Morphology Made Simple: Building Word Power in K–2 with Michelle and Sarah

Sep 29

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What if I told you morphology isn’t too advanced for young readers—it’s actually the missing piece that makes decoding, spelling, and vocabulary stick?

In this episode, I’m joined by two of my favorite literacy leaders, Michelle Sullivan and Sarah Paul, to talk all things morphology. We unpack what it is, why it matters from the very start of reading instruction, and how to make it engaging and approachable for even our youngest students.

Whether you’re brand-new to morphology or already a self-proclaimed word nerd, this conversation will give you practical tools you can use tomorrow.

What You’ll Learn

What morphology really is (and how to explain it in kid- and parent-friendly terms)
Why morphemes (bases, prefixes, suffixes) support decoding, spelling, and comprehension
Myths about morphology—like “it’s only for older grades”—and why that’s not true
Simple classroom routines: word sums, morpheme chains, and word matrices
How to integrate morphology into science and social studies instruction
Tips for families to spark word awareness at home

Key Takeaways

Morphology isn’t an add-on—it’s part of phonics and vocabulary instruction.
Words are “buildable” like Legos—small parts combine to make big meaning.
Morphemes stay stable, even when pronunciation shifts (think jumped, played, wanted).
Teaching affixes like -s, -ed, -ing, and prefixes like un-, re- in the primary grades gives students powerful decoding and comprehension tools.
Small routines, done consistently, help create curious “word detectives” in your classroom.

Try-It-Tomorrow Ideas

Word Sums: Break a word into its base and suffix (bake + -er = baker).
Morpheme Chains: Build meaning step by step (help → helper → helpful → unhelpful).
Word Matrices: Use a visual organizer to show how many words grow from one base (use → reuse, useful, unusable).

About Today’s Guests

Sarah Paul is a former first grade teacher, longtime reading interventionist, and now coach/supervisor for a district’s high-impact tutoring program. She’s been practicing structured literacy since before the term “science of reading” even existed.

Michelle Sullivan is a former reading interventionist and literacy coach, now host of the Literacy in Color podcast. She partners with schools nationwide to support teachers in high-quality literacy instruction.

Together, Sarah and Michelle co-founded Logos Literacy Academy and created Mastering Morphology: Foundations for Every Educator.