Spelling Success in Action
A whole class, differentiated approach to spelling instruction
Teach your students to understand words, not guess
The goal of most program providers is for you to have a program. We are focused on your students' success.
So many students, even those who perform well on spelling tests, do not understand how words work. In my work with teachers and schools, I have discovered two categories of students: those who 'know what looks right' and those who just guess. This lack of knowledge about our language shows up in a number of ways:
- When reading, students sound out the first few phonemes or a multimorphemic (longer) word and then guess the word based on context
- When writing, students use random letters in unknown words (or pop an <e> on the end in hopes that will fix things)
- (worse still) Students have interesting things to say in their writing, and they don't because they are unsure of spelling
Automatic spelling is a necessity for strong writing. Without it, our students will never reach their potential.
The Spelling Success in Action Approach
Grounded in Research Findings (download The Research Foundations of Spelling Success in Action here)
- Built on morphological awareness research showing significant benefits for literacy development
- Incorporates cognitive load theory and explicit instruction principles
Explicit, Structured Teaching
- Daily 20-minute lessons following a consistent 4-day teaching sequence
- Systematic progression through a range of morphemes across three stages of complexity
- Teacher-guide provides step-by-step instruction while allowing teachers to respond to student needs
Built-In Differentiation
- Three stepped readers (100, 150, 200 words) with identical content but varied complexity
- Same key vocabulary and follow-up tasks across all reading levels
- "Low floor, high ceiling" approach accommodating diverse student needs
- Differentiated word lists enable all students to learn core concepts with different levels of decoding and spelling complexity
Comprehensive Skill Development
- Simultaneously builds spelling, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and morphological awareness
- Weekly written assessments track progress across multiple skill areas
- Transfer of learning from isolated skills to authentic text comprehension
Practical Implementation Support
- Personalised implementation support for every school
- Complete teacher training course with online modules and workbooks
- Leadership implementation guide with step-by-step support to support the first twelve months of implementation
- Minimal preparation time with ready-to-use materials and clear instructions
Long-Term Retention Focus
- Multiple repetitions across the week at different complexity levels
- Teacher-led consolidation in subsequent weeks
- Embedded review and connection-making throughout the program
Spelling Success in Action provides comprehensive instruction for Year 3 and beyond
In Spelling Success in Action, morphology is the main focus of spelling instruction, with catch-up work in phonics and orthographic conventions conducted in response to student data. Research shows that instruction in morphology that includes connection with parts of speech, vocabulary and practical application leads to stronger spelling outcomes (Bowers, et al, 2010). When taught well, morphology instruction can lead to improved outcomes in phonemic awareness, vocabulary, spelling, word-reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension.
Once established, Spelling Success in Action is for:
Spelling Success in Action 2 - Years 3-4
Spelling Success in Action 3 - Years 5-6
While you are getting established, we have a simple plan to help students develop the necessary foundations of word-level knowledge Ask us how!
Achieve Spelling Success in Three Simple Steps
Download a brochure and sample unit
Access a sample unit for Spelling Success in Action 2 and the program brochure by entering your details below. Trial a unit to see if it works for you.
Book a discovery call and develop your school's unique implementation plan
We understand that each school has a unique context and work with you to create a bespoke plan for implementation that meets your needs.
Order your program resources and prepare for 2026
Secure your resources and access training through a small deposit and finalise your invoice in the new school year.
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Program Features
Teacher Guide
Our easy to read, comprehensive teaching guide provides:
- Detailed background knowledge about each morpheme taught
- Step-by-step guidance for teaching every aspect of the daily 20 minute lessons across the four day teaching sequence. Spelling Success in Action is highly structured, but not fully scripted.
- Answers to all student tasks
- Instructions for delivering the weekly assessment task
- Options for daily review and consolidation
Training and Leadership Coaching is Included as Standard!
We know how difficult it is to find the time and money to make sure that your teachers are adequately trained in a new program. That's why Spelling Success in Action 2 - Prefixes and Suffixes comes with a free digital course included with every Full Class Pack which comes with a hardcopy workbook to use as you make your way through the course. The online course covers:
- Foundational knowledge of how words work
- Foundational knowledge of morphology
- How to use Spelling Success in Action 2 in the classroom
- Supporting students with reading and spelling difficulties
- Extending students who are ready for more
- Consolidating student learning
- Assessment
- Choosing content for maximum impact
All modules are broken down into small 'chunks' so that you can complete them in the way that works for you.
