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The Productive Teacher
I help teachers and parents build knowledgeable, skilled readers based on research findings within the Science of Reading.
Explore the Parts of Literacy
Decoding Words
phonological awareness, phonics, syllables, orthographic mapping,
Vocabulary
morphology (Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, suffixes), word meanings and relationships, connotation, academic vocabulary
Grammar
parts of speech, sentence structure, syntax, punctuation, usage
Writing
sentence construction, paragraphs, organization, composition, written expression
Background Knowledge
science, history, geography, culture
Elementary Math
Explore Topics
Elementary Science
Middle School Science
Elementary Social Studies
U.S. History
World History
Elementary Culture
About Me
Hi, I’m Cate, a teacher, literacy researcher, writer, and mom of four. I have taught elementary and middle school since 2012 and am currently a Ph.D. student in Literacy, Language, and Culture at Texas Woman’s University.
As the mother of two children with dyslexia, I am passionate about making learning to read accessible to as many children as possible by empowering teachers and parents with knowledge and practical resources grounded in literacy research.
You can reach me anytime at Cate@TheProductiveTeacher.org!
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The Productive Teacher
Explore my Teachers Pay Teachers store, where more than 8,600 teacher reviews have earned The Productive Teacher a 4.9 out of 5 rating. With 700+ resources and more than 3,000 followers, you'll find practical, engaging materials designed to help students build knowledge and strengthen their reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar, and more.
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Science Reading That Builds Knowledge and Writing Skills: Plant Structures
Science instruction gives students the opportunity to learn about the world around them, but it also provides a powerful opportunity to strengthen reading and writing skills. That’s why I’m excited to introduce a new 3rd–5th Grade Science Reading & Writing Series designed to combine science content, reading comprehension, vocabulary, note-taking, and writing practice in one cohesive resource. The first resource in the series is now available: Plant Structures. Why Combine Sci
4 min read
The Prefix CENTI-: A FREE Morphology Lesson
Morphology is a powerful tool for teaching older students both decoding longer words and understanding new vocabulary words. We use prefixes to change the meaning of a word. Adding the prefix centi- changes the meaning of the word. The prefix centi- means hundred. Prefixes work with other roots to form words. Knowing the meanings of the prefixes and the roots can help us determine the meaning of a word. In this lesson, you will teach students many things. prefixes come at the
3 min read
The Prefix MILLI/MILLE-: A FREE Morphology Lesson
Morphology is a powerful tool for teaching older students both decoding longer words and understanding new vocabulary words. We use prefixes to change the meaning of a word. Adding the prefix milli/mille- changes the meaning of the word. The prefix milli/mille- means thousand. Prefixes work with other roots to form words. Knowing the meanings of the prefixes and the roots can help us determine the meaning of a word. In this lesson, you will teach students many things. prefixe
3 min read
The Prefix SUB-: A FREE Morphology Lesson
Morphology is a powerful tool for teaching older students both decoding longer words and understanding new vocabulary words. We use prefixes to change the meaning of a word. Adding the prefix sub- changes the meaning of the word. The prefix sub- means under, beneath, below, or secondary. Prefixes work with other roots to form words. Knowing the meanings of the prefixes and the roots can help us determine the meaning of a word. In this lesson, you will teach students many thin
3 min read
The Prefix KILO-: A FREE Morphology Lesson
Morphology is a powerful tool for teaching older students both decoding longer words and understanding new vocabulary words. We use prefixes to change the meaning of a word. Adding the prefix kilo- changes the meaning of the word. The prefix kilo- means thousand. Prefixes work with other roots to form words. Knowing the meanings of the prefixes and the roots can help us determine the meaning of a word. In this lesson, you will teach students many things. prefixes come at the
3 min read
The Prefix DECA/DECI-: A FREE Morphology Lesson
Morphology is a powerful tool for teaching older students both decoding longer words and understanding new vocabulary words. We use prefixes to change the meaning of a word. Adding the prefix deca/deci- changes the meaning of the word. The prefix deca/deci- means ten. Prefixes work with other roots to form words. Knowing the meanings of the prefixes and the roots can help us determine the meaning of a word. In this lesson, you will teach students many things. prefixes come at
3 min read
The Prefix MID-: A FREE Morphology Lesson
Morphology is a powerful tool for teaching older students both decoding longer words and understanding new vocabulary words. We use prefixes to change the meaning of a word. Adding the prefix mid- changes the meaning of the word. The prefix mid- means middle. Prefixes work with other roots to form words. Knowing the meanings of the prefixes and the roots can help us determine the meaning of a word. In this lesson, you will teach students many things. prefixes come at the begi
2 min read
The Prefix MIS-: A FREE Morphology Lesson
Morphology is a powerful tool for teaching older students both decoding longer words and understanding new vocabulary words. We use prefixes to change the meaning of a word. Adding the prefix mis- changes the meaning of the word. The prefix mis- means bad or wrong. Prefixes work with other roots to form words. Knowing the meanings of the prefixes and the roots can help us determine the meaning of a word. In this lesson, you will teach students many things. prefixes come at th
2 min read
The Prefix INTER-: A FREE Morphology Lesson
