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Literacy instruction through understanding English orthography

with Pete Bowers, Phd

Founder of WordWorks, teacher & researcher. Introduced “structured word inquiry”

(Bowers & Kirby, 2010)

Cost $200 USD for full 5-sessions

Above: A group studies possible analyses of <climate> with the guidance of the 4 questions during a course with Pete.

Below: Gallery view in Zoom with the group sharing their thinking on an SWI investigation.

Structured Word Inquiry (SWI)5-Session Courses with Zoom

Interactive On-line Sessions (1.5 hours each)

5-Session SWI Courses for the Seriously Curious (for novices & experts)

Time to study, time to try new ideas out with students, and time to ask questionsEach session introduces orthographic concepts through instructional practices that can be employed with students the next day. Participants have-a-go knowing we will revisit those concepts and address questions that come up. Novices learn along experts. Many in my current courses that are about to end have already signed up to retake the same course.

General overview of course contentWe can think of this course (and my work in general) as having a focus on three core interrelated understandings.

(1) Deepening understanding of how English orthography works;

(2) Becoming confident in your ability to independently investigate English orthography scientifically;

(3) Learning how to use your understanding of # 1 and #2 to guide your instructional practice.

Outline of key topics addressed for each sessionThe following outline is subject to change depending on the interests, questions and discoveries of the participants. All concepts described will be addressed over the 5 days, but additional topics are addressed as well.

When possible, I stay for open-ended discussions for those who are interested after the official 1.5 hour class ends.

Session #1: SWI as scientific inquiry & word familiesI introduce a “big picture” of structured word inquiry as the application of scientific inquiry about how our spelling system works as and how to use that as a driving feature of literacy instruction for learners of all abilities and ages.

Key to this “big picture” is introducing the linguistic concept of “word families” as words connected in spelling structure and meaning through activities used from the beginning of schooling. By the end of the session, participants have practice and resources for using the same type of activity with students of all ages/abilities.

Session #2: Learning from word families - orthographic phonology, spelling-out-loud, orthographic markers & suffixing changesBuilding on word families, we begin to understand the crucial way grapheme-phoneme correspondences are constrained by morphological constraints - and touch on the role of etymology too. The process of spelling-out-loud also helps us identify “orthographic markers” letters or letter combinations that are not graphemes.

We consider the similarities and differences between standard phonics instruction and instruction of orthographic phonology. We use the essential SWI process of “spelling-out-loud word structure” which demands explicit attention to graphemes in the base. We learn that both phonics instruction and instruction about orthographic phonology can provide explicit instruction about what the available grapheme-phoneme correspondences are, but that in SWI we also use morphological and etymological information to help understand which graphemes are needed in a given word based on the influence of word families.

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Session #3: More practice with spelling-out-loud word structure, Cognitive Load Theory and SWI in the context of Reading instruction

We have time to practice the process spelling-out-loud and writing-out-loud and tapping out of word structure introduced last session. We also look at how these processes and SWI in general reflect the recommendations of cognitive load theory - a major theory of learning in psychology. We also see how these processes are applied to the process of reading instruction.

Session #4: Digging deeper into morphological and etymological families - working with the 4 questions of SWI, learning to read Etymonline and constructing matrices by hand.

For this session we use a middle school science text as a launching pad for orthographic inquiries to build understanding of content are concepts and terms. We use this context to learn how to read Etymonline to collect etymological relatives (those that share a root) and then word sums to identify which of those words are also morphological relatives (those that share a base).

Session #5: More practice investigating morphological and etymological families, and the role of orthographic phonology - plus understanding the research

For the final session we look at questions about morphological and etymological relatives and how they interrelate with grapheme-phoneme correspondences. We build on all the concepts addressed in the first 4 sessions. The end of the session is reserved for a careful look at the research related to SWI.

