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Explore the new Sound Waves Word Study for Years 3–6!
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Explore the new Sound Waves Word Study for Years 3–6!
Sound Waves 13/8/26
Sound Waves Years 3–6 is relaunching as Sound Waves Word Study and will be ready for use in 2027.
Shaped by evidence-based practices and real classroom feedback from Australian teachers using our resources, this new program delivers on both pedagogy and practicality.
Find out what you can expect in the updated program.
Place greater emphasis on spelling patterns, morphology and etymology as part of your phonics instruction
The revamped Sound Waves Word Study program puts greater emphasis on spelling patterns (orthography), word parts (morphology) and word origins (etymology). This in-depth approach to spelling instruction and word study equips middle to upper primary students with the skills they need for ongoing literacy success.
The program continues to use systematic synthetic phonics as its base, making it the perfect follow-on from any structured early literacy program.
Deliver stronger lessons with detailed teaching notes
The new and improved Lesson 1 in each unit kickstarts the week with a deep dive into grapheme choice and spelling patterns. These updated lessons reduce the time spent revising basic phoneme–grapheme knowledge that students should already be familiar with (through their early years synthetic phonics instruction), and instead dedicate more time to deepening word study knowledge.
The detailed teaching notes and on-slide prompts in Lesson 1 embed key morphology, etymology and vocabulary concepts into the essential and explicit teaching of graphemes and spelling patterns. The lessons explore a selection of the unit’s Focus Words with students segmenting the words and then discussing their graphemes, morphemes, history and meaning. This enables students to participate in a detailed study of the words and form a richer understanding of each word.
The updated Lesson 1 in each unit continues to work perfectly alongside the existing Focus Concept lessons that are taught throughout the week. Together these lessons deliver an in-depth approach to building students’ spelling and vocabulary skills.
Build orthographic mapping skills with phoneme and grapheme tips
As widely requested, our-much loved phoneme and grapheme tips are now integrated into the lessons, giving teachers a powerful framework to facilitate their direct instruction of spelling patterns.
We know as students move into middle and upper primary they need to deepen their understanding of how words work. That includes knowing why one grapheme is chosen over another – something that comes through the explicit teaching of reliable, helpful patterns such as:
We usually find ck for /k/ after short vowel sounds. We only find ck for /k/ in the middle or at the end of words, never at the start (e.g. jacket, gecko, chicken, docket, knuckle).
We usually use ve for /v/ at the end of words (e.g. give, above, olive).
We usually find tch for /ch/ after short vowel sounds (e.g. catch, stretch, kitchen, watch, clutch).
… to name a just few of the spelling patterns taught in the program.
These phoneme and grapheme tips contribute to students’ overall development of orthographic mapping skills.
In addition to being a crucial part of the lesson flow, all the phoneme and grapheme tips featured in the program have been collated into printable booklets (one for each year level) as handy references for students and teachers alike!
Enjoy clear and engaging Student Book pages
The Years 3–6 Student Books have a fresh look and streamlined layouts. Carefully considered page design reduces cognitive load, so students can focus on their learning.
View sample Student Book pages: Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6
Set students up for success with a revised Getting Started unit
We’ve taken on customer feedback and applied a fresh approach to the Getting Started unit in Years 3–6 to ensure your middle and upper primary students are set up for a successful year ahead.
This introductory unit in each year level now revises important segmenting skills, revisits the concept of morphemes and how they are helpful for understanding the meaning and spelling of words, and – most importantly – features a new lesson dedicated to the tricky schwa phoneme. Together these lessons are an effective and powerful way to launch into the year.
Keep super spellers engaged with Extension Tasks in every unit
Previously only available in Years 5–6, now every unit in Years 3–6 will include a printable Extension Task. This is the perfect tool to keep your super spellers engaged while you provide further support to students who need it.
Don’t take our word for it, see for yourself how the new edition Sound Waves Word Study will transform your literacy instruction for Years 3–6. Explore our website to find out more about the program, download key planning documents and curriculum matches, or better yet start your free trial today to explore the lessons firsthand!