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Introduction to Structured Word Inquiry

$79 lifetime access

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community forum

Course overview

Structured Word Inquiry (SWI) is an instructional approach that aims to deepen students’ understanding of the English language by examining the structure and history of words. Unlike traditional phonics-based methods that focus primarily on teaching letter-sound correspondences, SWI delves into the morphology, etymology, and orthography of words to uncover their underlying patterns and meanings.

The course costs $79 with members of the professional development forum receiving a significant discount.

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Testimonials

This course provided the link between Barton and SWI Nicole Reardon | Certified Barton Tutor | Brisbane, Australia

After tutoring with the Barton Reading and Spelling System for quite a few years, I wanted to keep teaching my dyslexic students using Barton while also being able to explain a bit more about how spelling works. Kimberly’s Introduction to Structured Word Inquiry course provided the link between Barton and SWI that I was looking for and I highly recommend this course.

A brilliant, interactive, and easy-to-follow course Kathleen van Every | Certified Barton tutor

I had some questions after dipping my toe into Structured Word Inquiry (SWI) as to whether it would be useful with Barton and if so, how to integrate it. Kimberly Sclarsky Downey offered a brilliant, interactive and easy to follow course which I participated in. I highly recommend attending if you are curious about words and better ways to help your students all while keeping fidelity with Barton.

I highly recommend Helena Svanström | Advanced Certified Barton Tutor

I found Kimberly’s Introduction to Structured Word Inquiry course really helpful and I look forward to learning more and improving. One of my students enjoys finding exceptions to all the rules I teach him, and in the past I’ve been guilty of explaining some words as just weirdos! This is so helpful as I can now explain and I won’t be doin that any more.

Course details

Welcome introductions

Meet Kimberly and the attendees.

Module One
  • The word that started it all.
  • Defining terms
  • Challenges with O-G
  • Syllable types and syllable division
Module Two
  • Spelling instruction
  • More on syllable division 
Module Three
  • Are these words really irregular?
  • The ‘red-letter’ method
  • Homophones: a great resource
  • Examples from Levels 3-6
Module Four
  • An example from Level 8
  • Q&A
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RWSR tutor community

The RWSR Professional Development Forum is a private, members-only space for dyslexia tutors committed to ongoing learning. Instead of being buried in social media feeds, every discussion is organized by topic and easy to return to anytime.

Our members are tutors who have experience with more than one program and want to deepen their practice by exploring issues across pedagogies. This kind of open, cross-program conversation is rare — social media tends to keep tutors siloed, but here you’ll find colleagues who are curious, critical, and committed to ongoing growth.

Membership includes:

  • Weekly Office Hours — live Zoom sessions where experienced tutors troubleshoot challenges together.
  • Quarterly Book Clubs — recorded discussions that go deep into research and practice.
  • Ongoing Peer Support — a curated space to share strategies, ask questions, and keep learning.
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