by Lykeion of Excellence, LLC

LEX Academy curriculum · Preparing for release

Word Detectives

A morphology curriculum for grades 4–8: investigate prefixes, suffixes, bases and roots through word-study mysteries for teachers and families.

Start here

Try the free starter pack

The free starter combines an informal ten-item placement check with Grade 4 Case 1, The reopened case. It introduces the word-part investigation routine and lets you try one complete case before choosing a lesson or bundle.

View the free starter sample (PDF)

LEX Shop downloads and paid ordering will open after the release review. Grade previews are available below.

Word Detectives Grade 4 curriculum cover with Pilfer the raccoon detective

Choose your path

Sequential by design, flexible to buy

Academy skill lessons

Fifteen shared lessons, A00–A14, teach the investigation skills. A00 includes the placement tool. Each single lesson has an entry bridge, so you can address a particular skill without buying earlier lessons.

Individual weekly cases

Each grade case investigates two word-part families through five suggested sessions. It includes a prerequisite bridge, teaching directions, cards, practice, an original short mystery, a learner-only PDF, an independent check and a key. Grade 8 Case 24 is a research capstone.

Annual and multi-year bundles

Each annual grade bundle follows a 36-week supplemental calendar with cases, reviews, application and checks. Multi-year bundles combine grade content and include shared supports once.

Preview before you choose

Annual grade bundles

Grades 4–7 each contain 24 word-part cases. Grade 8 contains 23 word-part cases and a research capstone. Every grade bundle includes four quarter checks, three Field Work weeks, grade cards and progress pages, plus the shared Academy, Teaching Guide, placement tool and family support. Prices and license terms are pending approval; these products are drafts.

Bundle options

Several years, one shared toolbox

Grades 4–5

48 word-part cases, 96 card entries, eight quarter checks, six Field Work weeks.

Shared Academy, Teaching Guide, placement and family supports appear once. Draft · Price pending.

Grades 6–8

71 word-part cases plus the Grade 8 research capstone, 142 card entries, 12 quarter checks, nine Field Work weeks.

Shared Academy, Teaching Guide, placement and family supports appear once. Draft · Price pending.

Grades 4–8

119 word-part cases plus the capstone, 238 card entries, 20 quarter checks, 15 Field Work weeks.

Shared Academy, Teaching Guide, placement and family supports appear once. Draft · Price pending.

Before buying: A single case is already included in its grade-year bundle and any multi-year bundle containing that grade. Annual bundles repeat shared supports. Repeated word parts across grades are intentional review and extension, not all unique new roots. The earlier nine-week intensive is a separate edition.

Teaching sequence

Individual lessons and cases

Teach A00–A08 first, then cases C01–C06. The sequence continues through review, Field Work and quarter checks. A09–A14 return at the indicated points in the annual calendar. Single cases include their own entry bridge and materials, so no previous purchase is required. Suggested timing is a planning estimate pending classroom piloting.

