Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could be proactive in helping our struggling readers? Well, we can! In this six-week course, you'll learn response to intervention (RTI) strategies that ensure the struggling readers in your classroom get the help and education they need. RTI is research based and gives us a strategic plan to bring tiered interventions to our students, at their reading level and with their unique challenges in mind. Helping them with phonics, fluency, vocabulary mastery, comprehension, and writing, these intervention strategies tackle the toughest literacy problems with flexibility and creativity.

During our time together, you'll discover tools like Elkonin Boxes, alphabetic arcs, Bloom's Taxonomy, and new and exciting graphic organizers. Whether you're working with struggling readers in kindergarten or 12th grade, you'll find that these strategies work with a full 80% of students, without the need for special pull-outs or extra IEP intervention. Why? Because RTI gets to the root of the problem—quickly!

If you're eager to learn the right ways to help your struggling readers make steady progress throughout the year, you'll find that this course gives you the power to teach flexibly and creatively, without the need for extra training in literacy or fluency. As an added bonus, there's nothing quite like helping students discover the pleasures of reading!

A new section of each course starts monthly. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when lessons are released. You will have access to all lessons until the course ends. However, the interactive discussion area that accompanies each lesson will automatically close two weeks after the lesson is released. As such, we strongly recommend that you complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

The final exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once the final exam has been released, you will have two weeks to complete all of your course work, including the final exam.

Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader).

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Wendell Christensen.

A veteran educator, Wendell Christensen has worked with students and teachers to combat illiteracy one child at a time. Currently a classroom teacher and a literacy curriculum designer for districts across the country, Wendell believes that with the right mix of encouragement, intervention strategies, and support, every child can learn to read. His passion is helping teachers see that response to intervention's research-based strategies and flexible curriculum can help a full 80% of struggling readers right in the classroom, without the need for special pull-outs or IEPs.

“ I have taken several on-line classes now, and this by far was the absolute best! As a matter of fact, this on-line class was better than many graduate level classes I have taken. The expertise and knowledge base of this professor was exceptional. His ability to teach the content was superior. In addition, the instructor made this course highly relevant, extremely interesting, and most interactive. I was quite impressed with how quickly he responded to questions, comments, etc. (even after the loss of his dear father). I firmly believe that I will be a better educator because of this course! I am equipped with numerous strategies and techniques to add to my repertoire, but above all else, I am truly inspired! ”

“ I teach Reading Intervention in a rural public K-2 school . This class has been wonderful for me. It has given me many new intervenion ideas to use with my students. I also have a child who struggles with reading comperhension and this class also gave me some ides to use with my 5th grader at home. The teacher did an excellent job of writing the course material. The concepts were explained very well. I will highly recommend this class to teachers at my school. Prior to the class I never realized how much an classroom teacher could actually do to help struggling readers in their room. Thanks so much! ”

“ I thoroughly enjoyed the course. The instructor, was very encouraging and provided helpful feedback in the discussion area. The lessons provided a variety of reading strategies that were free to prepare, many downloads of articles/templates, and practical ideas to begin using immediately in the classroom. I enjoyed the discussion area where I could share and receive ideas from other teachers. This course helped me to get ready for a new year of teaching reading with my new group of second graders. I would recommend this course to teachers (new or experienced) who would like to learn how RTI can be easily implemented in the classroom, without causing extra stress for the teachers. As a teacher in a private school, who does not have access to reading specialists/special education teachers on-site, this course was very valuable! ”

“ Wendell Christensen has made his voice heard. He has spoken clearly and intelligently explaining the RTI model. He has drawn a picture of a busy, well-planed classroom where learning becomes a shared and reachable goal. He has managed to pass on respect for all learning styles and abilities. He has demonstrated how children can share common goals reaching them comfortably by eliminating the frustration which often shuts students down. ”

“ The course was well organized and well-paced. There was time to reflect on a lesson before answering, time to do research and time to gather materials. The supplementary referrals were appropriate and useful. Further, the index was helpful for quick reference. ”

“ Your responses were thoughtful and truly appreciated. Your interest in children, your respect for the differentiated learning processes and your knowledge of the classroom were clear in both your lessons and your responses. The people who work with you daily have the gift of a lovely, knowledgeable, listener who responds with patience and authority. ”

“ It has been a pleasure for me to fill my head again with thoughts of the classroom. To picture my young students moving around the classroom and hearing the hum of learning. Thank you, Wendell, for reminding me how special teaching is and how magical a classroom can be. ”

“ The ending of this course is bittersweet. I am delighted that I have been able to participate in the course in order to complete my recertification but particularly for the opportunity to talk “teacher. “ Sadly, when you retire it all goes away although your interest in education and your love of being in the classroom does not. ”

“ The focus of this class has helped me to review my own thirty-five year teaching practice and to re-evaluate those practices which were most effective and fun! Managing a classroom for the benefit of all is truly a daunting task; it requires patience, strong managerial skills, physical endurance and reliable assistance. Following the RTI model endorsed in this program and by Wendell is the most responsible and effective model for monitoring student growth and for driving instruction. ”

“ Thank you so much for teaching this course. From one teacher to another, I can honestly say that you have been given a gift for teaching…This was my first online course. I couldn’t have asked for a better one…I am sure your school and the families that you work with know what a gem they have with you...I know we all are grateful for your prompt responses… I learned more from you and your course than I could have imagined... My wheels are spinning on how I would implement these awesome RTI ideas into a classroom. Thank you for teaching me all about RTI, and so much more. ”