Heart Word Magic Dissect a Word

This activity allows students to practice dissecting Heart Words (high-frequency words) with irregular letter sound relationships by listening to the individual phonemes in a word and then filling in the corresponding spellings. They fill in a heart above the irregular part of the word that must be learned “by heart” and write that tricky part again. 
Sample scripts are provided for the following words: saidfromhisofcould
This PDF includes 5 pages. Page 1 provides the overall directions, pages 2-4 provide the sample scripts and page 5 is the student spelling grid sheet.

Heart Word Magic – Help Students Learn to Read and Spell High-Frequency and Sight Words

Heart Word Magic is a complimentary teaching tool designed to help students learn to read and spell high-frequency words and sight words, particularly those that aren’t very decodable. There are 26 embedded videos in total. Each video explains the spelling pattern in a systematic and explicit manner in under 2 minutes.

Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read

Put Reading First is a comprehensive guide to evidence-based reading instruction. Intended for educators and administrators, this guide aims to improve reading outcomes for children in the early grades.Chapter 1 provides an overview of the essential components of effective reading instruction, such as phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Chapter 2 focuses on the critical early stages of reading development, emphasizing the importance of explicit instruction in phonological awareness and phonics.Chapter 3 highlights the significance of developing automaticity and prosody in reading to enhance comprehension.Chapter 4 delves into the importance of vocabulary, teaching word meanings and strategies to foster word learning.Chapter 5 explains techniques for enhancing understanding, including active engagement, monitoring, and metacognition.Practical strategies for classroom instruction include using explicit and systematic phonics lessons, providing ample opportunities for guided oral reading, incorporating vocabulary-building activities, and promoting meaningful discussions to enhance comprehension.

Morphological Awareness Strategies for the General and Special Education Classroom: A Vehicle for Vocabulary Enhancement

In this article from the International Dyslexia Association Perspectives, Susan M. Ebbers discusses the significance of teaching vocabulary through morphology and presents practical strategies for instruction. The focus is on morphemes, including prefixes, suffixes, and roots, which are vital in conveying meaning and facilitating vocabulary growth. The author emphasizes the need for explicit instruction in morphology to foster students’ morphological awareness, a metalinguistic insight that aids in understanding word structure and meanings. Ebbers suggests introducing morphemic analysis gradually, starting with familiar affixes and base words. Incorporating context clues and multisensory activities can reinforce morphological knowledge. By nurturing morphological awareness, students can enhance their vocabulary and comprehension skills, improving their reading, writing, and communication abilities.

Morphological Awareness and Second Language Learners

In this International Dyslexia Association Perspectives article, Gloria Ramírez discusses the significance of morphological awareness in second language learners’ vocabulary learning and reading comprehension, providing valuable insights for educators. The article emphasizes that explicit and systematic instruction on morphological awareness can greatly benefit language learners, especially those facing reading difficulties. Educators can use the principles presented in the article to effectively teach students to identify smaller meaning units in complex words, enhancing their word reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. Additionally, the article highlights the transferability of morphological awareness skills from the learners’ first to their second language, enabling educators to capitalize on their existing language skills to improve their vocabulary and reading comprehension in the target language. Educators can better support second language learners developing strong language and literacy skills by incorporating these principles into their instruction.

Teaching Spelling to Intermediate Poor Spellers: Never Too Late

This PaTTAN webinar, “Teaching Spelling to Intermediate Poor Spellers: It’s Never Too Late,” with Dr. Louisa Moats, discusses explicit, structured language teaching for grades 3-5 students who struggle with spelling. Dr. Moats emphasizes understanding English orthography through five lenses: the language of origin, grapheme-phoneme correspondences, arbitrary letter order and sequence patterns, and morphology. She presents a case study of a dyslexic sixth-grade student and identifies phonological challenges and the need for instruction in advanced orthographic patterns and morphological structures. Poor phonology can hinder spelling, making the orthographic mapping process problematic. Dr. Moats suggests weaving phonological, orthographic, morphological, and syntactic layers together in instruction and providing practice for generalization. The webinar offers examples of lessons and activities to support struggling spellers, aiming to develop their spelling skills effectively.

Beneath the Surface of Words: What English Spelling Reveals and Why It Matters

In Beneath the Surface of Words, author Sue Scibetta Hegland aims to convince readers that English spelling isn’t as unreliable or quirky as they may have believed…and argues an excellent case. For example:there’s actually a reason for the L in talk! Written in an engaging voice, this is an excellent title for building educator knowledge to support instruction in spelling, particularly related to morphology and etymology, with connections to vocabulary as well. Helpful appendices, for example “Applying Suffixing Conventions” and “Working With Word Sums and Evidence Banks” are also included. Reading Beneath the Surface of Words is like taking a crash course in the complexities and rationale of the English writing system and is recommended for all literacy educators.

Advanced Word Study

This resource is designed for teachers and students with limited experience with advanced phonics instruction. It provides an accelerated scope and sequence of syllable types and common prefixes, suffixes, and root words. The lessons include detailed descriptions, visual examples, and practice pages.

Morphology Matters: Building Vocabulary Through Word Parts

Wondering where to start with morphology and how it can tie in with your explicit vocabulary instruction? This 36-page resource is full of lesson ideas and activities that you use with your students. This resource provides some essential background knowledge of morphology for all educators and then provides several lesson frameworks that you can use with your students, using the new Ontario Curriculum.  It provides a suggested scope and sequence as well as word lists, but remember that the scope and sequence for morpheme introduction for the new curriculum is found on page 6 of Appendix A (Word-Level Reading and Spelling: Applying Phonics, Orthographic, and Morphological Knowledge).  Once the introductory morpheme sequence from the curriculum has been consolidated, the word and morpheme lists  found in this resource you can use to expand students’ morphological understanding beyond Grade 4 and across many subject areas.

Spelling in a Complex Orthography: Can knowing better really help do better?

In this video from PaTTAN Literacy, Lyn Stone shows, through practical demonstration, the benefits of systematically teaching the orthographic patterns of written English.  Drawing on principals of cognitive load theory, linguistic analysis and her vast experience in varied educational settings, Lyn offers suggestions for implementing high quality spelling lessons into everyday classroom instruction. 

Etymonline: Online Etymological Dictionary

Etymonline is a free online etymology dictionary that provides information about the origins and historical development of words in English.  It offers detailed explanations of word origins, meanings, and changes over time, often tracing words back to their earliest recorded usage. This resource can help educators and students understand how words have evolved and diversified throughout history, as well as help understand the orthography and morphology of words.