Level 5
Level 5 consists of 36 lists of one to four bases each. The number of bases in each list depends on the size of the word family. The activities focus on the four questions of Structured Word Inquiry: (1) What does a word mean? (2) How is the word built? (3) What are morphological and etymological relatives of the word? and (4) What are the sounds that matter? What are the letters doing?
The goal of Level 5 is to study the spelling of English words using the Structured Word Inquiry framework. Level 5 builds on the spelling rules introduced in Level 3 and Level 4. Level 5 also reinforces the prefixes, suffixes, and connecting vowels from Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4 while introducing additional prefixes and suffixes.
Level 5 is recommended for ages 9 to 12 in fourth grade through sixth grade. Level 5 covers two years of spelling work.
Teach a Student to Spell: Level 5 is currently available for purchase on Amazon.
Updates
Printings with a “Last updated” date of November 26, 2024 or later contain a Morpheme Glossary and Question 4 Answers. The following PDF (with the most accurate version dated July 22, 2026) provides the updated pages for previously printed copies.
Sample Pages
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Corrections
July 22, 2026
On page 48, the word sum for servitude should read “Serve + i + tude.” On page 184, the word sum for rectitude should read “Rect + i + tude.” The morpheme -ude in the Glossary should be -tude.
On pages 53-55, remove the words tribune, tribunes, tribuneship, tribunal, and tribunals from the <Tribe> list because <Tribune> is a free base and *-une is not a suffix in this word family.
On page 73, the Magnet of magnetopause is a free base, not *<Magn + et>.
On page 105, the -ite should be -it: frequentive and intensive verb suffix.
On pages 111 and 113 and 115, remove ambiguity and ambiguities and the corresponding word sums because the base is <Igu>. On page 112, add the etymological relative: ambiguity (from Latin ambiguitās, from ambiguus, from ambigere + -uus, from ambi– + agere).
On pages 119 and 120, remove halitosis and the corresponding word sum because the base is <Halite>. On page 119, add: etymological relative: halitosis (from Latin hālitus, from hālāre + -tus). On page 121, change question three to “What does the <a> spell in the etymological relative halitosis?”
On page 123, the word sum for dormitory should read “Dorm + it + ory.”
On pages 139 to 142, remove continuity and continuities and the corresponding word sums because the base is <Tinu>. On page 140, add the etymological relative: continuity (Latin continuus, from continēre + -uus, from tenēre). On page 140, the word sums for pertinacity and pertinacious should read “per + Tine + acity” and “per + Tine + acious.” Add -acity and -acious to the Glossary.
On page 198 and 200 and 201, remove regime and regimes because <Regime> is a free base. The word sum for regimen should read “Rege + i + men.” Add the etymological relative: regime (from Middle French regime, from Old French regimen, from Latin regimen, from regere + -men). Delete -ime from 198 and the Glossary. On page 202, change the question three to: “What can the <g> spell in the etymological relative regime?”
On page 147 and 226 and 306 and 417, change “+ i + a” to “+ ia.” Add -ia to the Glossary.
On page 388, the word sum for entitative should read “Ent + itate + ive.” Add -itate to the Glossary.
On page 396 under <grave>, remove any <gravite>. The word sums for the gravitate words should read “Grave + itate.” The word sums for graviton and gravitino should read “Grave + iton” and “Grave + itino.” Add -iton and -itino to the Glossary.
On page 417, change “+ i + um” to “+ ium,” and the word sum for calcareous should read “Calc + areous.” Add -areous to the Glossary.
If you own a copy of the workbook dated before July 22, 2026, please make note of the errors and corrections.
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