Bricks & Mortar: Filling Literacy Gaps 3–5+
Answers to the most common questions about Bricks & Mortar: Filling Literacy Gaps.
Bricks & Mortar is an online class and flexible instructional framework designed to help educators support students in grades 3–5+ who have persistent literacy skill gaps in reading and writing.
In the course, you’ll learn to use 13 practical, research-aligned instructional routines, along with tools, lesson templates, and on-demand video learning, to bring clarity and confidence to small-group instruction and intervention, without scripts, rigid pacing, or adding another program.
This course is for educators who work with students in the intermediate grades and beyond who need more than surface-level support. That includes:
If you’re supporting readers who need targeted, intentional instruction, this class is for you.
Bricks & Mortar doesn’t offer another program to follow. It provides a clear, flexible framework built around three essential components of literacy instruction, word work, sentence work, and passage work, giving educators a way to address persistent literacy needs without fragmentation.
Within that framework are 13 practical, research-aligned instructional routines that help teachers understand why instruction works and how to apply it thoughtfully. The routines are designed to be adapted, combined, and revisited, so instruction responds to students, not the other way around.
The class includes approximately 7 hours of on-demand video content across four self-paced modules. Participants receive a 14-hour Continuing Education Certificate, which reflects time spent watching lessons, reviewing tools, and applying the learning.
You’ll have full access to the course for 12 months, allowing you to move at your own pace and return to the content as often as you like.
Yes! The course is fully asynchronous. You (or your team) can start whenever it works for your schedule.
When you enroll, you’ll get:
No, but it can be helpful.
Bricks & Mortar stands on its own, so there’s no prerequisite. That said, educators who have read Shifting the Balance 3–5 or taken the corresponding online class often arrive with a strong foundation for the instructional moves explored here.
If you’ve also engaged with Shifting the Balance K–2, you’ll bring an even broader view of the full literacy continuum, making Bricks & Mortar a natural and powerful next step in your learning.
Yes! We offer group pricing and customized options.
You can choose to:
If selected, Administrative Features enable Course Completion Tracking and provide access to a private leadership portal for your team. This gives you optional reports showing participant progress and video engagement, ideal for accountability, CEUs, or group learning.
💡 Groups of 40+ receive Administrative Features at no extra cost.
Yes. Bricks & Mortar is grounded in research and aligned with the Science of Reading, while remaining practical, flexible, and respectful of teacher expertise. It bridges theory and classroom practice in a way that supports strong instruction without being dogmatic or prescriptive.
Absolutely. Bricks & Mortar is curriculum-neutral and designed to work alongside whatever resources you’re already using. It helps you bring coherence and intentionality to small-group instruction or intervention, regardless of your core program.
Think of it as a framework for how you teach, not what you’re required to use.
Yes. Any group, regardless of size, can opt to schedule a live virtual Q&A session with a consultant from The Six Shifts team. These private sessions offer your team a chance to ask questions, receive implementation support, and connect the course learning to your unique context.
For questions or help with registration, reach out to:
📩 CustomCourses@TheSixShifts.com or Maggie@TheSixShifts.com
No. Each participant must have their own paid registration. Course content, including video modules, PDFs, and companion guides, is licensed for individual use only. Sharing access, downloading materials for group distribution, or broadcasting video content in a group setting without prior written permission violates our terms of use and copyright policy.
No book is required, but we recommend Shifting the Balance 3–5 as a powerful companion to this course. Reading the book alongside the class deepens learning and supports long-term instructional change.
Would you like help tailoring a plan for your team?
📩 Contact us at Maggie@TheSixShifts.com
Register · On-demand online class · Grades 3–5+
$229 per participant
Start anytime · 12 months of access · Learn at your own pace
Individual Enrollment
Customized Group
School or district · Purchase order registration
Bricks & Mortar: Filling Literacy Gaps 3–5+
You don’t need to reteach everything. You need a way to identify what matters, connect the pieces, and make the time you have count.
Self-paced · Start anytime · 12 months of access · 14-hour CE certificate
Professional Learning & Partnerships
Maggie Thoreson, our Professional Development Specialist, helps schools and districts with bulk enrollment in our online classes, custom classes, and more. Tell her a little about what you have in mind, and she will reach out.
