Professional Learning with Mary McFarlin · Grades 4 and up
Accessing Academic Language Through Multicomponent Word Work
Professional learning and instructional resources, together in one bundle.
As students move beyond third grade, they meet longer words, unfamiliar vocabulary, more complex sentences, and concepts that require precise language. This bundle helps you make the connections between a word’s pronunciation, spelling, meaningful parts, meaning, and grammatical function visible for students in grade 4 and above.
- 3-part course series
- Word Families Bundle
- Lesson templates
- Demonstration videos
- 2 reference guides
One sentence from a science text
The precipitation accumulated disproportionately across the region.
Structurally simple. Yet reading it takes five kinds of language knowledge, working at once:
- Phonology
- Orthography
- Morphology
- Semantics
- Syntax
The challenge
After third grade, the words get harder in every subject.
Academic language becomes increasingly important across the curriculum. Many students who read well in the early grades stall once words and texts become longer, more abstract, and more morphologically and syntactically complex.
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dis·pro·port·ion·ate·ly
Longer words
Words contain multiple prefixes and suffixes, and must be read automatically.
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accumulate
Unfamiliar vocabulary
High-utility academic words appear across texts but are rarely taught directly.
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construct → constructive → constructively
More complex sentences
A word’s grammatical role shifts with its suffixes, and sentences grow more demanding.
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precipitation
Abstract concepts
Content-area ideas depend on precise language students must understand, not just decode.
Affects learning in
- English language arts
- Science
- Social studies
- Mathematics
- Every content area
Students need more than definitions or memorized word lists. They benefit from explicit instruction that connects how a word is pronounced, how it is spelled, what its parts mean, and how it works in a sentence.
The approach
Teach the systems together, not in isolation.
Multicomponent word work integrates morphology, phonology, orthography, semantics, and syntax with explicit academic vocabulary instruction.
Using high-utility Tier 2 words and their word families, you build interconnected word knowledge that supports learning across subject areas.
What it means to know one word
- Morphology: it is built from four meaningful parts: con- + struct + -ive + -ly.
- Phonology: how it is pronounced, including where the stress falls.
- Orthography: why it is spelled the way it is, including why there is an e after the v.
- Semantics: what it means, and how each part contributes to that meaning.
- Syntax: construct is a verb, constructive an adjective, constructively an adverb, and each works differently in a sentence.
What’s included
Six bundled components. One connected approach.
A three-part professional learning series, plus ready-to-use word family resources, lesson-planning templates, demonstration videos, and reference tools to put it into practice.
1 · Three-part professional learning series
Accessing Academic Language Through Multicomponent Word Work: Grades 4 and Up
Self-paced · designed to be taken in order
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01The why
Understanding Academic Language Demands After 3rd Grade
The research behind integrated word work instruction: what changes in academic language after grade 3, why decoding proficiency keeps affecting comprehension growth well past elementary school, and how orthographic mapping works.
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02The what
Morphology Essentials: An Introduction for Upper Elementary and Secondary Educators
How meaningful word parts contribute to spelling, pronunciation, meaning, and grammatical function, from bases and assimilated prefixes to suffix conventions.
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03The how
Building Academic Vocabulary Through Tier 2 Anchor Word Families
Learn how to implement a repeatable routine using Tier 2 anchor word families. Follow a full lesson demonstration showing how to teach high-utility words through word sums, word chains, and by applying words in connected text.
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2
Word Families Bundle
Two sets of academic word families for exploring word parts, spelling patterns, pronunciation, meaning, parts of speech, and sentence-level use.
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3
Lesson-Creation Templates
Plan your own multicomponent word work lessons around the academic vocabulary your students and content area need.
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4
Word Chain Demonstration Videos
See word chain activities that connect spelling, pronunciation, and meaningful word relationships in structured practice.
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5
Suffix Spelling Quick Guide
A practical reference to support spelling of common suffixes.
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6
Common Latin Morpheme Senses of Meaning Chart
Common Latin morphemes and their senses of meaning.
Learning outcomes
From the research, to the word, to your lessons.
You’ll leave with a clear rationale, the word work knowledge, and a flexible routine you can use with any academic word family.
- Explain why capable decoders often struggle with the language demands of academic text after third grade.
- Integrate phonology, orthography, morphology, syntax, and semantics within word-level instruction.
- Identify morphemes, bases, affixes, and connecting vowels within complex academic vocabulary.
- Use word meaning and word relationships to support spellings that pronunciation alone cannot explain.
- Teach Tier 2 academic vocabulary through morphological word families rather than isolated word lists.
- Apply a complete, repeatable routine that moves students from word analysis to authentic reading and writing.
Who it’s for
For every educator working with students in grade 4 and up.
Whether you’re introducing multicomponent word work for the first time or expanding your existing vocabulary instruction, in Tier 1 classrooms and intervention settings alike.
- Classroom teachers
- Content-area teachers
- Reading and literacy specialists
- Interventionists
- Special educators
- Speech-language pathologists
- Instructional coaches
- Tutors
- Homeschool educators
Certificate of Completion
Documents [X] hours of professional learning across the three-course series.
Participants are responsible for confirming acceptance with their credentialing or licensing organization.
Your instructor
Mary McFarlin, M.A., C-SLDS
Founder, Sound Literacy Solutions
Creator of The Morphology Kit®
Mary is a structured literacy specialist, educational interventionist, and national presenter. For the past 20 years, she has worked with students, educators, and families to help readers become confident, successful learners. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Washington State branch of the International Dyslexia Association.
“All teachers need to know this! No one really teaches teachers about language.”