Build Structured Morphology: A Big Word Decoding Strategy to Support Vocabulary in Upper Grades The goal of this presentation would be to share the why and the how of structured morphology instruction in intermediate grades. The structured morphology program we are building encourages readers to shift from decoding by sound and syllable to seeing words as having meaningful parts. Through this learning, students will gain “big-word reading strategies” that support their ability to comprehend what a word means through word analysis. Leveraging what students know from their explicit and structured literacy learning in primary and connecting it to develop the skills to become word detectives and linguists. Through structured morphology word study and analysis, students will begin to see words based on their associations and interconnections, which, in turn, facilitates word storage. These words are stored as a part of a network of related meanings. This allows students to manage the rapid learning of content words that increase in the upper elementary grades. Morphological Awareness is a strong predictor of reading ability, vocabulary knowledge, and comprehension–structured literacy in the fourth and fifth grades is an essential part of the trajectory toward reading success for our students. Shane Saeed Learning Coach and Curriculum Specialist St. Vrain Valley School District Carolyn Storz Literacy Specialist St. Vrain Valley School District