In addition, when you have new staff join your team or you are looking to upskill your existing staff, they too can access the online course for just $170 including workbook. Sustainability for the long term is a big part of the success of any new approach you take on and we are here to help.
'Stepped' Student Readers (Included in the Expanded and Complete Packages)
Our specially written ‘stepped’ readers provide the opportunity to apply new knowledge of morphology to reading authentic texts while supporting each student with the support that they need. All readers contain:
- The same key vocabulary featuring the new morpheme
- The same central text content (either narrative or non-fiction text)
- The same follow up task
- Alignment of page numbers between texts
This means that teachers can engage students in discussions centred on comprehension of the text and all students can be fully engaged. To protect the dignity of struggling students, all books have identical covers, with the only difference being a single identifying letter.
Student readers are shared one between two students to facilitate interaction and support.
Student Workbooks (Included in the Complete Package)
Lasting for two years, our student workbooks support instruction at morpheme, word and text level and contain weekly, written assessments.
A4 Morphology Cards (optional)
Visually appealing introduction cards to teach from and display. Each card contains core information and word lists as well as student-friendly definitions to support vocabulary instruction.
Frequently Asked Questions
These are some of the questions people frequently ask us:
What grades is Spelling Success in Action 2 suitable for?
While Spelling Success in Action 2 has been written with Years 3-4 in mind, it can be used in any grade across Year 3-7. Download the brochure to find full curriculum alignment.
How long do lessons take?
Spelling Success in Action 2 lessons last for approximately 20 minutes per day. Each unit lasts for 4 days.
How long do workbooks last?
Each student workbook lasts for 2 years of instruction making this a cost effective option for schools.
How does Spelling Success in Action Support Differentiation?
As morphology instruction is grounded in language, all students can participate in learning the core concepts. Materials have been designed to provide teachers with the tools they need to challenge each student in a way that supports them. The program includes differentiated word lists and stepped readers to support a range of learners.
What content does the program teach?
Spelling Success in Action covers prefixes and suffixes. This knowledge is then applied to spelling, vocabulary, comprehension and parts of speech to provide a full learning experience for students.
Is there a scope and sequence?
While there are suggestions for content that enables teachers to work from simple to complex concepts and a suggested order of teaching, the order in which units are taught is ultimately at the discretion of schools. Knowledge of language is unconstrained, meaning that we will continue to learn it for our whole lives. It is not necessary to teach units in a set order as we do with phonics.
How can we connect morphology instruction with other curriculum areas?
While instruction for its own sake will yield strong results, it is suggested that teachers take advantage of the logical connections that exist between curriculum areas. Teachers have the opportunity to examine the vocabulary lists of learning across the curriculum, including text based units, and teach the content that aligns. This provides students with deeper learning across the board.
Is there an online component to this program?
Spelling Success in Action is designed to get great results using the physical resources only, however Resource Room members have access to introductory presentations and additional printable resources.
Is Spelling Success in Action Evidence Informed?
Yes. Findings from intervention studies and wider morphology instruction research have been used to inform the content and structure of this program. Download the brochure to find a summary of research links.
Does Spelling Success in Action teach spelling rules?
Spelling Success in Action 2 focuses on morphology, however information about spelling rule/conventions is included for the teacher in each unit. We recommend using the lessons inside Reading Success in Action 3 as 'catch up' work for phonics and foundational spelling rules in the Upper Primary and secondary grades.
Can we use Spelling Success in Action without the student workbooks?
Teachers who have a Resource Room membership will find printable word strips and word spokes for students to glue into books, however the full workbook pages and assessment are only found in the hard copy student workbooks.
How many units are taught per term
The program has been designed with 8 units per term in mind. This allows teachers to use every 5th week as a consolidation week.
Does Spelling Success in Action teach in low variance routines?
Yes. Each unit follows the same structure giving students the safety and security of knowing what is to come. However any strength overused can become a weakness. As such, it is suggested that every 5th week of instruction is treated as a consolidation week with hands on work and practical application of new learning. This might include word inquiry delving deeper into etymology, writing reader's theatre scripts featuring words from the preceding four weeks or reviewing the texts. Suggestion for creating a balance between low variance instruction and hands on application are included in the teacher guide.
When is Spelling Success in Action 3 coming out?
Spelling Success in Action 3 is due for release mid 2024 and will cover Latin Bases and Greek combining forms.