Background on Structured Word Inquiry (SWI)SWI: Orthographic understanding through falsification of common assumptions about English spelling

Investigating orthography scientifically makes sense of many spellings most teachers have never been able to understand or explain to their students. That is not to say anyone “understands” English spelling quickly. However, the reliable conventions of English spelling used to explain spellings like <does>, <laugh> or <two> are essential to any coherent understanding of English spelling in general. Orthographic concepts used to make sense of those words are reinforced when we use them to understand the spelling of <people> or <rough>, or to discover how spelling structures and conventions link words like <structure> and <instruction> or <science>, <conscious> and <prescient>. Many of the words listed above are addressed in the very first session of this 5-session course. Once educators with many years of professional training are introduced to understandings of spellings they could never explain before, they have evidence that there must be something deficient in the training they have received before. This is not evidence to suddenly drop other practices teachers are comfortable with. It is, however, evidence that we should start asking serious questions about what misunderstandings must be behind training that has us teach children that a spelling like <does> is irregular, when it is demonstrable that this spelling conforms perfectly to English orthographic conventions. Studying <does> with a matrix and word sums reveals the interrelationship of morphology and phonology. See this video of me teaching this lesson. Does your training have

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you teach this spelling as one (of many) kids need to memorize because it is “irregular”? If so, but you understand this spelling after watching that video, you have evidence that there is something deficient in your training. Instead of treating <does> as a signal of how frustrating and random this writing system is, we can use it as a launching pad to a central understanding of how our whole writing system works.

SWI is a rich approach to literacy instruction, but also so much more. Since it is builds independent word-learning, it is also about developing a means to make sense of terms and concepts in any subject area. See student investigations of <dissident>, <resistance> and a model of an investigation on <immigration> for examples.

Following learners’ QUESTions While I have a framework for the key content we will study over the 5 sessions, I do not have a strict schedule of exactly what we will study in which session. I launch each course in a similar way, and hit the same key concepts, but the exact path we take through these concepts evolves based on questions participants ask. One of the main advantages of a series of on-line classes is that people can try things with students and colleagues, and then share discoveries and questions between sessions.

Some of the central themes (in no particular order) we will address include:• The practice and importance of “spelling-out-loud” and

“writing-out-loud” graphemes, orthographic markers and morphemes.

• Understanding and using the “4 questions of SWI” to guide our learning and that of our students.

• Working with the word sum (lexical algorithm) and the morphological matrix to make sense of spelling.

• Understanding orthographic phonology -- and its distinction from phonics.

• Understanding the interrelationship of morphology (synchrony) and etymology (diachrony).

• Gaining confidence to work with etymological references.• Deepening understanding etymological and morphological

influences on grapheme choice.• SWI as reading instruction.• Ways of designing lessons based on:

- learners’ questions and/or spelling errors- drawing on orthographic inquiry to deepen

understanding of any area of study

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Diving into some of the details...Spelling-out-loud, writing-out-loud and tapping-out word structureThe conventions for these practices are given particular attention throughout the course. Participants learn how to use these conventions to deepen their own orthographic learning and that of their students. These conventions take advantage of motor-memory to build knowledge of graphemes, orthographic markers, morphemes, and suffixing. We also learn to use these conventions for informal and formal assessment. See information on the process at THIS LINK. Email Pete if you are interested in setting up a single 3-hour session just on this topic.Understanding the essential role of phonology in SWI by understanding how the orthography system worksThere is a great deal of misunderstanding and misinformation about SWI and instruction of grapheme-phoneme correspondences. Far from downplaying their importance, this course will help participants understand how SWI elevates it. Both phonics and SWI emphasize the importance of explicit instruction about grapheme-phoneme correspondence. In addition, SWI also teaches how they operate in the orthography system. You will learn that by teaching the interrelation of morphology, etymology and phonology in English orthography, we help understand why to choose one grapheme over another when more than one seem possible from an isolated phonics perspective. (See example videos HERE, HERE, and HERE.

The misspelling *<acshun> for <action> is evidence of a child applying the learning of “the sh sound” they have been

taught. With the matrix, word sums and grapheme-phoneme diagrams (opposite) we teach that the < t > grapheme can represent the /ʃ/ phoneme (“sh sound”). In addition, we use the structure and meaning of a morphological family to explain why we need the <t> not the <sh> in <action>.

