Vowel Teams & Morphology

Overview

This 12-week plan is designed for Grade 5 ELL students who are below grade level in English Language Arts, aligned specifically to the 2022 Alberta Curriculum for English Language Arts (ELA) and Literacy. It emphasises structured literacy focused on vowel teams, morphology, and six syllable types to improve decoding, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and writing skills. Guided reading materials use Fountas & Pinnell (F&P) levels appropriate for Grade 5 readers needing support.

Class: Grade 5 (ages 10–11)
Duration: 720 minutes total (~60 minutes per week)
Class Size: 20 students
Curriculum Connections:

• Alberta ELA Program of Studies (Grade 5), Competency 1, 2 & 3
• Specific Learner Outcomes:
  • Reading: Decode multisyllabic words by applying phonics and syllabication strategies (1.1.7)
  • Vocabulary: Use knowledge of morphology (affixes and roots) to determine word meaning (2.1.5)
  • Viewing and Representing: Demonstrate comprehension through oral and written responses (3.1.3)

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Weekly Breakdown

Week 1: Introduction to Vowel Teams (ai/ay, ea/ee)

Focus: Recognize & decode vowel teams ai, ay, ea, ee (long a & e sounds)
Word List: rain, day, neat, sleep, playing, teacher, meal, pea
Morphology focus: Simple base words + suffixes (-ing, -er)
F&P Levels: J–K (emergent extended fluency texts)
Activities:

• Daily decoding practice: mark vowel teams and syllables
• Vocabulary: explain meaning + use in oral sentences
• Guided reading: Identifying vowel teams in text
• Writing: Use 3 target words in sentences describing daily activities

Assessment: Oral decoding check; vocabulary meaning matching

Curriculum Link: Decode and identify long vowel teams; introduce morphological awareness (1.1.7 & 2.1.5).

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Week 2: Vowel Teams (oa/ow, ie/ey)

Focus: Decoding oa, ow, ie, ey vowel teams with long o and long e
Word List: boat, snow, pie, key, shown, obey, quiet, honey
Morphology Focus: Introduction to prefixes (un-, re-)
F&P Levels: K–L
Activities:

• Mark vowel teams and syllables in word lists
• Explain new vocabulary meanings & create simple sentences
• Guided reading: Highlight vowel teams within context
• Writing: Compose sentences showing prefix meaning (e.g., unhappy)

Assessment: Decode words with vowel teams and prefixes; vocabulary quiz

Curriculum Link: Apply phonics strategies to multisyllabic words; build vocabulary via prefixes (1.1.7 & 2.1.5).

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Week 3: Vowel Teams (oo, ou, ow - different sounds)

Focus: Decode vowel teams with multiple sounds (oo as in book & moon; ou & ow for vowel and diphthong sounds)
Word List: book, moon, out, how, shout, look, cool, plough
Morphology: Roots and simple suffixes (-ed, -s)
F&P Levels: L–M
Activities:

• Syllable marking, vowel team decoding practice
• Word meaning and sentence use
• Guided reading: Texts emphasising vowel team sounds
• Writing: Compose a short paragraph using target words

Assessment: Write definitions and sentences for 5 target words

Curriculum Link: Identify vowel teams with variant sounds and apply morphology for comprehension (1.1.7 & 2.1.5).

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Week 4: Six Syllable Types – Closed & Open Syllables

Focus: Introduce and decode closed and open syllables
Word List: rabbit, baby, open, planet, paper, cabin, even, city
Morphology: Compound words introduction
F&P Levels: M–N
Activities:

• Syllable marking and decoding exercises
• Use dictionary to find meaning
• Guided reading: Recognise syllable types in stories
• Writing: Write definitions and create compound words from lists

Assessment: Identify syllable types in words and sentences

Curriculum Link: Decode using six syllable types; develop vocabulary and word recognition (1.1.7 & 2.1.5).

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Week 5: Six Syllable Types – Silent e & Vowel-consonant-e

Focus: Decode silent e syllable patterns
Word List: cake, home, like, bite, fine, cube, hope, these
Morphology: Suffix addition (-ful, -less)
F&P Levels: N–O
Activities:

• Decode and mark silent e syllables
• Explain meaning of new words with suffix changes
• Guided reading with silent e focus
• Writing: Write sentences demonstrating suffix meaning changes

Assessment: Word decoding and vocabulary quiz

Curriculum Link: Apply syllable rules for decoding; morphology knowledge for vocabulary (1.1.7 & 2.1.5).

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Week 6: Six Syllable Types – Vowel Team & R-Controlled Syllables

Focus: Decode vowel team and r-controlled syllables (ar, er, ir, or, ur)
Word List: car, her, bird, fork, turn, star, person, curl
Morphology: Root words + prefixes/suffixes review
F&P Levels: O–P
Activities:

• Syllable marking drills
• Explain meaning and use of target words
• Guided reading focusing on r-controlled syllables
• Writing response: Describe favourite star or animal using target vocabulary

Assessment: Oral fluency reading; vocabulary meaning test

Curriculum Link: Decode complex syllables; expand morphological understanding (1.1.7 & 2.1.5).

