Professional Development & Workshops
Content
Strengthen your teaching toolkit and empower student success through engaging literacy workshops.
Lee-Ann Lear, author of SyllaSense decodables, offers a range of teacher training. Her workshops combine theoretical knowledge with practical applications, helping teachers gain a deeper understanding of our language system.
Lee-Ann has presented at Reading for the Love of it and IDA’s Literacy and Learning Conference for the past 3 years. She has also offered district-level workshops across Canada.
Listed below are some of the most common workshops offered by Lee-Ann. These workshops typically run for approximately 1.5-2 hours, but the duration can be adjusted to suit your requirements.
Custom workshops are also an option.
If you are interested in a quote for your district, please contact lee-ann@syllasense.com.
Online, on-demand sessions are currently being developed.
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Decoding Decodables
A defining feature of structured literacy is that instruction is systematic and cumulative. Systematic instruction will follow a planned sequence that begins with simple concepts, then moves to complex ones. Instruction and subsequent practice are cumulative, and provide students with opportunities to practice and consolidate previously taught concepts.
In this workshop, we will investigate the systematic and cumulative nature of scope and sequences, and how this translates to decodable texts and structured literacy. This workshop will help you understand how decodable texts are crafted, their purpose, and their limitations. We will also explore where decodable texts fit within a structured literacy lesson, how to track progress, and how to know when it is appropriate to move away from controlled texts.
This workshop is appropriate for K-2 educators, administrators, and those who are using decodable texts with older students for intervention.
Contact: lee-ann@syllasense.com for more information.
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Developing Flexible Decoders
Preparing Students to Read Beyond Controlled Text
English is a complex language, and becoming a fluent reader requires cognitive flexibility. Students must learn to blend sounds, while also flexing between possibilities to find words that make sense. Early on, this flexibility develops in small ways—such as trying more than one sound for a letter—and is best supported through decodable texts that offer carefully controlled practice. As students progress, they need opportunities to move beyond highly controlled texts and apply flexible word-solving skills in more authentic reading. In this workshop, teachers will delve into how the English language works, learn practical strategies for building flexible decoding skills, and explore how to choose the right texts at different stages of instruction.
This workshop is appropriate for K-3 educators, administrators, and those who are providing reading intervention to students of all ages.
Contact: lee-ann@syllasense.com for more information.
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The ABCs
of Grapheme/Phoneme Correspondence
Delve into the wonderful world of graphemes and phonemes in this workshop. In this workshop, we will cover practical definitions, “big ideas”, and engaging, hands-on activities to try with students. We will also explore some of the more challenging aspects of our language, including coarticulation, stress, and schwa. Our goal is to assist educators in developing a deeper understanding of the complexity and richness of our language.
This workshop is appropriate for K-3 educators, administrators, and those who are working with older students who require intervention
Contact: lee-ann@syllasense.com for more information.
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Morphemes Matter:
The Power of Morphology Instruction in Primary Classrooms
In this workshop, we will cover key definitions, “big ideas”, and practical teaching suggestions appropriate for primary classrooms.
Topics include the relationship between spelling and morphology, suffixing conventions, and concrete ideas for representing morphemes in spoken and written words. Our goal is to assist educators in developing a deeper understanding of morphology, and how to tailor instruction to be suitable for younger learners.
This workshop is appropriate for K- 3 educators and administrators. A Grades 4 – 8 version is also available.
Contact: lee-ann@syllasense.com for more information.