In the previous blogs we spent some time discussing working with our early learners on blending, segmenting, and isolating sounds.
At this point they’re skilled in identifying long vowels, mastering digraphs, and attending to spelling patterns.
It’s time to raise the complexity and attend to morphology.
As our learners grow in confidence and automaticity with sound-letter patterns, we can take their literacy learning deeper. We can do this by helping them see how words work, not just by sound, but also by structure and meaning. Intentional study of morphology is critical in supporting our learners in becoming stronger readers and writers.
Let’s take a look at a Flying Start to Literacy: PHONICS™ Stage Three, Module 6 lesson here. This lesson introduces the r-controlled /er/ sound through ‘er’, ‘ur’, and ‘ir’, however this lesson doesn’t stop at sound-symbol correspondence. It takes the learning further by introducing prefixes and suffixes where the beginnings and endings unlock meaning.
As you can see, the morphology instruction of the lesson focuses on showing our learners how adding prefixes and suffixes to a familiar base word (‘firm’ in this lesson example) can change both the meaning and the function of the word. For example, when you add the prefix ‘con- to ‘firm’, you get ‘confirm, which shifts the meaning from something strong or stable (‘firm’) to the act of verifying or making sure. When we add ‘in-‘ it gives us ‘infirm’, which means not strong which is the opposite of ‘firm’. Similarly, suffixes like ‘-er’ and ‘-ly’ make new words like ‘firmer’ and ‘firmly’, expanding their vocabulary while reinforcing how words can change. The goal of these lessons is about helping our learners notice the meaningful building blocks within words. Encouraging this kind of morphological thinking supports our learners in both decoding and encoding more complex texts and deepens their understanding of how English works beyond single phonemes or simple word families.
So why do these lessons on morphology matter? They matter because when our literacy learners can spot common suffixes like ‘-er, ‘-est’, or ‘-y’, they not only read words more fluently but they comprehend them better. When we say, “The farmer is stronger,” we want our learners to notice that ‘farmer’ is someone who farms, and ‘stronger’ compares strength. These are the small moves that push our literacy learners from decoding to processing.
Now let’s go back to the lesson plan and notice the section titled Consolidate Learning. After the phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary and word study routines, our learners are invited to read and apply what they’ve learned through connected texts and dictation. This is where the transfer happens. In independent reading or independent writing, our readers and writers encounter words like ‘hurt’, ‘burn’, and ‘bird’ in real contexts. They write about workers and singers using known morphemes. These final steps in the lesson solidify the pattern and give students a reason to remember it. These learning activities create flexible, independent readers and writers.
Revisit this lesson through a new lens. Which part pushes literacy learners beyond phonics and into meaning-making? Where do you see an opportunity to emphasize the power of ‘-er’ as a suffix?
Phonics instruction doesn’t end with sounds. It grows into structure, meaning, and use. Let’s ensure our lessons grow in complexity with our literacy learners. - Nilaja Taylor