Overview
Part of The Morphology Kit® Professional Learning Series, this foundation course examines why students who read well in the early grades often struggle once academic texts become longer, more abstract, and morphologically complex — and what that means for instruction in grades 4 and beyond.
You'll explore how pronunciation, spelling, word structure, meaning, and syntax work together during word reading, why decoding proficiency continues to shape comprehension growth well past elementary school, and how orthographic mapping actually builds automatic word recognition.
Participants will leave with a clear research foundation for integrated, word-level instruction with older students.
Learning Outcomes
Participants will learn how to:
- Describe how the language demands of academic text change after third grade and why those changes challenge capable decoders.
- Explain how phonology, orthography, morphology, syntax, and semantics work together during multisyllabic word reading.
- Apply research on word knowledge to explain why decoding and vocabulary should be taught as connected processes.
- Describe orthographic mapping and the role morphological knowledge plays in building automatic word recognition.
- Identify why foundational literacy instruction remains essential for upper elementary and secondary students.
Who is this designed for?
- Classroom teachers
- Reading specialists
- Interventionists
- Special educators
- Speech-language pathologists
- Instructional coaches
- Tutors
- Homeschool educators
Certificate of Completion
Participants will receive a Certificate of Completion documenting 1hr of professional learning.
Participants are responsible for confirming acceptance with their credentialing or licensing organization.