Academy skill lessons A00–A14
  1. WD-A00: Welcome to the agency · Weeks 1–2
  2. WD-A01: Meaningful word parts · Weeks 1–2
  3. WD-A02: Prefixes at the front · Weeks 1–2
  4. WD-A03: Suffixes and word jobs · Weeks 1–2
  5. WD-A04: Bases roots and word families · Weeks 1–2
  6. WD-A05: Spelling changes with suffixes · Weeks 1–2
  7. WD-A06: The four step investigation · Weeks 1–2
  8. WD-A07: Word histories · Weeks 1–2
  9. WD-A08: Meaning in context · Weeks 1–2
  10. WD-A09: Chameleon prefixes · Week 17
  11. WD-A10: Combining forms and pronunciation · Week 17
  12. WD-A11: Greek spelling clues · Week 26
  13. WD-A12: Word families and sound changes · Week 26
  14. WD-A13: English and Spanish word connections · Week 35
  15. WD-A14: The word research capstone · Week 35
Grade 4 cases C01–C24
  1. WD-G4-C01: The reopened case · un- + re-
  2. WD-G4-C02: The mixed labels · dis- + mis-
  3. WD-G4-C03: The preview ticket · pre- + non-
  4. WD-G4-C04: The impossible snack · in-/im- + over-
  5. WD-G4-C05: The small costume · under- + out-
  6. WD-G4-C06: The halfway clue · fore- + mid-
  7. WD-G4-C07: The museum helpers · -er/-or + -ist
  8. WD-G4-C08: The careful crossing · -ful + -less
  9. WD-G4-C09: The dark hallway · -ness + -ly
  10. WD-G4-C10: The moving sculpture · -ment + -ity/-ty
  11. WD-G4-C11: The rainy poster · -able/-ible + -y
  12. WD-G4-C12: The reddish clue · -en + -ish
  13. WD-G4-C13: The signature switch · auto + graph
  14. WD-G4-C14: The distant display · meter + tele
  15. WD-G4-C15: The silent interview · phon + photo
  16. WD-G4-C16: The tiny circuit · scope + micro
  17. WD-G4-C17: The warm lunch bag · bio + therm
  18. WD-G4-C18: The thirsty garden · cycl + hydr
  19. WD-G4-C19: The underwater route · sub- + inter-
  20. WD-G4-C20: The exhibit delivery · trans- + ex-
  21. WD-G4-C21: The wheel count · uni- + bi-
  22. WD-G4-C22: The three legged stand · tri- + multi-
  23. WD-G4-C23: The frozen instructions · de- + en-/em-
  24. WD-G4-C24: The homeward banner · -ward + -ship
Grade 5 cases C01–C24
  1. WD-G5-C01: The transformed hero · trans- + super-
  2. WD-G5-C02: The frozen circle · semi- + anti-
  3. WD-G5-C03: The loud route · circum- + mega-
  4. WD-G5-C04: The opposite arrows · co-/con-/com- + counter-
  5. WD-G5-C05: The added message · pro- + post-
  6. WD-G5-C06: The machine signal · mal- + ultra-
  7. WD-G5-C07: The rock photograph · geo + photo
  8. WD-G5-C08: The mixed timeline · chron + zo/zoo
  9. WD-G5-C09: The hidden mechanism · techn + mechan
  10. WD-G5-C10: The voting stand · dem + pod/ped
  11. WD-G5-C11: The land and water labels · aqua + terr
  12. WD-G5-C12: The star map · sol + stell
  13. WD-G5-C13: The creative rock lesson · -ive + -logy
  14. WD-G5-C14: The musical rescue · -ism + -al
  15. WD-G5-C15: The famous creation · -tion/-sion + -ous
  16. WD-G5-C16: The organized team · -ic + -ize
  17. WD-G5-C17: The enlarged clue · -ify + -ance/-ence
  18. WD-G5-C18: The helpful assistant · -ant/-ent + -ure
  19. WD-G5-C19: The portable prediction · port + dict
  20. WD-G5-C20: The model inspector · struct + spect
  21. WD-G5-C21: The unseen announcement · aud + vis/vid
  22. WD-G5-C22: The interrupted magnet test · rupt + tract
  23. WD-G5-C23: The shape changer · ject + form
  24. WD-G5-C24: The incredible motion · mot/mov + cred
Grade 6 cases C01–C24
  1. WD-G6-C01: The useful signal · mis/mit + bene
  2. WD-G6-C02: The handmade factory · man/manu + fac/fect
  3. WD-G6-C03: The transferred recording · voc/vok + fer
  4. WD-G6-C04: The wind powered route · pel/puls + ced/ceed/cess
  5. WD-G6-C05: The immortal story · mort + viv/vit
  6. WD-G6-C06: The captured sequence · cap/cept + sequ/secu
  7. WD-G6-C07: The vacant manuscript shelf · vac + scrib/script
  8. WD-G6-C08: The classroom jury · jur/jus + leg
  9. WD-G6-C09: The trusted photograph · fid + ver
  10. WD-G6-C10: The postponed deposit · pon/pos + ten/tain
  11. WD-G6-C11: The peaceful rehearsal · grat + pac
  12. WD-G6-C12: The civic survey · civ + pop/pub
  13. WD-G6-C13: The descending signal · de- + ex-/e-
  14. WD-G6-C14: The collaborative plan · com-/col-/cor- + pro-
  15. WD-G6-C15: The absent companion · ad-/ac-/af-/at- + ab-
  16. WD-G6-C16: The persistent search · per- + se-
  17. WD-G6-C17: The inward reflection · intra- + intro-
  18. WD-G6-C18: The obstacle below · ob-/op- + sub-/suc-/suf-/sup-
  19. WD-G6-C19: The archaeology council · -ology + -cracy
  20. WD-G6-C20: The crowded book room · -phobia + -phile
  21. WD-G6-C21: The astronomer and the aristocrat · -crat + -nomy
  22. WD-G6-C22: The android athlete · -oid + -ics
