Resources for Professionals

If you're a literacy specialist, tutor, or SLP, you know the work can feel isolating. You might second-guess your lessons, feel overwhelmed by the number of programs out there, or wish you had people who simply understood the complexity of the work.

I've been there. I created this side of Rain City Reading to offer practical tools, a welcoming community, and help you build confidence as a literacy interventionist.

You don't have to know everything to teach this well. Nobody does, and you're welcome here exactly as you are.

A woman with curly red hair and green earrings sitting at a desk with a microphone, a computer monitor, a lamp, and some papers in a well-lit room with a window.

Follow Along 

I regularly share free ideas, strategies, and encouragement on Instagram and Facebook. Come say hi!

Favorite Books & Resources

I'm always collecting books, tools, classes, and ideas that inspired or bolstered my literacy work. Below are a few of my all-time favorites because I regularly refer to them or used them all the time when I was getting started! My newsletter offers an abundance of other recommendations.

A woman with curly hair and glasses smiling while holding a stack of books on language and literacy.

Books

Tools and Resources

Speaking & Workshops

I love talking about literacy, language, and learning with audiences of all kinds. I lead workshops and give talks for literacy professionals and parent groups, and I'm always happy to be a guest on podcasts!

Listen in:

For the Love of Literacy Episode
Inside Etymonline
SWI Behind the Scenes

Want me to speak at your event? If you're planning a training, conference, or episode, and want a speaker who makes talking about spelling fun, I'd love to hear from you.

Get in Touch

Course:
Using Morphology in Literacy Intervention

This is my signature course for literacy specialists who want to bring morphology via Structured Word Inquiry into their practice, without the overwhelm. Through four case studies spanning elementary to high school, you'll learn ways to apply the SWI framework with students at different ages and ability levels.

Close-up of educational worksheets on a wooden table, one titled 'Using Morphology in Literary Instruction Workbook' featuring a crossword puzzle with words like quest, search, inquiry, able, capable, and study, and another with references and game activities.

What's included:

  • Self-paced modules, yours for the lifetime of the course

  • Four detailed case studies

  • A 40+ page workbook

  • Opportunity for live Over Q&A sessions with a wonderful community of literacy specialists

  • A certificate for at least 6.5 hours of professional development

  • An ever-growing bundle of bonus modules, including live presentations and events

Specialists at many stages of experience have joined, including those just starting out.
This is the best way to learn in-depth with me.

SEE WHAT'S INSIDE

What Professionals Are Saying

  • "Your course built upon and reinforced the SWI learning I have already done. I appreciated the opportunity to watch you talk us through the needs of 4 different students and the different strategies you used to meet their needs. Concrete examples always help take theoretical knowledge to application."

    - Erin C

  • "Kathleen's course offers incredibly useful strategies and shows what implementing SWI looks like in practice! Her teaching is playful, learner-focused, and trauma-informed. She is welcoming of all literacy backgrounds and helped me think through my many questions. Thank you for sharing this gift with the literacy world, Kathleen!"

    - Zil J

  • “Thank you so much for putting together such a thorough and well-planned out course! I found it to be very easy to follow and enlightening!”

    -Kirsten C

  • "Kathleen is a wealth of knowledge. She communicates clearly, thoroughly, and succinctly enough detail to make the content easy to follow and understand. The videos are well done, with visuals overlayed on the screen in key ways to help clarify and solidify points she makes. I highly recommend the course to other literacy specialists!"

    -Rachel P

  • "Using Morphology in Literacy Instruction is the practical class I've been waiting for to support me with incorporating SWI in my lessons with students. Within each case study Kathleen offers strategies and targeted activities for teaching and review and I came away with fresh ideas I could use immediately with my own students."

    -Emily M

  • "This course is a powerful learning opportunity for those new to SWI and those with more experience. If you haven't made morphology a focus in your literacy intervention, you'll learn the "how" and the "why" to doing so from this self-paced course. I highly recommend it for anyone who feels intimidated by morphology and etymology. Kathleen is a natural teacher and makes the content super accessible. The resource package she provides is invaluable to putting the content she covers right into practice!"

    -Liana L

  • “This course is a wonderful resource to get started in the transition from OG or other structured literacy tutoring to instruction with SWI.”

    -Lynne

  • "Kathleen does not insist you completely erase everything you've already learned about literacy instruction. Instead, she guides you to add new elements, new considerations, new practices into your existing framework. As you experiment with new understanding of the role of morphology, you will benefit those you teach--and Kathleen's gentle, encouraging instruction will guide you as you go!"

    -Beth G

  • “The course has practical ideas for individual student sessions, sound knowledge of word study and how to apply it. All put forward by Kathleen who is a delight to listen to!”

    -Joy P

  • "Kathleen is so generous with her time and knowledge! This course has increased my confidence and since meeting Kathleen on social media I am less intimidated by SWI."

    -Nicky H

  • "I am beginning to feel less afraid about taking risks and exploring words without having a set curriculum. I am beginning to move away from rote learning and drill with my students. Kathleen is a gifted literacy consultant. She helps teachers and literacy practitioners gain the confidence required to help struggling students on their journey to become better readers and spellers."

    -Devorah S