SWI Behind the Scenes 

How six literacy specialists moved from building knowledge to taking action

 

The practicalities of literacy intervention using Structured Word Inquiry can feel like a mystery, so our panelists opened their doors to let you in!

Find out what six experienced practitioners working in a variety of settings really do during their sessions, and why they've never left SWI behind.

This recording is from a lovely event that happened on June 2, 2026. Watching it is the next best thing to being in the Zoom room with us.

Here's what some attendees had to say...

Kathy

That was absolutely phenomenal! Huge thanks to everyone who was involved. So much of what was said resonated strongly with me, especially about the overwhelm that I experienced five years ago when I 'walked through that one-way door'! It's great to have heard such reassuring words and to have been given so many practical tips about how best to incorporate SWI into my one-to-one teaching, which has already made - and continues to make - such a difference to my struggling students. It's still quite lonely SWI-wise over here in the U.K., but this sort of event gives me the strength to continue in the face of adversity. Thank you again.

Angi Tamborella

I loved it! I could have listened to the panelists all day! I am especially interested in learning more from the educators who are still in school systems, and how they are implementing SWI within this model. For this reason, it was so awesome to have multiple perspectives and people coming from different contexts, backgrounds, and experiences. And sometimes it's just nice to gather with others in the world of language and literacy and get small doses of information!

Kathryn H

I was so inspired by the panelists and their experiences implementing SWI. I have been implementing SWI since 2018 in various situations - e.g. higher education with developmental college students, with men incarcerated, and with K - 12 students. For the most part, I have felt like I have been on an island. Aside from one dear friend and colleague, most of my educator friends and people with whom I have worked have not shown much interest in learning about or incorporating SWI. I know and experience the positive literacy learning that occurs with SWI, but to hear all these first hand accounts about the unique ways they're incorporating SWI lifted my soul.

Anonymous

I do not know where to begin- I thought that this was amazing! As an SLP/OG Tutor & ESL tutor, I am all about language & meaning. I have been very interested in SWI for quite some time, & now I will dig deeper. I especially liked hearing from SLPs, but also how I might integrate SWI into my OG tutoring sessions as I too want to "close the gap". THANK YOU!

Veteran classroom teacher, OG-trained SWI tutor

The sequencing/flow made for an incredible evening that was both inspiring and affirming. I loved that you included not only tutors but coaches who are finding ways to introduce orthographic inquiry into traditional classrooms... Thank you SO much for organizing and putting so much thought into the evening. The focus on answering the questions that come up for people as they begin to introduce SWI into their practice was perfect.

Tena R.

I really enjoyed watching this. It validated my own experiences of feeling overwhelmed at integrating into the classroom yet at the same time feeling energized. It helps reinforce that small steps help in the journey and that you won't always have all of the answers but there is a community out there to support you in your journey. As a middle school educator in a public school, I find it challenging when teachers or programs present syllables like -tion as suffixes.

What does literacy intervention using Structured Word Inquiry look like behind closed doors?

Listen to a panel of highly experienced literacy interventionists share about the day-to-day realities of using SWI, hurdles they faced in the early days, and why they've never looked back.
Our fabulous panelists include:
  • Anya Maloney, an SLP and owner of The Language and Learning Link outside of Boston. She provides literacy and language intervention, offers professional development courses, and participates in current research projects through the Structured Word Inquiry Research Vanguard (SWIRV).
  • Debbie Hegg, who provides direct services to middle schools while also supporting the Intervention Specialists (K-12) in her Ohio-based district. She is certified at the Orton Gillingham Academy Clinical Level.
  • Jennifer Constantine, a licensed teacher and dyslexia specialist with her master’s in literacy, who also co-authored Structured Word Inquiry: An Implementation Guide for Teachers with Kara Lee. Jennifer provides literacy tutoring, as well as professional development for educators.
  • Kara Lee, a Certified Academic Language Therapist, former school psychologist, and intervention specialist with an educational doctorate in reading science. She provides professional development for educators alongside her co-author Jennifer Constantine, as well as literacy tutoring.
  • Beth Coppoc Gunshor, an SLP and owner of BCG Language and Literacy in Madison, Wisconsin. Beth specializes in supporting Executive Function skills alongside literacy, language and speech.
  • Sara Leland, who teaches and learns about the English writing system with children and teens in Richmond, Virginia through her private business, Word Scholars, LLC. Her instruction recently inspired the Boring Scholars Collective, a community and website created by students to educate and inspire others by sharing their own orthographic work, as well as work submitted by other students.
You will learn:
  • why these providers transitioned from other programs and how they began integrating SWI
  • how they plan sessions without a predefined scope and sequence
  • if they ever teach explicitly or always use inquiry
  • how they teach and practice grapheme-phoneme correspondences
  • how they consider phonological awareness skills in the context of SWI
  • if each session includes the four questions, matrices, and word sums, and what they incorporate beyond this!
  • what they appreciate about the SWI framework

This purchase grants you access to a recording of the event.https://raincityreading.mykajabi.com/offers/yCqwatwS/checkouthttps://raincityreading.mykajabi.com/offers/yCqwatwS/checkouthttps://raincityreading.mykajabi.com/offers/yCqwatwS/checkouthttps://raincityreading.mykajabi.com/offers/yCqwatwS/checkout

Price: $25 (Non-refundable)
A link of the recording will be emailed to you after purchase. Wait a few minutes, and if you don't find it make sure to first check spam and promotions for messages from kathleen@raincityreading.com . If you still can't find it, email me and I'll happily help you out! (In the meantime, do not unsubscribe from Rain City Reading emails as you won't receive the email with the link.)