Wilson Reading System Introductory Workshop

Wilson Reading System Introductory Workshop

This three day (15-hour) workshop, co-sponsored by IDA Southern California Tri-Counties Branch, provides participants with an overview of the Wilson Reading System® (WRS) curriculum and serves as the prerequisite for WRS Level I Certification. This course is delivered over three consecutive days and examines reading research and the five areas of reading in relation to students in grade two and above with persistent phonological coding deficits. Participants learn about dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities, appropriate student identification and placement, program implementation, progress monitoring, scheduling, and creating a successful learning environment. Principles of language structure and how to teach language with direct, multisensory methods are demonstrated and practiced during the workshop. Participants explore the standard 10-part Wilson Lesson Plan and practice planning and delivering a lesson while receiving modeling and feedback from a credentialed Wilson Trainer during the workshop.

The Wilson Reading System® is an intensive (Tier 3) program for students in grade 2 and beyond who have a language-based learning disability, such as dyslexia, or who have not internalized the sound-symbol system for reading and spelling. Based on scientific reading research and Orton-Gillingham principles, WRS is a highly-structured remedial program that directly teaches the structure of the English language. (One graduate credit, optional, is available through Fitchburg State University, Fitchburg, MA.)

Upon completion of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• Define dyslexia, and describe common characteristics.
• Explain the process of identifying appropriate students and placing them in the Wilson Reading System.
• Demonstrate a solid understanding of WRS principles of instruction: explicit, sequential, cumulative, and diagnostic multisensory instruction.
• Identify the lesson components for Block 1 (Decoding/Word Study), Block 2 (Encoding/Spelling), and Block 3 (Listening & Reading Comprehension) of the WRS Lesson Plan.
• Prepare a 10-part WRS Lesson plan.