Enriching Structured Literacy Through Integrated Word Study - Sarah Mitchell

Etymology offers a key to unlocking English spelling, expanding vocabulary, and deepening our understanding of language and history. In this second episode exploring the history of words, Anya Maloney and Debbie Hegg discuss how etymology enriches literacy instruction while sparking curiosity about language.Anya and Debbie explore how word families can extend far beyond words that share a visible base. They explain how investigating the histories of words can help us make sense of English spelling, determine whether words are truly related, and uncover surprising connections that expand vocabulary and deepen our understanding of word meanings.Through practical classroom activities and student stories, they illustrate how words borrowed from other languages have shaped English spelling, why similar-looking words may have different histories, and how ancient meanings can live on in a surprising range of words. Along the way, they demonstrate how investigating word histories can open doors to language learning, historical knowledge, and a deeper understanding of English words and how they came to be.Anya Maloney: Language & Learning The Language & Learning website: https://languagelearninglink.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/languageandlearninglink/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/languagelearninglink/ Links for resources mentioned in the podcast: Colin Gorrie - Does your name belong in the Odyssey? https://www.deadlanguagesociety.com/p/does-your-name-belong-in-the-odyssey-indo-european-names Behind the Name -  The etymology and history of first names: https://www.behindthename.com/  Etymology References:  Online Etymological Dictionary: etymonline.comOxford English Dictionary: oed.com Dictionary of Word Origins by John Ayto:  https://a.co/d/0dxV3qiMOxford School Dictionary of Word Origins by John Ayto: https://a.co/d/018mqWvkStructured Word Inquiry: Structured Word Inquiry FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/StructuredWordInquiry Pete Bower's SWI Digital Drop-in Meetings: https://tinyurl.com/3ahza25y International SWI Drop-in Weekly Meetings:  https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1EAXGAB77R/ 

Listen to three of the most important voices in literacy, Linnea Ehri, Peter Bowers and Kenn Apel, talk about the important role of morphology in reading, vocabulary, spelling and sight word development. Linnea Ehri updates her theory of orthographic mapping to emphasize the role that morphology plays not just in the four initial phases but when words are stored in sight word memory directly - without needing to be sounded out. The spelling of morphemes is critical to developing sight words and becomes the predominate way that words enter sight word memory. She points out that morphemes - the meaningful core of every word - have consistent spelling patterns that help readers resolve sound-symbol conflicts and is critical for learning so-called irregular words like go, goes, gone, do, does, done and say, says and said.Ehri credits Peter Bowers and Sue Hegland, author of Beneath the Surface of Words, for helping her understand the role of morphology in orthographic mapping. Pete and Kenn Apel then enter the discussion, clarifying what morphology is and how it influences spelling, word meaning and vocabulary growth. Links:Article on inquiry vs. direct instruction Pete Bowers mentioned:de Jong et. al (2023) Let's talk evidence – The case for combining inquiry-based and direct instruction,Educational Research Review, 39, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2023.100536.Click HERE for a video The Nested Combinatorial Structure of English Spelling: Binding the pronunciations, spelling and meanings of words (Bowers & Foley, 2025) (approx 15 min)Click HERE for a video of Pete’s presentation “Morphology Instruction and Language Comprehension” for the Reading League Summit 2025.  (approx 15 min)Click HERE Pete’s video “The Matrix Matters Because Language is Combinatorial” for the Dyslexia Training Institute” for the 9th Annual Dyslexia Virtual Conference of the Dyslexic Training Institute. (approx 60 min)Bowers, P.N. & Kirby, J.R. (2010) Effects of Morphological instruction on Vocabulary Acquisition, Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 23, 515–537.Kirby, J. R. & Bowers, P. N. (2017). Morphological instruction and literacy:  Binding phonological, orthographic, and semantic features of words. In K. Cain, D. Compton, & R. Parrila, (Eds.), Theories of reading development. Amsterdam, NL: John Benjamins Publishing Company.See Sue Hegland’s website “Learning About Spelling” to find a link for her book, “Beneath the Surface of Words” and many free resources including multiple blog posts and videos of presentations that are very clarifying.The Science of Spelling and Why It Matters for Literacy—March 2025Morphological Awareness and Written Language—January 2023

