By: Judy Zorfass
Introduction
When
students engage in "word analysis" or "word study," they
break words down into their smallest units of meaning — morphemes. Each morpheme
has a meaning that contributes to our understanding of the whole word. As such,
students’ knowledge of morphemes helps them to identify the meaning of words
and build their vocabulary. The Institute for Educational
Science (IES) Practice Guide strongly
recommends providing explicit vocabulary instruction, which includes providing
students with strategies for acquiring new vocabulary. The ability to analyze
words is a critical foundational reading skill and is essential for vocabulary
development as students become college and career ready.
Teaching
word analysis skills satisfies several of the Common Core State Standards for
literacy, including:
·
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.10 Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts
independently and proficiently.
·
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.L.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning
words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and
consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.
·
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.L.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word
relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
Teaching word analysis
As you
create your plan for teaching word analysis strategies, think about the tools
and methods that can support students’ understanding, and provide students with
opportunities to practice using these tools and methods. Think, too, about how
you could differentiate instruction and take advantage of technology tools to
engage the diverse students in your classroom.
You can
effectively differentiate word analysis techniques by providing clear and
varied models, keeping in mind the principles of Universal Design for Learning
(UDL). Model how to analyze a new word by breaking it down into its sub-parts,
studying each part separately, and then putting the parts back together in
order to understand the whole word
It also
helps to demonstrate that when you are studying vocabulary in a specific
content area (e.g., science), you can find patterns in the prefixes that will
help you understand what the words mean in that context. For example:
·
Science: biology, biodegradable, biome, biosphere
·
Mathematics: quadruple, quadrant, quadrilateral, quadratic
·
Geography: disassemble, disarmament, disband, disadvantage
Students
should also learn to track both the words and the word parts they learn through
these strategies. Show students how to use offline and online visual diagrams,
worksheets, and graphic organizers to visualize the relationship between words
and store new vocabulary.
Word analysis in practice
If you
provide students with opportunities to repeatedly practice analyzing unfamiliar
vocabulary, their word analysis skills will continue to develop. Engage
students individually, in pairs, or in small groups in a variety of games and
activities, based on their individual abilities and needs. Consider ways in
which you could modify the following games and activities to benefit struggling
students:
·
The mix-and-match game using roots, prefixes, and suffixes
·
A word search in social studies, science, and mathematics texts to
find words with prefixes and suffixes
·
Using Scrabble or Boggle tiles to form and re-form words
·
Movement activities that involve students holding up cards with
root words, prefixes, and suffixes and reordering themselves to make words
·
Inventing a word by creating and defining nonsense words with
prefixes and suffixes
Build
word study into your classroom reading routine by pre-teaching words,
introducing new vocabulary words weekly, and reviewing new words. Motivate
students to practice using their word analysis skills by having them create
glossaries of words with prefixes and suffixes from self-selected,
high-interest texts.
Enjoy,
Ms. Nora Sierra
EC Assistant Principal
Grade 1 Teacher
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