If you haven’t yet come across Think Forward Educators, I highly recommend signing up! Whether you're just beginning your journey with the Science of Reading (SoR) or you've been using it for years, their free webinars are packed with insightful, practical information that will help you refine your teaching practice. And, it’s simply a must for new teachers.
I recently watched Lyn Stone’s webinar, “The Best List is a Book,” and it was packed with ideas for using books as the starting point for literacy instruction. In it, Lyn talks about moving away from traditional, random “sight word” lists and instead focusing on teaching word groups. These aren’t just words thrown together based on superficial measures such as frequency, but are carefully organised groups based on common roots, prefixes, or phonic patterns.
Lyn explains how this approach can make a huge difference for students, helping them build stronger, more lasting connections between new words and existing knowledge. This is such a highly effective approach as it helps students make connections between related words in their lexicon, assisting in long term memorisation and improving reading fluency (see Maryanne Wolf’s POSSUMS approach). By focusing on words that share similar structures or sounds, students are able to recognise patterns that will help them decode new words more effectively. Take, for example, teaching the root word "spect" – once students understand it, they can unlock the meaning of words like inspect, spectacle, perspective, and more. This way, they're not just memorising words; they're learning how words work, which deepens both their reading and vocabulary skills.
Lyn also stresses that selecting word groups should be intentional and developmentally appropriate. You can’t just group words by sound; the idea is to gradually introduce more complex linguistic structures as students’ skills grow. Starting with simpler words and moving to more advanced ones ensures students aren’t overwhelmed. Scaffolding their learning helps them grow confidence as they build on what they already know.
Another key point Lyn makes is about differentiation. All students benefit from exposure to the same core instruction in vocabulary and patterns, however, the way material is presented must adapt to each learner’s needs. Some students might need more scaffolding or a reduced number of words to support more repetition, while others may be able to study a larger word group without suffering cognitive overload. This flexible approach ensures that every student can engage with core content meaningfully and at their own level, preventing The Matthew Effect.
Explicit instruction is another major takeaway from the session. Lyn talks about the importance of clearly explaining the relationships between words. Whether you’re teaching morphology or phonics, it’s vital to break down these connections for students so they can internalise them. When students understand how words are related, whether by root or pattern, they gain a deeper understanding of language and can apply this knowledge independently.
While I whole-heartedly agree with Lyn on all these points, I do think we need to be mindful that some teachers may feel a bit daunted by these practices, especially if they’re still building their understanding of the Science of Reading. The concepts around morphology and orthography can be quite complex, and for some teachers, getting to grips with them all at once might feel overwhelming. Taking a book and quickly identifying developmentally appropriate patterns to pull from it requires a huge amount of orthographic and pedagogical knowledge.
Teaching students using word groups based on a deep understanding of orthography isn’t something you can just dive into without a bit of preparation. It requires a solid grasp of how the English language is structured, as well as an understanding of Cognitive Load Theory and Science of Learning to deliver well structured, effective lessons. Without this deep understanding, it also takes an incredible amount of research before teaching, which time-pressed teachers are not always able to do despite the best of intentions.
Teachers who are still developing their knowledge definitely benefit from structured resources that help them learn as they go. If teachers have access to grouped word lists, they can build their expertise step-by-step, just as we encourage students to do. I.e., teachers benefit from explicit instruction, too, including worked examples and modelling. By providing them with resources that explicitly show how English orthography works, they can become knowledgeable and confident enough to flick through a book and quickly identify language concepts appropriate to explore with their students according to their needs.
That’s exactly why I wrote The Ultimate Scope and Sequence: For Teaching Structured Literacy. This book carefully curates 230 word groups and sequences them logically, starting with simpler phonetic patterns and gradually moving to more complex morphological structures. It’s designed to meet students where they are, while ensuring everyone accesses the same core knowledge by adjusting the number and complexity of words students of differing levels should be expected to master, rather than by denying weaker students access to core instruction in the higher levels. It also allows teachers to differentiate their approach, adjusting to their students’ varying needs while keeping the overall scope unified.
You can use it alone, or if you’d like more support in your explicit instruction, How to Teach Every Spelling Pattern Ever gives clear strategies for explaining the connections between phonics and morphology to students. It’s a comprehensive guide that will help teachers articulate these ideas more clearly in the classroom, no matter the level of their students.
So, if you’re looking for ways to make word patterns more accessible for your students, and you’re after resources that simplify complex concepts for both teachers and students, these books are well worth checking out.
Check out Lyn’s talk and sign up for Think Forward Educators’ talks here.
