Reading Instruction and Intervention

What You Will Learn

In this course, you will learn practical strategies to support all students in their journey to becoming proficient readers. Based on peer-reviewed research, this course explores how the brain processes written language and why reading must be explicitly taught rather than naturally acquired. We will review the five pillars of reading instruction (phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) along with Scarborough’s Reading Rope, which illustrates how word recognition and language comprehension interweave to create skilled readers, and then provide actionable guidance for classroom implementation and intervention. You will learn to structure your lessons using explicit, systematic, and sequential approaches, including the Gradual Release of Responsibility model. The course will cover multisensory strategies, or how engaging multiple senses during the learning process, and learn how this technique strengthens memory and accelerates reading progress. The course will also cover MTSS and RTI intervention frameworks, helping you to provide

Key Course Takeaways:

• The science of reading identifies which instructional methods actually cause reading improvement, helping teachers move beyond practices that simply correlate with better outcomes.
• Effective reading instruction must be explicit (directly taught and modeled), systematic (logically sequenced), and sequential (developmentally appropriate and building on mastered skills).
• Multisensory instruction engages visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic pathways simultaneously, improving memory retention and supporting neuroplasticity.
• Response to Intervention provides a tiered framework where Tier 1 represents quality whole class instruction, Tier 2 offers targeted small group support, and Tier 3 delivers intensive individualized intervention based on progress monitoring data.
• Students with dyslexia commonly struggle with phonological awareness and rapid naming deficits, requiring accommodations such as extended time, audiobooks, and explicit phonics instruction.

Course Guiding Question:

What does effective, research-based reading instruction and intervention look like in practice, and how can I apply these ideas and strategies to my own classroom in order to improve student reading performance?

Professional Development Credits

At the conclusion of the course, you will receive a certificate for 16 Professional Development Hours (Clock Hours, CPEs).

Model Teaching Professional Development Courses are pre-approved in many states, and we provide easy-to-use approval forms for submission to your license-granting authority, if required.

If you are a teacher seeking license renewal and wish to verify acceptance of our Professional Development Courses, please view our PD STATE REQUIREMENTS PAGE to learn more about your state’s requirements.

Also, consider taking our UNIVERSITY-PARTNERED, ACADEMIC CREDIT COURSES to earn regionally accredited units or credits, accepted by most states for teacher re-licensing and salary advancement.

Approval Information About This Course for Teaching License Renewal & Continuing Education

Model Teaching has helped thousands of teachers across the country meet their relicensing requirements.

This course is pre-approved in the following states for License Renewal and Continuing education:

• Texas – CPE’s, TEA-Approved
• New York CTLE’s – NYSED-Approved
• Pennsylvania DOE – ACT 48-Approved
• Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) – Approved
• Nevada DOE
• Tennessee
• Other States As Well

If you do not see your state listed here, this course may be pre-approved in your state as well. Chat with us or leave a ticket for our recommendations.

For More Information About Your Specific State Requirements, Please View Your State Requirements

Please confirm your specific district or state requirements for license renewal prior to registering, and feel free to reach out to us with any questions you may have about our courses.

Topics Covered and General Course Outline

Section 1 – The Science of Reading

• About what makes reading special for humans
• An overview of the science of reading
• The Big Five
• Scarborough’s Reading Rope

Section 2 – Explicit, Systematic, and Sequential Instruction

• The definitions for explicit, systematic, and sequential instruction
• Examples of each instructional strategy alone, and working together
• How a framework like the gradual release model incorporates these instructional strategies

Section 3 – Multisensory Strategies

• The meaning of multisensory instruction
• The Orton-Gillingham strategy to support students, especially in dyslexia
• Some multisensory strategy examples of classroom applications

Section 4 – Reading Intervention

• About MTSS
• About the academic RTI process
• How data is used for screening, progress monitoring, and decision making
• When reading intervention is utilized in schools

Section 5 – Supporting Students with Reading Difficulties and Disabilities

• About the most common reading disability: dyslexia
• Instructional strategies specific to students with dyslexia
• About other potential reading disabilities and struggles

Helpful Resources & Templates Included With the Course

The course comes with 13 templates, tools, and graphic organizers ready to be used in your classroom!

These Include:

• Science of Reading Evaluation Checklist with Sample
• Gradual Release of Responsibility Graphic Organizer with Sample
• Planning for Multisensory Strategies with Sample
• Student RTI Tracker with Sample
• Dyslexia Strategy Checklist
• Reading Strategy Plan with Sample
• Effectiveness Rubric
• Implementation Observation Checklist with Sample

Register for the course Reading Instruction and Intervention now.