Iowa Reading Research Center eLearning modules are written and developed by literacy experts at the IRRC and trusted collaborators. The following eLearning features are intended to help participants get the most out of their time spent completing the modules:
- Engaging animated representations of real-life scenarios.
- Videos showing the featured instructional method being used in real Iowa classrooms.
- Video discussions with experts in literacy education, developmental pediatrics, and other specialty areas, as well as families.
- Knowledge checks and a posttest to assess for knowledge gained.
All eLearning modules are free for all Iowa teachers, other school district personnel, Area Education Agency (AEA) personnel, and all undergraduate and graduate students in Iowa.
Questions or Concerns?
If you have issues while completing an eLearning module, please submit a help ticket.
To register for eLearning modules, users must create an account through UI Learn, an online portal for offering non-credit courses to the general public as well as the University of Iowa community.
To create an account, follow the instructions in the UI Learn Account Creation Guide.
eLearning Modules
Dyslexia Overview Module
This module provides an overview of the dyslexia, describes characteristics indicative of the reading disability, and covers important elements of a supportive learning environment for students with dyslexia.
Estimated duration: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Grade range: all
Cost: free for all Iowa residents; $10 for all others
Effective Literacy Instruction Module
This module covers the reading and writing skills developed across grade levels and practices identified in research that support learning for all students.
Estimated duration: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Grade range: kindergarten–Grade 5
Cost: free for Iowa in-service K–12 teachers, AEA personnel, Iowa college students; $10 for all others
Effective Vocabulary Instruction After Reading: Frayer Model (Grades 1–5)
In this module, participants learn about effective vocabulary instruction, the kinds of vocabulary words to select from a text, the main components of the research-based Frayer Model, and the steps for implementing vocabulary instruction using the Frayer Model.
Estimated duration: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Grade range: all
Cost: free for Iowa in-service K–12 teachers, AEA personnel, Iowa college students; $15 for all others
Effective Vocabulary Instruction After Reading: Frayer Model (Grades 6–12)
In this module, participants learn about effective vocabulary instruction, the kinds of vocabulary words to select from a text, the main components of the research-based Frayer Model, and the steps for implementing vocabulary instruction using the Frayer Model
Estimated duration: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Grade range: all
Cost: free for Iowa in-service K–12 teachers, AEA personnel, Iowa college students; $15 for all others
Small-Group, Skills-Based Instruction Module
This module will explain how to implement differentiated, small-group, skills-based instruction in the recommended 90-minute literacy block.
Estimated duration: 2 hours, 20 minutes
Grade range: kindergarten–grade 5
Cost: free for Iowa in-service K–12 teachers, AEA personnel, Iowa college students; $30 for all others
Teacher Tools for Universally Implementing Structured Literacy Content Module
This module provides K–12 teachers with examples of structured literacy instruction in general education classrooms as well as in Tier 2 small groups and Tier 3 intensive interventions.
Estimated duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Grade range: all
Cost: free for Iowa in-service K–12 teachers, AEA personnel, Iowa college students; $30 for all others
Teaching Students to Map Phonemes to Graphemes Module
In this module, participants will learn about grapheme-phoneme mapping, its importance for literacy development, and a strategy for teaching it.
Estimated duration: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Grade range: kindergarten–Grade 3 (also appropriate for teachers of older students who have reading difficulties such as dyslexia)
Cost: free for Iowa in-service K–12 teachers, AEA personnel, Iowa college students; $15 for all others
Understanding and Observing the Skills Associated With Dyslexia Module
This module explains the reading and writing skills associated with typical development, suggests ways to evaluate whether students can successfully use the skills, and provides indicators of when a student may need to be referred for further diagnostic assessments.
Estimated duration: 1 hour, 50 minutes
Grade range: pre-kindergarten–Grade 12
Cost: free for Iowa in-service K–12 teachers, AEA personnel, Iowa college students; $15 for all others
Using Text Structures to Understand and Summarize Text Module
This module reviews common text structures, strategies for identifying different structures, and appropriate graphic organizers for each structure.
Estimated duration: 1 hour
Grade range: Grades 3–5
Cost: free for Iowa in-service K–12 teachers, AEA personnel, Iowa college students; $10 for all others
Interactive Reading
In this module, participants learn about oral language, the systematic progression of narrative development skills, and strategies for implementing and scaffolding an interactive reading session.
Estimated duration: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Grade range: pre-kindergarten–kindergarten
Cost: free for Iowa in-service K–12 teachers, AEA personnel, Iowa college students; $20 for all others