Few educators have been taught about the interrelation of morphology and phonology. However, in a classic, highly cited paper, Carol Chomsky (1970) recommended addressing these ideas 50 years ago! Consider the following paragraph that is essentially the entire section under “Educational Implications” in the recent article in Developmental Science which looked at morphological processing in reading aloud in a cross-linguistic study (Mousikou, Beyersmann, Ktori, Javourey-Drevet, Crepaldi, Ziegler, Grainger & Schroeder, 2020). Emphasis added.

Educational implications There is general consensus that systematic phonics, that is, explicit instruction of the relationship between letters and sounds, is best practice for early reading instruction in English (see Castles et al., 2018). However, as it has been recently pointed out by Bowers and Bowers (2018),

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English is a morphophonemic system that evolved to jointly represent units of meaning (morphemes) and phonology (phonemes). In fact, English prioritizes the consistent spelling of morphemes over the consistent spelling of phonemes. Accordingly, it has been suggested that reading instruction in English should be guided by the logic of the English writing system (Bowers & Bowers, 2017). Thus, it should be organized around morphology and phonology rather than just phonology. Our findings support this idea. We found that developing readers of English made extensive use of morphology in reading aloud. Furthermore, we observed that good readers were overall more sensitive to morphological structure than poor readers. Importantly, poor readers of English often exhibit phonological processing deficits, so these children might benefit even more by teaching methods that focus on optimal grain sizes of their writing system (i.e., morphemes), which would allow a more straightforward mapping between print and sound, in addition to an easy mapping between print and meaning.

Throughout the course we study orthographic conventions through the scientific spelling questions the “4 questions of SWI”. That process and the practice of “writing-out-loud” and “tapping-out word structure” uses regular multi-sensory practice to engage students in the close study of graphemes-phoneme correspondences, morphemes, suffixing conventions, and another orthographic structure we learn about called “orthographic markers.”1

The process by which I guide this learning models the same practices I use in classroom and tutoring contexts with learners of all ages and abilities. ResourcesIncluded in the course fee will be resources that I will share before the sessions. Some will be resources that are already created, and some will be created over the period of our course. Summing up!I hope this document clarifies the nature of this course. Please email me at <peterbowers1@mac.com> with any questions you may have. Cheers,Pete

A sample of responses from a recent Zoom Course

Working with a struggling studentI just had to share this with you. This was my very first SWI session with a student I have been tutoring for 2 1/2 years. She has ADHD and language learning LDs. We have struggled along in OG with very limited success and a great deal of apathy and disinterest from my student. I have NEVER seen her as engaged as she was today. Formulating arguments for why <cyanide> and <icicle> shared meaning with the base <cycle>,

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1 Note: Understanding orthographic markers allows us to explain the <w> in <two>, the <o> in <people> the final <e> in words like <house> or <love> and countless other spellings that cannot be understood in instruction which does not go beyond grapheme-phoneme correspondences.

trying to come up with words in the word family herself before I could put my cards down, trying to come up with the word sum for <nonrecyclable>. Not once did she ask "can we play the game now?" or "aren't we done yet?" It was amazing!!I'm still on a high an hour later when I used to walk away from our tutoring sessions exhausted and frustrated. The joy of orthographyI wish our classes did not have to end, I am learning so much and believe in this so much. I see my kids that I've been working with now finally understanding and reading and problem solving and having fun! I have so many stories and not enough time to tell them all, but every single one of them is positive and full of smiles!Grade 2s teaching their peersMy Tier 2 readers took a 2nd grade class science words, studied them in partner-pairs and invited all second graders to a SWI show and tell day. My kids were teaching 2nd graders baseboards, affixes and the history of their words—it was a lovely sight!Three teachers quite new to SWI in the older grades1) Since my last course with you in October-November, I have been diving into SWI with my tutoring students and my struggling readers in my 6th grade classroom, all learning together. I cannot explain eloquently enough how much my students have grown and how much I am still discovering.

2) I really appreciate the hard work you have done to broaden your knowledge and grow SWI.  I am seeing progress in my 7th and 8th graders when I ask them to read and spell out loud. This technique works for them and they read or spell the words accurately. Sometimes the simple tools are the best!

