Grades 3–5
Make Sense of the Science.Make Meaningful Shifts in Reading Instruction.
Bring together what you’ve learned about the science of reading with your curriculum, instructional tools, and everyday teaching decisions.
Bridge the gap between professional learning and daily instruction with practical routines and manageable shifts that help you put research into practice.
Develop shared language and practices that support coaching, PLCs, and consistent instruction across classrooms.
Explore the Six Shifts · Grades 3–5
What readers already know shapes what they can understand. Together, we’ll explore how knowledge and comprehension grow and what that means for everyday instruction. You’ll leave with five practical routines for helping students build knowledge as they read, write, and talk.
Comprehension strategies are most helpful when they deepen understanding of the text at hand. We’ll explore which strategies research supports, how to choose them, and how text selection shapes your teaching. You’ll learn five practical routines to help readers use strategies with greater purpose.
There are opportunities to grow word knowledge throughout your day, and you don’t have to stop and teach every word. We’ll help you decide which words deserve a closer look and how to make that learning stick. You’ll explore nine teaching moves, including ways to help students find meaning through roots and affixes.
Word-reading instruction in the intermediate grades involves two simultaneous challenges: filling foundational skill gaps and moving forward with grade-level word work. We’ll explore how to provide targeted support while ensuring every reader has access to more advanced word learning. You’ll leave with six practical routines to address both challenges and help the readers in front of you keep moving forward.
Fluent reading helps students give more attention to what a text means. We’ll look closely at accuracy, automaticity, and expression, while reconsidering familiar practices that may get in the way. You’ll explore nine engaging teaching moves to help readers develop greater ease, confidence, and understanding.
Purposeful practice helps students put new learning to work. We’ll rethink text selection, reading levels, and practice time, with eight practical moves to strengthen the connection between instruction and students’ independent reading and writing. Then, we’ll help you bring your learning from the class together into manageable next steps that connect research to everyday teaching.
What’s Included · Grades 3–5
Hear from Kari and Jan about what inspired the Shifting the Balance online classes, what to expect, and how to choose the right class for your learning needs.
Optional graduate credit through North Dakota State University.
Learn More About Graduate Credit
Learn from Kari Yates, Dr. Jan Burkins, and Dr. Katie Egan Cunningham, authors of Shifting the Balance, Grades 3–5.
Learn More About the AuthorsFrom class participants
I used to think the Science of Reading didn’t apply to my 5th graders. Now I realize it’s exactly what some of them needed, especially those still struggling with fluency and word recognition.
I finally feel like I understand how to support kids who missed something the first time around. This class helped me blend foundational skills with meaning-making in a way that clicks.
The course helped me lead literacy conversations with more clarity and compassion. It gave my staff a common language and a starting point for real change, without the overwhelm.
Register · Online class · Grades 3–5
Next class November 2 – December 13, 2026
$329 per participant
Access through January 24, 2027 · Six modules, one released each week
General Cohort
Customized Group
School or district · One or both classes
100% Money-Back Guarantee. Complete Modules 1 and 2. If the class isn’t meeting your expectations, request a full refund before beginning Module 3. General Cohort only; Customized Groups are excluded.
The complete series
The two Shifting the Balance books and companion online classes work together to support the journey from beginning to developing readers. Whether you teach in a K–5 classroom, provide intervention, or support literacy instruction across grade levels, exploring both classes can help you see the bigger picture and make meaningful connections across the reading continuum.
Explore the K–2 Class →Books are sold separately and are not included with online class registration. Purchase the books from Routledge
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.