  23. WD-G6-C23: The laboratory exploration · -ation + -ary/-ory
  24. WD-G6-C24: The small capsule · -ium/-arium + -ule/-cule
Grade 7 cases C01–C24
  1. WD-G7-C01: The omnivore interview · omni + log/logue
  2. WD-G7-C02: The generated history · gen + nat
  3. WD-G7-C03: The recognized result · cogn + sci
  4. WD-G7-C04: The children in the exhibit · anthrop + ped (child)
  5. WD-G7-C05: The shapeless paradox · morph + dox
  6. WD-G7-C06: The bilingual synonym · nym/onym + lingu/glot
  7. WD-G7-C07: The visual act of care · vid/vis + phil
  8. WD-G7-C08: The translucent screen · luc/lum + sens/sent
  9. WD-G7-C09: The tactile sound map · tact/tang + son
  10. WD-G7-C10: The amiable helper · am + pass/pat
  11. WD-G7-C11: The admired experiment · mir + spir
  12. WD-G7-C12: The cordial animation · cord/cor + anim
  13. WD-G7-C13: The exaggerated cold · hyper- + hypo-
  14. WD-G7-C14: The polygon partnership · syn-/sym- + poly-
  15. WD-G7-C15: The one voice and two atoms · mono- + di-
  16. WD-G7-C16: The equal sides clue · pan- + iso-
  17. WD-G7-C17: The parallel paths · epi- + para-
  18. WD-G7-C18: The line across and around · dia- + peri-
  19. WD-G7-C19: The royal telescope · -arch/-archy + -scope
  20. WD-G7-C20: The process labels · -itis + -osis
  21. WD-G7-C21: The productive machine · -fic/-fy + -ate
  22. WD-G7-C22: The specific glossary · -algia + -cide
  23. WD-G7-C23: The measured hexagon · -metry/-meter + -gon
  24. WD-G7-C24: The hemisphere analysis · -sphere + -lysis
Grade 8 cases C01–C24
  1. WD-G8-C01: The quiet observatory · ast/astr + qui/quies
  2. WD-G8-C02: The empathy survey · path + psych
  3. WD-G8-C03: The two systems exhibit · neur + cardi
  4. WD-G8-C04: The skin and alignment files · derm + ortho
  5. WD-G8-C05: The encrypted physics note · phys + crypt
  6. WD-G8-C06: The two body terms · hem/hemo + gastr
  7. WD-G8-C07: The conductor's command · mand/mend + duc/duct
  8. WD-G8-C08: The regulated domain · reg/rect + dom
  9. WD-G8-C09: The urban map · polis/polit + urb
  10. WD-G8-C10: The convincing judgment · jud + vinc/vict
  11. WD-G8-C11: The fortified model · potent + fort
  12. WD-G8-C12: The conserved freedom · liber + serv
  13. WD-G8-C13: The ambiguous contradiction · ambi- + contra-/counter-
  14. WD-G8-C14: The extraordinary retrospect · retro- + extra-
  15. WD-G8-C15: The adjacent histories · ante- + juxta-
  16. WD-G8-C16: The new pen name · pseudo- + neo-
  17. WD-G8-C17: The century quadrilateral · quad-/quart- + cent
  18. WD-G8-C18: The equal sided goal · sur- + equi-
  19. WD-G8-C19: The solitary beginning · -esis/-osis + -tude
  20. WD-G8-C20: The ambitious ecology report · -ous/-ious + -ology/-onomy
  21. WD-G8-C21: The glowing picturesque scene · -escent + -esque
  22. WD-G8-C22: The tenacious accuracy check · -acious + -acy
  23. WD-G8-C23: The mobile cellular model · -ular + -ile
  24. WD-G8-C24: The final word investigation · Research capstone
Professional development kit: An optional 18-slide editable training presentation and ten-page facilitator guide help instructors practice the routine. It is a separate draft product; grade cases are not included.

Questions about morphology and vocabulary lessons

Does Word Detectives teach prefixes, suffixes, bases and roots?

Yes. The Academy lessons build the word-investigation routine, and grade cases explore word-part families in context. Preview the grade case lists to see the particular families and sequence. The curriculum is supplemental word study, rather than a complete reading or spelling program.

Can teachers and homeschool families preview the curriculum?

The free starter and grade previews are available to review. Teachers and families can examine the teaching directions, learner pages and word-study approach before considering a future purchase. Paid downloads, prices and license terms remain pending release approval.

For teachers and families

What you receive

Editable Word files let you adapt text, tables and prompts. Complete print PDFs and separate learner-only PDFs support distribution without accidentally sharing keys. Illustrations are raster images. A09 also includes an editable PowerPoint sorting activity. The PDFs are printable, not fillable or certified PDF/UA.

For a single case, prepare the supplied learner pages and study cards, plus a pencil, scrap paper and dictionary when the directions call for it. Plan five short sessions, approximately 20 minutes each; actual time still needs a classroom pilot. No special app is required for the print activities.

Ask about Word Detectives