What do adolescents need from a literacy intervention? Can you just take an intervention for younger pupils and use it with teenagers? Dr Katharine Barden, a literacy specialist and former linguistics researcher, discusses why she created LIfTT, the Literacy Intervention for Teens and Tweens, to meet the specific literacy needs of adolescents.Katharine is passionate about making multicomponent literacy instruction easy to implement by providing ready-to-use resources accompanied by detailed guidance for educators. In this episode, she describes why adolescents need a multicomponent intervention that incorporates teaching at different levels of linguistic structure. In particular, integrating morphology and etymology alongside phonics is essential to make sense of English spelling, and Katharine explains how this is implemented in a structured and cumulative way within LIfTT.You can find out more about LIfTT on Katharine’s website, The Literacy Hub:www.theliteracyhub.co.ukThe Literacy Hub also includes reviews of literacy-related books and resources, a blog about current issues in literacy teaching, and you can sign up for The Literacy Hub Newsletter.You can also contact Katharine below:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dr-katharine-barden-845707273Bluesky: @katharinebarden.bsky.social  

Why doesn’t sounding out a word always tell us how to spell it? Bruce Howlett welcomes speech-language pathologist and literacy specialist Anya Maloney to explore common misconceptions about the alphabetic principle and how English spelling works. Anya explains how borrowing, pronunciation changes, and other historical influences shaped a system that represents pronunciation, meaning, and word history. Through examples of unexpected spellings and expansive word families, she shows how etymology can help students understand spelling, connect related words, and deepen their vocabulary. The conversation offers educators a fuller picture of English spelling and accessible ways to bring word history into literacy instruction.Anya’s website: https://languagelearninglink.com/SWIRV FB page: https://www.facebook.com/share/19hwRYQN1g/?mibextid=wwXIfr The History of English podcast: https://historyofenglishpodcast.com/Apple Podcast link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-history-of-english-podcast/id538608536

England's phonics‑first mandates struggle to engage all learners, leaving about a third of students with limited reading abilities—even when they have received years of instruction. The mandates miss opportunities to build vocabulary, comprehension and curiosity, essential literacy skills. Meet a team of educators working to enrich instruction with Structured Word Inquiry, which blends morphology and spelling. This approach blends deep inquiry into words, offering a meaning‑rich alternative to traditional spelling instruction.  Students learn that English spelling is a logical system to explore rather than a code that fails to account for all spellings.Bullet points:England’s phonics‑first system—driven by Ofsted pressure, scripted SSP lessons, and high‑stakes checks—creates a bottleneck where many children stall, repeat ineffective drills, and miss out on broader reading development.Structured Word Inquiry offers a scientific, meaning‑centered alternative that integrates morphology, etymology, and phonology, turning word study into investigation rather than rote decoding.SWI boosts engagement, supports dyslexic and neurodivergent learners, and re‑energizes the teaching of early reading and spelling by replacing rigid scripts with flexible, evidence‑based tools like word sums, matrices, and word families.Policy shifts and grassroots UK advocacy are opening space for richer instruction, with accessible entry points—such as simple word sums and weekly SWI drop‑ins—helping teachers begin immediately. Contacts: Andrea Dalland: <[email protected]>Tanya Watt: <[email protected]>,Jo Johnson Language and Literacy Support: [email protected] Thorne: <[email protected]>Link for the UK SWI Cohort FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1401185435025834/The FB group for the Drop-In:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1536607167483053/The International Drop-In meets every Thursday at 12:30pm London time. The Zoom link is available in the FB group 

Do you want to get excited about teaching words, vocabulary, spelling, and writing instruction? Do you want to see your students embrace these subjects as enriching and empowering abilities — not just another academic task? Sean Morrissey points the way with The Word Mapping Project, a series of clear, consistent 35-minute lessons that integrate these language and literacy abilities using cognitive learning principles that make instruction stick. Sean, a school psychologist who became a classroom teacher, discusses the excitement that comes from seeing diverse groups of students embrace reading, spelling, vocabulary, and writing tasks they once avoided. Sean makes integrating this innovative and enriching approach simple enough all teachers to embrace, including classroom and content area teachers, EL and intervention specialists, SLPs and tutors.    Website: www.wordmappingproject.comX handle: https://x.com/smorrisey   @smorriseySubstack: https://seanmorrisey.substack.com/

