Special School District – Special Learning Center, 900 Hornet Drive, Hazelwood 63042
Lunch Break 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Free Afternoon Presentation: The Morphology Advantage: Boosting Vocabulary for Lasting Literacy Success
Bio:
Dr. Karyn Tomkinson is a National Literacy Director with extensive experience in leading transformative literacy initiatives grounded in the science of reading. She also serves as an adjunct professor and teaches undergraduate and graduate-level reading courses. Karyn has over 20 years of experience in public education as a special education teacher, reading interventionist, District Literacy Coach, and Director of Curriculum. She completed her doctorate degree from Ball State University in 2016 in Special Education, with a cognate in Educational Leadership. Her dissertation on the Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD-3) assessment and third-grade retention allowed her to research how children learn to read and identify best practices.
Karyn has been trained in LETRS Volume I and II, IMSE Comprehensive, IMSE Morphology+, and Structures. As a licensed Indiana teacher, she will soon complete Keys to Literacy training. Currently, she is attending Mount Saint Joseph University, where she is working toward her Science of Reading certificate and IDA certification. She loves learning about how the brain learns to read and is passionate about improving literacy outcomes for children. A mother of four boys and a lifelong learner, Karyn is dedicated to education and continuous growth.
Presentation Descriptor:
Participants will dive into the transformative power of morphology in literacy instruction. By leveraging morphology—the study of word structure, roots, prefixes, and suffixes—educators can provide students with tools to independently decode and understand complex vocabulary. This approach strengthens vocabulary and supports reading comprehension, enabling learners to tackle unfamiliar words with greater confidence. Through engaging examples and practical strategies, attendees will discover how incorporating morphological awareness into instruction leads to an increase in vocabulary acquisition and a solid foundation for literacy success across grade levels. The research on how students best learn to read, Science of Reading, recommends a strong foundation in morphology, which helps students comprehend texts from multiple content areas. Join us to unlock the morphology advantage and equip students for vocabulary mastery!