LITERACY SPOTLIGHT:
Why Focus on Upper-Elementary Learners?
Supporting Readers Right When They Need It Most
As students move into grades 3 to 5, the expectations shift dramatically. They are no longer just learning to read—they’re now reading to learn. And that transition is a critical one. For many students, this is when skill gaps widen, especially around decoding longer, more complex words.
So… why should we be focusing on multisyllabic decoding and reading strategies in the upper elementary years?
1. The Shift: Learning to Read → Reading to Learn
By upper elementary, students are expected to use reading as a tool for learning in every subject. From science to social studies, they need strong decoding and comprehension skills to access and understand the content.
2. Exposure to More Complex Texts
Textbooks and class novels introduce:
Longer sentences
Advanced vocabulary
Content-rich passages
Without explicit instruction, students can quickly get overwhelmed by unfamiliar, multisyllabic words.
3. Academic Vocabulary is Growing Fast
Words like photosynthesis, territorial, and equilateral are now part of daily learning. These multisyllabic, domain-specific words require students to:
Break words into parts
Recognize prefixes, roots, and suffixes
Use strategies for decoding and understanding
4. Widening Skill Gaps
If students are still struggling with foundational decoding, they risk falling further behind. Teaching them how to decode multisyllabic words explicitly can prevent this slide, and even close existing gaps.
5. It Strengthens Writing, Too!
Decoding supports encoding. The more students understand about how words work (structure, syllables, spelling patterns), the more accurately and confidently they can spell and write in all subjects.
6. They’re Ready for It!
Upper-elementary students are cognitively ready to:
Understand syllable types
Analyze word structure
Explore morphology and even etymology
Understand morphology and grammar
Let’s give them the tools they are ready to use!
7. Prepares Them for Testing (and Life)
High-stakes tests expect students to:
Independently decode unfamiliar academic vocabulary
Read and understand longer texts
Apply strategies on their own
The more prepared they are with decoding tools, the more successful and confident they'll feel—not just during testing, but throughout their academic careers.
Why Focus on Multisyllabic Decoding?
Explicit instruction in multisyllabic decoding and spelling supports:
✔️ Vocabulary growth
✔️ Reading comprehension
✔️ Fluency and stamina
✔️ Morphological awareness
✔️ Spelling accuracy
✔️ Academic content access
✔️ Reading independence
Bottom Line
The upper-elementary years are a window of opportunity to strengthen decoding skills, close learning gaps, and prepare students for the increasing demands of middle school and beyond.
By focusing on multisyllabic decoding NOW, we equip students with the tools they need to grow into confident, independent readers and writers.
Let’s not wait for struggles to show up! Let’s teach students how to succeed before they fall behind.
Visit to learn more at the https://www.bigwordsprogram.com/