27TRA078 Making Words Stick: The What, Why, and How of Orthographic Mapping

 

 

 

 

 

Date:     Tuesday 5th, 12th, 19th & 26th January 2027
Time:     7.00 - 8.00 pm
Venue:  Online via Zoom

Target audience: Primary School Teachers

The adult reader instantly recognizes 50,000 words. How did they get there? Through orthographic mapping - a process in which a word’s meaning, appearance, and sound structure become glued together for instant recognition. Aligned with Dr. Ness’s 2025 Scholastic book Making Words Stick, this session helps make words stick and transfer for fluent reading and writing. We cover the following objectives:

• Explain why words must be mapped, not memorized
• Showcase the theory and research behind orthographic mapping
• Give instructional routines to build readers’ sight word identification

Bio of Presenter: Dr Molly Ness

Molly Ness is a former classroom teacher, a reading researcher, and a teacher educator. She earned a doctorate in reading education at the University of Virginia, and spent 16 years as an associate professor at Fordham University in New York City. The author of six books, Molly serves on the board of the World Literacy Foundation. Dr. Ness has extensive experience in reading clinics, consulting with school districts, leading professional development, and advising school systems on research-based reading instruction. She provided literacy leadership for nationally recognized literacy non-profits, as well as major educational publishers.