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• What does it mean to know a word?

• What is Deep Lexical quality?

• What are the five principles of English spelling – including the role of morphology?

As students move from the early years into middle and upper primary, there is a sharp increase in the number of complex (abstract) words they are likely to encounter in text - and that they will be expected to use in their writing. Most of these

words are either Latin or Greek in origin, include orthographic patterns that differ from those found in everyday Anglo-Saxon words and rely heavily on morphemes. Students who are aware of these structural changes (and the history behind them) are consistently more accurate readers and spellers - and are more likely to develop a larger and more connected vocabulary. This in turn contributes to stronger reading comprehension and elevated written expression skills.

In these sessions, participants will take a crash course in the history of English and will explore the question ‘What is lexical quality?’ In addition, an overview of instructional practices designed to improve both spelling and vocabulary development in the mid/upper primary years will be provided.

Mandy Nayton

Mandy Nayton is the CEO of both DSF Literacy and Clinical Services in Perth and SPELD Victoria in Melbourne. She is an educational and developmental psychologist and qualified teacher with extensive experience in the field of literacy education.

Mandy is an ardent advocate for evidence-informed practice, supports schools with literacy planning and provides professional development in the areas of literacy acquisition and intervention, vocabulary development, working memory and cognitive load, learning difficulties and the assessment of learning disorders. Mandy is an Adjunct Research Fellow at Curtin University’s School of Allied Health, is a leading Australian LETRS trainer, has conducted research in collaboration with UWA, Curtin and ACU, published or co-published over 30 articles and book chapters in recent years, and was awarded an OAM for her services to education in 2016.