Morphology is a powerful tool for teaching older students both decoding longer words and understanding new vocabulary words. We use prefixes to change the meaning of a word. Adding the prefix inter- changes the meaning of the word. The prefix inter- means between. Prefixes work with other roots to form words. Knowing the meanings of the prefixes and the roots can help us determine the meaning of a word. In this lesson, you will teach students many things. prefixes come at the
3 min read
The Prefix TELE-: A FREE Morphology Lesson
Morphology is a powerful tool for teaching older students both decoding longer words and understanding new vocabulary words. We use prefixes to change the meaning of a word. Adding the prefix poly- changes the meaning of the word. The prefix tele- means distant or far or distant. Prefixes work with other roots to form words. Knowing the meanings of the prefixes and the roots can help us determine the meaning of a word. In this lesson, you will teach students many things. pre
3 min read
The Prefix POLY-: A FREE Morphology Lesson
Morphology is a powerful tool for teaching older students both decoding longer words and understanding new vocabulary words. We use prefixes to change the meaning of a word. Adding the prefix poly- changes the meaning of the word. The prefix poly- means many or much. Prefixes work with other roots to form words. Knowing the meanings of the prefixes and the roots can help us determine the meaning of a word. In this lesson, you will teach students many things. prefixes come at
3 min read
The Prefix MULTI-: A FREE Morphology Lesson
Morphology is a powerful tool for teaching older students both decoding longer words and understanding new vocabulary words. We use prefixes to change the meaning of a word. Adding the prefix multi- changes the meaning of the word. The prefix multi- means many or much. Prefixes work with other roots to form words. Knowing the meanings of the prefixes and the roots can help us determine the meaning of a word. In this lesson, you will teach students many things. prefixes come a
3 min read
Free Morphology Practice Presentations for Reading Teachers Homepage
In the vast and intricate landscape of language education, the teaching of morphology—the study of the forms of words and their smallest meaningful units, known as morphemes—stands out as a crucial but often underappreciated component. Morphology, with its roots deeply embedded in the structure of language, offers a key to unlocking reading, writing, and spelling skills, particularly as students advance in their academic careers. This blog post delves into why teaching morpho
3 min read
The Prefix SUPER-: A FREE Morphology Lesson
Morphology is a powerful tool for teaching older students both decoding longer words and understanding new vocabulary words. We use prefixes to change the meaning of a word. Adding the prefix super- changes the meaning of the word. The prefix super- means above, on top, or beyond. Prefixes work with other roots to form words. Knowing the meanings of the prefixes and the roots can help us determine the meaning of a word. In this lesson, you will teach students many things. pre
3 min read
The Prefix SEMI-: A FREE Morphology Lesson
Morphology is a powerful tool for teaching older students both decoding longer words and understanding new vocabulary words. We use prefixes to change the meaning of a word. Adding the prefix semi- changes the meaning of the word. The prefix semi- means half, partial, or almost. Prefixes work with other roots to form words. Knowing the meanings of the prefixes and the roots can help us determine the meaning of a word. In this lesson, you will teach students many things. prefi
2 min read
The Suffixes ER and OR: A FREE Morphology Lesson
Morphology is a powerful tool for teaching older students both decoding longer words and understanding new vocabulary words. We use the suffixes -er and -or to change the meaning of a word. Adding the suffixes -er and -or to a base word changes a verb into a noun. Specifically, the noun is a person or tool that performs the action. For example, teach becomes teacher. The suffix -er is much more common in English. This suffix can be used with any type of base word. The suffix
3 min read
The Suffix -NESS: A FREE Morphology Lesson
Morphology is a powerful tool for teaching older students both decoding longer words and understanding new vocabulary words. We use the suffix -ness to change the meaning of a word. Adding the suffix -ness to a base word changes an adjective into a noun. For example, sad becomes sadness. Less commonly, you can also turn a verb into a noun. For example, forgive becomes forgiveness. Adding a suffix to a word may change the spelling of the word. Here are the rules for spelling w
2 min read
The Suffix -ION: A FREE Morphology Lesson
Morphology is a powerful tool for teaching older students both decoding longer words and understanding new vocabulary words. We use the suffix -ion to change the meaning of a word. Adding the suffix -ion to a base word changes a verb into a noun. There are several ways to spell the -ion suffix to make the /shun/ or /zhun/ sound at the end of the word. Adding a suffix to a word may change the spelling of the word. Here are the rules for spelling words with the suffix -ion. if
3 min read
The Prefix OCT-: A FREE Morphology Lesson
Morphology is a powerful tool for teaching older students both decoding longer words and understanding new vocabulary words. We use prefixes to change the meaning of a word. Adding the prefix oct- changes the meaning of the word. The prefix oct- means eight. Prefixes work with other roots to form words. Knowing the meanings of the prefixes and the roots can help us determine the meaning of a word. In this lesson, you will teach students many things. prefixes come at the begin
3 min read
The Prefix QUAD-: A FREE Morphology Lesson
Morphology is a powerful tool for teaching older students both decoding longer words and understanding new vocabulary words. We use prefixes to change the meaning of a word. Adding the prefix quad- changes the meaning of the word. The prefix quad- means four. Luckily, we can add prefixes to base words without changing the spelling of the base word. In this lesson, you will teach students many things. prefixes come at the beginning of words they change the meaning of a word th
3 min read
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