Structured Literacy in the Early Years (Pre-K to Grade 2)

Workshop Overview

How can we teach the essential skills of reading and writing without losing the joy, play, and curiosity of early childhood classrooms?

This workshop explores how structured literacy and inquiry-rich learning can work together to support young children. Participants will examine the building blocks of literacy through Scarborough’s Reading Rope and discover how explicit skill instruction can connect to patterns, meaning, and transferable understandings that make learning both purposeful and joyful.

Across three sessions, teachers will:

  • Explore the tension between explicit literacy instruction and emergent, play-based learning.
  • Practice moving from skills (letters, sounds) → to patterns (recurring principles) → to meaning (big ideas about how language works) → to transfer (applying knowledge in new contexts).
  • Experience strategies for designing routines and lessons that embed phonological awareness, phonics, and comprehension in engaging, inquiry-rich contexts.
  • Co-design lesson sequences and mini-units that balance explicit skill instruction with opportunities for exploration, meaning-making, and student agency.
  • Consider approaches to documenting both skill development and conceptual growth in the early years.

    *Our workshops are based on the principles of ‘flipped classroom’ and are a combination of synchronous (live teaching through Zoom) learning and asynchronous (pre-reading and home learning) learning. Pre-reading and home learning in between sessions forms the basis of the live session where we explore the workshop material in depth through learning engagements and discussions.*



    • Register

    Fees:

    INR 11,800

    (Incl GST)

    Date:

    18th, 19th & 20th November 2025

    Time:

    5:00 - 7:30 pm IST

    Online

    Category:

    Early Years Primary Years upcoming

    Facilitator:

    Kristi Budworth

    Kristi Budworth brings over 30 years of experience in education, with a global perspective shaped by her leadership and classroom roles across international schools. She has led curriculum development through the IB PYP framework with a strong emphasis on play-based learning, inquiry, and conceptual understanding.

    Kristi’s work centers on designing dynamic, responsive curriculum with expertise in emergent curriculum, transdisciplinary planning, and structured literacy grounded in the Science of Reading. A passionate advocate for both the art and science of teaching, Kristi’s areas of specialization include play-based pedagogy, early years leadership, concept-driven curriculum, and coaching new educators. She also facilitates learning on student agency, oracy, and developing future-ready skills through slow and emergent curriculum design.

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