The Word Mapping Project Curriculum was created by Sean Morrisey, an elementary teacher who spent years studying how students actually learn to read, spell, and understand words.

Through classroom experience and continued work with the Science of Reading, Sean recognized a gap: many students could decode, but lacked a deep understanding of how words work. He began developing lessons that connected sound, spelling, and meaning into one cohesive approach, rather than teaching them separately.

What started as classroom-tested routines evolved into a full curriculum designed to help students see patterns across words, build strong vocabularies, and think more deeply about language.

The Word Mapping Project is the result of that work, a practical system built by a teacher, refined with students, and designed to make word learning more meaningful and lasting.

• Daily, structured lesson plans (approximately 35 minutes)
• Explicit instruction of academic and descriptive vocabulary [EXPLORE]
• Word mapping routines using word sums and matrices [EXPLORE]
• Morphology-focused lessons (bases, prefixes, suffixes) [EXPLORE]
• Retrieval practice and discussion activities [EXPLORE] 
• Student booklets for each unit (printable PDFs)
• Independent practice activities [EXPLORE]
• Independent practice activities2 [EXPLORE]
• Sentence composition practice integrated with vocabulary [EXPLORE]
• Built-in spelling and vocabulary integration (not taught separately) [EXPLORE]
• Daily fluency passages [EXPLORE]
  
• Vocabulary quizzes MC [EXPLORE]
• Vocabulary quizzes Short Answer [EXPLORE]
• Reader’s theater scripts for repeated reading and engagement [EXPLORE]
• Extended vocabulary practice and application tasks [EXPLORE]
• Answer keys for all student materials [EXPLORE]
• Asynchronous professional development (focused on morphology, vocabulary, spelling, and fluency)
• Videos of actual lessons

• Designed primarily for large group Tier 1 classroom instruction
• Level A → typically used in Grade 3
• Level B → typically used in Grade 4
• Level C → typically used in Grade 5
• Can be used as a language-based intervention in Grades 6–12
• Flexible for whole class, small group, or intervention settings

• Within the core ELA block as a daily routine
• During an MTSS / RTI block for Tier 1, 2, or 3 support
• As part of intervention time for students needing additional language support

• Integrates sound, spelling, and meaning into one cohesive routine (instead of teaching them separately)
• Builds deep word knowledge, not just surface-level memorization
• Helps students unlock complex text and improve comprehension
• Strengthens both spelling and vocabulary at the same time
• Uses morphology (bases, prefixes, suffixes) to make thousands of words more accessible
• Provides clear, structured lessons so teachers don’t have to create materials from scratch
• Designed from real classroom experience, not just theory
• Increases student engagement and curiosity about words
• Supports struggling readers while still extending strong readers
• Fits easily into existing schedules without replacing core curriculum
• Backed by classroom results and measurable student growth