307. The 5-Minute Word Study Routine That Builds Reading Confidence

307. The 5-Minute Word Study Routine That Builds Reading Confidence

From Stellar Teacher Podcast: A Podcast for Upper Elementary Teachers by Sara Marye, Literacy Teacher, Elementary Teacher

June 8, 2026 · 10 min

About this episode

This episode discusses how morphology instruction can enhance reading confidence in upper elementary students.

Your Literacy Block Series: Part 2 If your students freeze when they come across long, unfamiliar words while reading, this episode is for you. In today’s episode of The Stellar Teacher Podcast, we’re talking about how morphology instruction can completely change reading confidence for upper elementary students. You’ll learn how teaching prefixes, suffixes, roots, and base words helps students decode unfamiliar vocabulary, improve spelling, and strengthen comprehension. We also break down what explicit morphology instruction actually looks like during whole group, small group, and independent reading—without adding another complicated routine to your literacy block. Inside this episode: What morphology is and why it matters Simple questions students can ask when decoding big words Examples using words like “unexplainable” and “transportation” Easy word study routines you can use in 5–10 minutes a day How morphology supports both decoding and comprehension If you teach grades 3–5, this episode will give you practical strategies you can start using right away. Resources Mentioned: ⭐ FREE Reading Big Words Poster stellarteacher.com/bigwords ⭐ Whole Group Lessons with built-in…

People in this episode

Host: Sara Marye

Topics covered

  • morphology instruction
  • reading confidence
  • decoding vocabulary
  • spelling improvement
  • comprehension strategies

Keywords

  • morphology
  • reading confidence
  • decoding
  • vocabulary
  • spelling
  • comprehension
  • word study

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Stellar Literacy Collective

Products: FREE Reading Big Words Poster

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