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.