Lexia LETRS® For Elementary Educators provides a professional learning course of study based in the science of reading for elementary educators. The course teaches the how, what, and why of literacy acquisition to improve instructional practice and achieve long-term systemic change in literacy instruction. This course will distinguish between the research base for best practices and other competing ideas not supported by scientific evidence, and demonstrate how language, reading, and writing are related to one another. Participants will learn to make instructional decisions and program choices with reference to scientific research evidence, strategic use of assessments, and observations of students; deliver comprehensive, integrated language and literacy instruction as defined by standards and by research for a given grade, age, or ability level; facilitate early identification and intervention with reading challenges, including dyslexia; and provide an educator experience that validates and affirms diverse experiences and promotes an inclusive understanding of the world. 

This course is based on the LETRS® professional development, which helps teachers understand the “what, why, and how” of literacy instruction. Participants will complete four units of study during this course:

Unit 5: The Mighty Word: Oral Language and Vocabulary

Unit 6: Digging for Meaning: Understanding Reading Comprehension

Unit 7: Text-Driven Comprehension Instruction

Unit 8: The Reading-Writing Connection

The course format includes a combination of face-to-face training with a LETRS trainer, asynchronous learning using the LETRS platform, and networking and application exercises during face-to-face training sessions.

Course Syllabus