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Week 7: Morphology – Prefixes (re-, un-, dis-)

Focus: Understand and use common prefixes to change word meaning
Word List: redo, unhappy, dislike, refill, unfair, disconnect, rewrite, uncover
Morphology: Prefixes and root meanings
F&P Levels: P–Q
Activities:

• Decode multisyllabic words with prefixes
• Break down words into prefixes and roots
• Guided reading: Identify prefixes in context
• Writing: Use prefix words to write sentences about daily experiences

Assessment: Prefix quiz; complete sentences with correct prefix words

Curriculum Link: Use morphological knowledge for vocabulary development and comprehension (2.1.5 & 3.1.3).

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Week 8: Morphology – Suffixes (-ful, -less, -ly, -able)

Focus: Decode and explain words with common suffixes
Word List: careful, fearless, quickly, enjoyable, hopeful, powerless, kindly, readable
Morphology: Suffixes and meaning changes
F&P Levels: Q–R
Activities:

• Decode and mark syllables in suffix words
• Discuss word meaning changes with suffix addition
• Guided reading: Highlight suffix usage in texts
• Writing: Write short descriptive paragraphs applying suffix vocabulary

Assessment: Write root word + suffix pairs and their meanings

Curriculum Link: Apply morphological strategies to enhance comprehension and vocabulary (2.1.5 & 3.1.3).

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Week 9: Morphology – Greek & Latin Roots (intro)

Focus: Recognize basic Greek & Latin roots to enhance decoding and meaning
Word List: tele (telephone, television), bio (biology, biography), micro (microscope, microphone)
Morphology: Roots and their related words
F&P Levels: R–S
Activities:

• Decode and syllable marking of root words
• Define roots and related words
• Guided reading: Identify root words in context
• Writing: Create root word family trees and use 5 words in sentences

Assessment: Root word identification and meaning quiz

Curriculum Link: Use root word knowledge to understand complex vocabulary (2.1.5).

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Week 10: Consolidation – Complex Decoding & Vocabulary

Focus: Practice decoding multisyllabic words combining vowels teams, syllable types, and morphology
Word List: unbelievable, reconsider, enjoyable, noticeable, misunderstanding, photographed
Morphology: Combined prefix + root + suffix words
F&P Levels: S–T
Activities:

• Mark syllables, vowel teams, morphological parts
• Explore word meaning and synonyms
• Guided reading: Longer texts with focus on multisyllabic decoding
• Writing: Summary writing using new vocabulary

Assessment: Multisyllabic word decoding exercise and written summary assessment

Curriculum Link: Integrate decoding skills and morphological knowledge for fluency and comprehension (1.1.7 & 2.1.5).

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Week 11: Vocabulary Transfer & Application

Focus: Use vocabulary and morphology in oral and written language across subject areas
Word List: Review all previous word banks with context application
Activities:

• Oral presentations explaining word meanings and use
• Reading comprehension with targeted vocabulary questions
• Writing: Respond to text with detailed sentences and paragraphs
• Peer editing focusing on vocabulary use and decoding accuracy

Assessment: Oral vocabulary presentations; peer-reviewed written responses

Curriculum Link: Demonstrate vocabulary knowledge and use across contexts (2.1.5 & 3.1.3).

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Week 12: Final Assessment & Reflection

Focus: Assess decoding, vocabulary development, and writing skills acquired through all units
Activities:

• Decoding test: multisyllabic words with vowel teams and morphology
• Vocabulary quiz with meaning and sentence writing
• Reading fluency assessment on F&P level T text
• Writing task: Compose an opinion paragraph using at least 8 learned words with proper decoding and usage
• Reflection discussion: What strategies helped decoding and vocabulary growth?

Assessment: Comprehensive summative tasks plus self-reflection reports

Curriculum Link: Summative assessment for reading competencies 1.1.7, 2.1.5, and writing competency 3.1.3.

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Daily Structure (60-minute session example)

Time	Activity	Purpose	Materials Needed
5 min	Warm-up spelling/phonics drill	Activate prior knowledge of vowel teams/syllables	Flashcards or whiteboard
15 min	Decoding and syllable marking practice	Explicit phonics and syllabication practice	Word lists; syllable marking sheets
10 min	Morphology focus & vocabulary discussion	Build word meaning & morphological awareness	Word Sort cards, dictionaries
15 min	Guided reading & text decoding	Apply decoding and vocabulary in authentic reading	F&P guided reading books
10 min	Writing response	Use new vocabulary in writing for comprehension	Journals or writing paper
5 min	Review & exit ticket (oral or written)	Assess understanding & gather quick feedback	Exit slips

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Teacher Tips to Wow Your Classroom

• Visual markers: Colour-code vowel teams and syllables during decoding for visual memory support.
• Interactive morphology trees: Create physical trees with root, prefix, and suffix chunks using magnetic letters or cards.
• Use realia: Bring in objects or pictures to explain vocabulary and roots from Greek/Latin origins.
• Tech integration: Use audio recordings to model pronunciation of vowel teams and multisyllabic words.
• Peer teaching: Have students teach each other vowel teams or morphological rules in pairs to deepen learning.
• Cross-curricular links: Incorporate morphology learning in Science or Social Studies texts for better vocabulary transfer.

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This plan rigorously aligns with the Alberta Curriculum goals for Grade 5 ELA and supports below-level ELL learners through structured literacy, explicit teaching, and scaffolded independent practice to foster confident, fluent readers and writers.