Foundations for the Next Generation of Literacy Instruction

***Missed the live event?

You can still purchase this Studio Session until the next session begins. Your registration includes access to the recording and all accompanying resources until August 11 2026.***

The science of reading has transformed literacy education, but it has also raised new questions.

How do children actually remember words? Why do some spellings stick while others don’t? What role do morphology and meaning play? How should we assess spelling, and what should we do with the information we collect?

This opening Studio Session lays the foundations for everything that follows in Spelling for Life Edition 3.

We’ll begin by contrasting the old and new waves of literacy reform. We will then explore orthographic mapping, one of the most influential developments in contemporary literacy research, and examine what it tells us about the way children store written words in long-term memory. We’ll separate established evidence from common misconceptions and consider the implications for classroom practice.

We’ll then turn our attention to spelling assessment. Rather than viewing assessment as a way to generate scores or identify deficits, we’ll explore how it can reveal the knowledge children already possess and the next steps that will have the greatest impact on their learning.

This session provides the conceptual framework for the entire Studio Series and introduces many of the ideas that underpin the next generation of literacy instruction.