Show Notes
In this episode of The Reading Symphony Podcast... Katie welcomes Sean Morrisey, creator of the Word Mapping Project, for an engaging conversation about vocabulary instruction, morphology, the Science of Reading, and why building "word wealth" is essential for every child's literacy development. They also discuss why vocabulary instruction shouldn't stop after the primary grades, how to create meaningful conversations around words, and why connecting sound, spelling, and meaning helps words become permanently stored in memory.
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👤 About Sean Morrisey Sean Morrisey is a fifth-grade teacher at Pinehurst Elementary School in the Frontier Central School District near Buffalo, New York. A former school psychologist, Sean is the creator of the Word Mapping Project, a morphology-rich curriculum grounded in the Science of Reading and the Science of Learning. His work helps educators teach vocabulary, spelling, morphology, and word study through practical, evidence-based instructional strategies that improve long-term literacy outcomes.
🔗 Sean's Links: Website Sean's Substack Word Mapping Project Webinar X (Twitter)
Chapters 00:00 – Kids Can Learn Bigger Words Than We Think 00:49 – Meet Sean Morrisey 02:00 – From School Psychologist to Classroom Teacher 05:00 – Why Spelling Still Matters 06:10 – The Birth of the Word Mapping Project 09:00 – Teaching Big Words to Little Kids 13:00 – Bringing Vocabulary to Life 16:00 – Dyslexia, DLD, and Reading Difficulties 20:00 – What Is the Word Mapping Project? 21:00 – Sound, Spelling, Meaning & Morphology 24:00 – Supporting Struggling Readers 27:00 – Building Your Own Word Knowledge 28:00 – Teaching with Synonyms and Antonyms 29:30 – Practical Advice for Parents
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