Sound It Out: Phonics and Reading Skills for Adults

Friday, May 8, 2026
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM (online via Zoom)

Learning phonics isn’t just for kids! It can be a powerful tool for adult learners to improve their reading, writing, pronunciation, and confidence. In this interactive workshop, participants will explore the confusing nature of English spelling and sound patterns, practice phonics strategies adapted from the elementary classroom, and discover how phonics can be integrated into broader reading lessons for adult ESOL students. 

Workshop Learning Objectives:

• Understand why English phonics can be confusing, especially for learners who come from different language backgrounds.

• Practice and apply key phonics strategies that support adult learners’ reading, writing, and pronunciation skills.

• Learn how to integrate phonics strategies into adult ESOL lessons to strengthen decoding and overall literacy skills.

Presenter:

Marjorie Bond is a lifelong educator with more than 20 years of combined experience teaching dance, grades K–5 in the public school system, and adult ESOL. She holds a Master’s in Elementary Education from the University of Washington, where she specialized in supporting young English language learners. Through years of teaching diverse language populations (including classes with 14+ languages), and close personal relationships with ESOL learners and those in the Deaf community, she has developed a deep appreciation for phonics and phonemic awareness, and their critical role in effective English communication.

This workshop is free to staff of all Massachusetts non-profit ABE and ESOL Programs.

First Literacy does not receive any state or federal funding and we work very hard to raise 100% of our budget from private sources. Please consider making a donation to First Literacy so we can continue to offer FREE high quality professional development workshops.