3) I actually have been dabbling in SWI since October. SWI is a cosmic shift from my previous learning.  Since October, I have been weaving in SWI into instruction.  Additionally, I have

altered my questioning technique. You have taught me to honor my students' thoughts and opinions. Because of you, my students lean into challenging words, rather than avoid them.  These small shifts have positively impacted my students' self-esteem.  Also, their benchmark scores have been sky high, too! Thank you for shifting my thinking.Comments from participants learning through SWI in in the Nueva Institute and Wolfe Island Summer course...A Grade 1 teacher from the Wildwood School after the Nueva dives in..."I've been talking to you in my head nonstop since leaving the institute. That sounds crazy but what I mean is I can no longer go a day without thinking about a word and wondering where it came from or looking it up or experimenting with how I would break it apart or what the affixes are. I'm currently teaching a summer writing class so I'm using these first graders as my practice round at getting started and they are eating it up. Just a few minutes here and there but it's been so easy to incorporate without needing to really plan it out. I've been taking about it since I came home to everyone! Also, random silly thing. I have NEVER been able to spell the word "definitely" without trying it several times or checking it on my phone and now I can spell it because I can visualize a base word and suffix in it. It's mind boggling that I couldn't before. Today the kids were so excited tapping out words. They're obsessed with beauty and the beast right now and they were having a blast writing sentences that had "beast", "feast", "least" in them completely on their own. I know this is way too much information but I cannot stop thinking about the 3 days I got to spend learning from you and hoping I'll get more of an opportunity…

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I've been an awful speller my entire life and I never would have imagined leaving a spelling conference so jazzed but I would have gone to that institute even if I wasn't an educator."From an ESL teacher who attended a full day Zoom based on-line workshopWordWorks Summer Course alumni, Ken Eiker, is an elementary teacher in New Jersey who has transformed his instruction through his work with SWI. He managed to get a grant to fund a full-day on-line workshop with me for teachers from his district. He passed on this response from one of the participants. I’ve published it here with permission.Ken,That was the best workshop I have attended for my work in teaching English Language Learners. I have already been able to incorporate the strategies into some of my lessons. I have not yet planned explicit "morphology lessons" but I hope to in the future. As an aside, my son has dyslexia and has special assistance in school. But even he was sent home with a "-sion and -tion" worksheet. It made no sense, what did make sense was to look at is as "-ion" and see the morphemes before that. I learned that in the workshop. He was comparing words such as action, motion and fusion. The ending makes more sense when you see the -ion instead of the -tion/-sion. It helped him immensely to see it that way.Thank you again!KirstenMarie Foley, dyslexic tutor from Toronto after our Wolfe Island CourseMarie is a remarkable tutor in Toronto (contact her here for school PD or one-on-one tutoring if you are in the area!). She has studied intensively with myself, Gina Cooke (LEX) and with Real Spelling. She attended my Wolfe Island Course and

Gina’s “Symposium in the Pines” in that same summer. After that double whammy, she wrote me to reflect on her learning. The first part (in quotes) is what she shared with me that she had sent to Gina. That is followed by a personal reflection to me. While this was referring to learning in the Wolfe Island Summer course, the same ideas are regularly expressed about my on-line courses.From Marie...

"At Wolfe Island this week. Pete was reiterating the concept of orthography being a science. I've heard it before but this time, the impact was different. I finally feel that I can be bold and take a strong stand on teaching how the writing system works. How can we argue when a hypothesis is proven to be accurate? I want to read more of Chomsky and would love to read your dissertation when complete. The more that I know, the bolder I feel."

I also enjoyed seeing how you teach the phonology piece of SWI. That's always been a question of mine...Additionally, the opportunity to study with and support others was just as important as anything else we learned. Now, we have the opportunity to network with new SWI "peeps" and make lifelong friends. I've also begun reading the article that you sent from the Psychology Journal… I think reading research is so important for varied reasons. But for me, it helps to sort through my thought, think things through, to formulate questions, and go forward in my quest for knowledge...Finally, Pete, I appreciated your kind manner in our interactions. You created an atmosphere where people were free to share their thoughts and questions, with no judgement.

Marie Foley

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