Do your students struggle to stay focused, avoid distractions, begin and complete assignments, or remember directions? Would you like to help them resist impulses, switch between tasks, and manage their thoughts and behaviors?Speech-Language Pathologist Beth Coppic Gunshor discusses how these executive function (EF) skills play out when working with students, turning abstract concepts into practical activities that build academic and life-defining skills. Learn how Beth uses self-talk, whiteboard clocks, and flashlights to help her students remember past events so they can visualize the future to decide what action to take right now.Resources mentioned during For the Love of Literacy’s podcast on literacy and executive function with Beth Coppoc GunshorCognitive Connections: Sarah Ward and Kristin JacobsonVideo about working clock, starting at 30 minutesTera Sumpter: Seeds of LearningGretchen Wegner: Anti-Boring Learning LabMichael Mcleod: GrowNow ADHDVideo of Dimensional Change Card Sort TestCenter on the Developing Child: Building the Brain’s “Air Traffic Control” System: How Early Experiences Shape the Development of Executive Function

“If only we, as dyslexics, had learned how the English writing system works—from words to sentences—when we were in elementary school! Maybe we wouldn’t have struggled with language and literacy.” For decades, non-dyslexic individuals have been telling dyslexics how they learn, often focusing strictly on early literacy skills. This offers a very limited view of dyslexia. Listen to two adult dyslexics, literacy instructor Marie Foley and For the Love of Literacy host Bruce Howlett, discuss their decades-long struggle with reading comprehension, complex word spelling, and written expression. Your understanding of dyslexia will be transformed.In this episode, Bruce hands over hosting duties to linguist Sara Lee. Sara works with Marie and Bruce on grammar and syntax, taking them beneath the surface of words and sentences while exploring new learning methods. Today, Marie and Bruce are utterly fascinated by language and its many connections to literacy. Best of all, written and spoken English finally make sense!

If your students read accurately but with limited fluency, comprehension or interest then Elfrieda “Freddy” Hiebert’s talk will be of great benefit. Freddy summarizes her decades of research, showing how vocabulary depth and richness are key components of reading comprehension and written expression.  Dr. Hiebert has created two essential materials: Teaching Words and How They Work, and TextProject.Org. Teaching Words centers literacy instruction on vocabulary development and how children learn, understand and read complex words. She notes that most students read with high accuracy, but with limited fluency and vocabulary depth.  To address this widespread problem, Freddy’s TextProject.org provides free resources for teaching vocabulary development and semantics, or word meaning. The site includes ready-to-use word webs, Exceptional Expressions and Super Synonyms as well as reading material for emerging readers, content areas and Teen Reads.  The subtitle of Teaching Words is Small Changes for Big Vocabulary Results. Dr. Hiebert talks about the importance of small changes, not wholesale shifts, for improving instruction. TextProject.org

Many students who struggle with literacy also struggle with math. Understanding the number system requires engaging linguistic, cognitive, executive functions and conceptual understanding -- just like literacy. Meaning is as important to math learning as it does in literacy. Math that is taught as a series of isolated procedures, facts and “islands of knowledge” disconnected from meaning will make little sense - just as it does with reading. Math makes sense when students learn the structure of math, including its syntax and vocabulary, and approach it as a coherent system. This also diminishes math anxiety.     Bruce Howlett’s Seven Layers of Literacy Approach:  ReadingShift.com Megan Hicks: [email protected] The Sentence Studio www.scienceofthesentence.comJen Petrich: Literacy Dr website:  https://www.theliteracydr.com·         D.O.T.S. course info and registration:   https://www.theliteracydr.com/pd/dots·         Wednesdays with Literacy Dr (free drop-in) info and registration: https://www.theliteracydr.com/drop-in·         Literacy Dr videos https://www.theliteracydr.com/videos·         List of Resources for Further Learning