Science of Learning, Reading and Writing Masterclass 2 (PD442)

Once Tom has set the stage for routines, norms and consequences in the classroom, what then can we turn our attention to? For this series, I’ve chosen syntax, morphology and writing.

I’m overjoyed to see how popular these concepts are in education, since so much of my work is focused on these very things.

In this unique, two-part talk, I kick off with a model of syntax that shows how parts of speech interact with one another to form grammatical utterances. You may have seen this model in my other works, but together, using principles of explicit instruction, we’ll rebuild that model in your mind so that you can explain it to others.

Next, we take a linguist’s view of the true nature of morphemes, and using demonstration lessons, travel, step by step, through sequences of instruction in morphology for all stages.

Finally, we come to writing: difficult to develop and even harder to assess. I answer the following questions:

• What are the key ingredients in writing proficiency?
• How do you teach those and how do you measure whether you’ve succeeded?
• What are the barriers to fluent, accurate writing and how do you overcome them?

Armed with this deeper and broader understanding of how the writing system works, prepare to dive into the wonderful Chris Such’s talks on reading, fluency and comprehension.