top of page
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
Reading Comprehension
inferring, text structure, figurative language
Explore Topics
Elementary Science
Middle School Science
Elementary Social Studies
U.S. History
World History
Elementary Math
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!
Teachers Pay Teachers
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.
Explore the Latest Blog Posts
Search
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 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
The Prefix TRI-: 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 tri- changes the meaning of the word. The prefix tri- means three. 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 the
3 min read
The Prefix BI/DI-: 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 prefixes bi-/di- change the meaning of the word. The prefixes bi-/di- mean two or twice. 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 meanin
3 min read
The Prefix PRE-: 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 pre- changes the meaning of the word. The prefix pre- means before. 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
2 min read
The Prefix NON-: 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 non- changes the meaning of the word. The prefix non- means not. 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 they
2 min read
The Prefix OVER-: 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 over- changes the meaning of the word. The prefix over- means too much or above. 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
2 min read
The Prefix UNDER-: 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 under- changes the meaning of the word. The prefix under- means too little or below. For example, ground becomes underground. 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 t
2 min read
The Suffix -LY: 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 -ly to change the meaning of a word. Adding the suffix -ly to a base word usually changes a noun or adjective into an adverb. Adverbs describe how actions are done. For example, careful becomes carefully. Adding a suffix to a word may change the spelling of the word. Here are the rules for spelling words with the suffix -ly. most words
2 min read
The Suffix -Y: 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 -y to change the meaning of a word. Adding the suffix -y to a base word usually changes a noun into an adjective. These adjectives describe what something is like. For example, rain becomes rainy. Adding a suffix to a word may change the spelling of the word. Here are the rules for spelling words with the suffix -y. most words, add -y
2 min read
The Suffix -LESS: 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 -less to change the meaning of a word. Adding the suffix -less to a base word changes a noun, verb, or adjective into an adjective. The suffix -less means without. For example, hope becomes hopeless. When using the -less suffix, we simply add -less to the end of the base word. It is helpful for students to know the parts of speech as t
2 min read
The Suffix -FUL: 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 -ful to change the meaning of a word. Adding the suffix -ful to a base word changes a noun, verb, or adjective into an adjective. The suffix -ful means full of. For example, joy becomes joyful. Adding a suffix to a word may change the spelling of the word. Here are the rules for spelling words with the suffix -ful. most words, add -ful
3 min read
bottom of page