SharpReading Workshops

Thursday 28th July 2016

SharpReading's Hilton Ayrey is running a series of workshops for teachers of beginning and struggling readers on Queensland's Sunshine Coast in August:

• 23 Aug, SharpReading Stages 1-2 - Getting Decoding Right for the Beginner Reader, P-Yr 1
• 24 Aug, SharpReading Stage 3 - A Systematic Approach to Comprehension Instruction, Yrs 2-8
• 25 Aug, SharpReading Stages 4-6 - Advanced Comprehension (Stage 3 prerequisite), Yrs 2-8
• 26 Aug, The Struggling Older Reader - 'SevenPlus' and the '5 Bits' for struggling decoders Yr3-8

VENUE: Nambour Christian College, 2 McKenzie Road, Woombye, QLD

TIMES:  9am - 3pm  (Morning tea and lunch provided)

Register Now

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Workshop Descriptions

SharpReading Stages 1&2: Getting Decoding Right for the Beginning Reader  P-Yr1

Presenter: Hilton Ayrey

This workshop is aimed at meeting the needs of beginning readers (the early school years) who need the explicit teaching and guided practice of decoding strategies to achieve decoding fluency. Our '5 Bits' routine provides you with the structure you need to get through that daily text in the 10 minutes you have with each group. The students love the routine and feel secure. Confidence levels skyrocket as they take ownership of the reading. Rather than looking for the next teachable moment, you are freed up to monitor their decoding.

Stages 1 and 2: 'The Five Bits' (Mastering Decoding)

A key to developing fluent decoders is 'managing the challenge'. We need to ensure that our beginning readers are managed through the potentially discouraging bottlenecks that occur as the mental effort of decoding collides with the need to construct meaning. SharpReading Stages 1 and 2 provides simple solutions to this which ensure our readers meet with success and develop a lifelong enthusiasm for reading.

Cost:  $195

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SharpReading Stage 3: "A Systematic Approach to Comprehension Instruction" Yrs 2-6

Presenter: Hilton Ayrey

For readers who have developed some fluency with decoding now is the time to learn how to dig into text to construct meaning and think critically. Rather than tackle the "Comprehension Smorgasbord" with a little bit of this and a little bit of that, we provide you with our tried and proven developmental progression that habitualises the mental strategies the good reader needs to process text. You will be amazed at what you learn about the way your readers are processing text.

Stage 3: "I think that means..." (Constructing Meaning)

The launching pad for Comprehension Strategy Instruction. Our simple routine (which we think is quite unique) shifts the locus of control from the teacher to the students, providing them with the opportunity to truly habitualise independent comprehension skills and transfer them into everyday reading.

Cost:  $195

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SharpReading Stages 4-6: "Advanced Comprehension" Yrs 2-6

Presenter: Hilton Ayrey

This workshop builds on the basic constructing meaning strategies covered in Stage 3. 

Please note: Stage 3 and at least one term of classroom practice is a prerequiste for this workshop.

Stage 4: The Deep 5 (Constructing Meaning)

Adding 5 of the most important comprehension strategies to the reader's toolbox to help interpret and clarify the literal meaning of sentences.

• Visualisation, Prior Knowledge, Asking Questions, Forming Hypotheses, Making connections within text. Yes these may all sound familiar but SharpReading gives them a very different treatment.

Stage 5: Analysing Text (Critical Thinking)

Now is the time to introduce 'big picture' or whole text thinking. We explore the analysis of narrative and non fiction text.

Stage 6: Evaluating Text (Critical Thinking)

Once meaning has been constructed and the content analysed the reader is in the position to be able to evaluate the quality of the text.

Cost:  $195

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"The Struggling Older Reader" Yrs 2-6

Presenter: Hilton Ayrey

This is our brand new workshop specifically designed for teachers of those older students who 'get stuck' on decoding - they haven't yet developed the decoding fluency they need to become confident readers. This workshop is receiving rave reviews from NZ teachers.

"SevenPlus" - An 8-10 week intervention

The starting point is our SevenPlus Intervention, carefully designed to address the needs of the reader who is stuck at around a reading age of seven or who is progressing but only slowly. Their motivation for reading and their self esteem about themselves as readers is fading fast. Decoding strategies, fluency and vocabulary are all attended to in a routine that ensures success and the rebuilding of confidence.

"The 5 Bits" - Where to next?

The success or failure of any intervention is usually determined by what happens next. We provide you with our especially modified SharpReading Stage 2 routine which helps transition learners back into a more mainstreamed guided reading routine. This ensures that the newly found confidence and enthusiasm for reading is maintained and prepares them for Stage 3 - Comprehension Strategy Instruction.

Cost:  $265 - Workshop Price includes $130 of Invaluable SevenPlus Teaching Resources:

• The SevenPlus Teachers Manual is packed with all the teaching pedagogy and the research that is behind SevenPlus for those who want to dig deeper. It also includes a wealth of additional phonological and morphological follow-up activities to reinforce the learning that occurs in the SevenPlus lesson.
• We have reformatted some of our StoryBytes and InfoBytes to match the requirements of SevenPlus - 30 weeks of SevenPlus lessons - No Planning - No Preparation PLUS screening tests to easily establish the correct starting level for your students.
• Online tutorials - revisit the video clips to support your teaching of the SevenPlus and 5 Bits routines

Register Now

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