The ability to read and comprehend complex texts at the middle and upper elementary grades depends on many factors, including decoding ability, fluency, vocabulary, and background knowledge. In grades 3–5, the whole-class Word Study lessons address these factors by focusing on morphological awareness, or the ability to identify and use word parts to infer the meanings of words.
During Word Study lessons, students learn how words are constructed and how they work, and then they transfer that knowledge to new words they encounter on their own. Through guided spelling lessons, students also learn to encode words. Learning Greek and Latin roots and affixes also helps develop the content-area vocabulary needed to access science and social studies texts. Weekly lessons also develop vocabulary knowledge and word consciousness.