the phonic code
How to implement Daily Reviews (and Why!)
How to get students practising word reading using a range of engaging and purpose-driven activities

Day 3:

How to run an explicit phonics lesson
What to assess, how and when?
How to identify student learning needs, grouping and planning for extra support
How to read decodables with students – for what purpose and when!

Why should I do this course?

If you are looking for explicit models of planning, instruction and assessment as well as lots of practical tips for engaging ways to get students practising core reading skills in the early years, this course is for you!

Who should do this course?

Early career teachers looking for a systematic and explicit approach to teaching reading.
Classroom teachers looking for ideas on how to refine reading instruction, introduce evidence-based practices, and differentiate effectively.
Leaders looking for models and resources that they can implement across their school consistent with the new NSW English K-2 Syllabus.

What will I get from this course?

Completed phonics planning models
Phonics Planning templates
Instructional models for teaching phonics explicitly in K-1
A treasure trove of practise activities and games to support developing phonic decoding and reading skills
Routines to support reading decodables with students
Sample word reading assessments

NESA Accreditation

This course is accredited with NESA

Completing Teaching Reading in the Early Years will contribute 16 hours and 30 minutes of NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Accredited PD in the priority area of Delivery and Assessment of NSW Curriculum/EYLF addressing Standard Descriptor(s) 1.5.2, 2.1.2, 2.2.2, 2.5.2, 3.2.2, 5.4.2 from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers towards maintaining Proficient Teacher Accreditation in NSW.

Help Me Read! Strategies for Struggling Readers – Online

WHEN: 9:00am - 3:30pm,

7 November 2024

Learn about targeted strategies to add to your reading instruction tool box!

Double or Nothing: The doubling rule

WHEN: On-demand course available from 5pm,

11 November 2024

To double or not to double. Now that’s an interesting question. In this course, we show you how to teach the doubling rules when adding a vowel suffix in a really simple way. We will look at how we can make this less overwhelming for students and set them up for success! Then we extend that to look at 2 syllable words and clarify how to teach this rule for those more complicated words!

Simplifying Spelling in Years 1-6 – Online

WHEN: 9:00am - 3:30pm,

14 November 2024

Learn how to teach spelling so it sticks!

UFLI Foundations Workshop – Parramatta

WHEN: 9:00am - 3:30pm,

15 November 2024

UFLI Foundations is an explicit and systematic phonics program that introduces students to the foundational reading skills necessary for proficient reading.

Mastering Morphology: Understanding How English Words Work – Online

WHEN: 9:00am - 3:30pm,

22 November 2024

An introduction to English morphology and what this means for teaching spelling in our classrooms.

When Suffixes get to Work

WHEN: On-demand course available from 5pm,

9 December 2024

Different suffixes can have different jobs. Identifying them and understanding their purpose is important knowledge for teachers and helps not just with spelling but with grammar and vocabulary. In this course, we take you on a metalanguage joy-ride through the world of suffixes! We will model simple ways we can communicate these complex ideas to students.

Teaching Suffixes: y and ly

WHEN: On-demand course available from 5pm,

17 February 2025

Y and ly are 2 simple, high frequency suffixes that make the world a more descriptive place! In this course we show you how to plan for teaching these 2 important suffixes and how you can teach them to students in a simple yet effective way!

Teaching Advanced Suffixes: ion and ure

WHEN: On-demand course available from 5pm,

17 March 2025

Have you ever heard someone say that they have a favourite suffix? No! Well you have now! ‘ion’ and ‘ure’ are suffixes we love talking about because it allows us to delve into some more complex considerations when teaching spelling in year 3-6. Which words you are going to use and how you will help students remember these spellings is all part of the challenge and the fun!

Advanced Morphology: Bound bases

WHEN: On-demand course available from 5pm,

14 April 2025

Advanced morphology has lots for stage 2 and 3 teachers to sink their teeth into! Working with more complex morphology and helping students understand morphological structures of words is engaging and fascinating. Learn how to teach these complex words in a direct and effective manner and how you can help students start transferring their new words into their writing.

Explicit Spelling Instruction: I do, we do, you do

WHEN: On-demand course available from 5pm,

12 May 2025

In this course, we don’t focus so much on the ‘what’ but the ‘how’. We look at what a spelling lesson includes and how to be targeted and explicit in our instruction. We will discuss how to provide diminishing scaffolds and what independent ‘you do’ activities should look like.

Differentiating and Assessing Spelling

WHEN: On-demand course available from 5pm,

9 June 2025

Differentiating spelling can be complex but in this course, we have some clear suggestions on how to differentiate to ensure that students are always been appropriately challenged and supported. In this course, we will also look at how to effectively assess spelling.

Supporting children and adults with specific learning difficulties

Teaching Reading in the Early Years