Lower School Educators: The Science of Reading
Hill Learning Center
3200 Pickett RoadDurham, NC 27705-6010
United States
Hill Learning Center is pleased to offer a series of three full-day, in-person workshops on the science of reading, hosted at our Durham campus. Designed for NCAIS elementary educators, this interactive and collaborative series will deepen participants’ understanding of how students learn to read and comprehend text. By connecting the science and research with practical classroom strategies, educators will gain useful teaching tools and feel empowered to meet the literacy needs of their students.
Workshop Series Outcomes
Participants will:
- Build a foundational understanding of the science of reading and aligned instructional practices.
- Demonstrate basic knowledge of brain research and the cognitive processes involved in learning to read.
- Understand reading comprehension as the product of word recognition and language comprehension.
- Reflect on and evaluate their instructional practices using the Simple View of Reading, Scarborough’s Reading Rope, and principles of Structured Literacy.
Workshop Sessions & Topics
| Date | Session Focus | Topics |
| Friday, October 24, 2025 | Foundational Frameworks for the Science of Reading |
The Simple View of Reading, Scarborough’s Reading Rope, Structured Literacy |
| Friday, February 20, 2026 | Word Recognition Skills |
Phonological Awareness, Phonics, High-Frequency Words, Fluency |
| Friday, April 10, 2026 | Language Comprehension Skills |
Background Knowledge, Vocabulary, Inferencing, Comprehension Strategies |
All participants will also receive one year of access to Hill’s self-paced online Science of Reading Short Course, offering additional resources and opportunities for continued learning.
Audience: K–5 Teachers, Learning Specialists, and Administrators
Registration Options
|
Registration Options
|
Credits | Price |
|---|---|---|
|
NCAIS Member Registration
|
7.00 (CEU) | $695.00 |
|
Guest Registration
|
7.00 (CEU) | $745.00 |
Over the course of her career, Emily has served as a Special Education teacher at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, as well as a Special Education administrator. She has also served as an administrator for Support Services and Multilingual Learners.
Emily holds North Carolina licensure in Exceptional Children (EC) Program Administration, Curriculum and Instructional Specialist, English as a Second Language (K–12), and EC General Curriculum (K–12).
At Hill, Emily leads the Literacy Intervention Tutoring Program and facilitates professional learning in the Science of Reading for a wide range of educators—from elementary classroom teachers to instructors of adult learners. She is deeply passionate about literacy and believes that all students, regardless of age or background, deserve high-quality, evidence-based instruction that empowers them to read fluently and think critically.
