Word Connections: A Multisyllabic Word Reading Program

Thank you for your interest in Word Connections: A Multisyllabic Word Reading Program©. You are viewing the 2nd edition of Word Connections, published in June 2023. You can find a description of the changes made to this latest version of the program on page 3 of the manual. Most notably, this newest edition includes a new set of passages for Lessons 21-40. The passages are all written in Q&A style, using questions collected from real students and teachers!

This supplemental, targeted reading intervention program was developed by Dr. Jessica Toste and her colleagues at The University of Texas at Austin and includes research-based instructional practices to support students’ multisyllabic word reading development. There is evidence that the 40-lesson Word Connections program improves reading outcomes for students in the upper elementary grades (3rd to 5th grades). Specifically, the program has been tested with students identified as with or at-risk for reading disability. Students who participated in the intervention showed greater gains in word reading and decoding, reading comprehension, spelling, and accurate reading of both isolated affixes and multisyllabic words. One of the team's studies (Toste et al., 2019) was reviewed by the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) in December 2021. The study met WWC standards without reservations and the program was reported to show promising evidence of effectiveness. 

This collection includes everything needed to implement Word Connections with your students. The program is organized in two parts. Scroll to the bottom of this page to download each as a separate PDF: Teacher Manual and Student Materials.

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Copyright Notice. The Word Connections materials on the Figshare site are freely available for anyone to use, adapt, and share (with attribution to the authors). However, you may not use this work for commercial purposes. No one is permitted to sell or commercialize the original materials, adaptations of the materials, or lesson plans that reproduce any part of these materials.