Definition: Breaking words down into smallest units of meaning, called morphemes.
Purpose: To understand that each morpheme has a meaning that contributes to the overall meaning of the word and allows us to understand the whole word. This strategy helps students build their vocabulary by gaining knowledge of morphemes to be able to identify the meaning of a word.
Word Sorts:
Two main types:
Purpose: To understand that each morpheme has a meaning that contributes to the overall meaning of the word and allows us to understand the whole word. This strategy helps students build their vocabulary by gaining knowledge of morphemes to be able to identify the meaning of a word.
Word Sorts:
- Sorting words into categories by the structure of the word
- Foster word consciousness
Two main types:
- Alphabetizing- Students shuffle and arrange cards alphabetically.
- Spelling of Prefixes, Suffixes, or Roots- Students categorize words by how their prefixes, suffixes, or roots are spelled/sound
Benefits for students:
- Analyzing skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Comparing words- finding connections
- Find patterns- prefixes, suffix, word structure; help understand words mean in that context
- Word meaning
- Spelling, fluency, and comprehension- when students understand the meaning of a word they can than use it in content and other ares of reading and writing.
Research:
Nelson, and Stage- The purpose of their study was to test the effects of vocabulary instruction, using words with multiple meanings. They wanted to see how instruction and strategies have an effect on learning multiple meaning words in terms of vocabulary and comprehension for students. Overall their data for vocabulary and using word analysis for multiple meaning words showed that it helps student make connections and understand that one part of the word has the same meaning as others but the remain of the word might not. (Nelson, and Stage, 2007). For example, disarmament and disadvantage both start with dis, and mean the same, but the ending is different.
Baumann, Edwards, Boland, and Olejnik- The study done by these researches assessed the effects of morphemic and contextual analysis strategies within a content area subject. It took in consideration students' ability to learn word meanings and comprehend text. There were two groups and the group of students who received instruction in morphemic for word analysis for vocabulary saw much more improvement in remembering vocabulary terms. (Baumann, Edwards, Boland, & Olejnik, 2003). Word analysis helps to demonstrate that when you are studying vocabulary in a specific content area, such as science or math, that a student can find a pattern. The pattern can be in the prefixes, which will help the students understand what the words mean in that context. For example in science biology and biosphere, in math quadrant, quadrilateral, and quadratic, and in geography disassemble, disarmament, and disadvantage.
Nelson, and Stage- The purpose of their study was to test the effects of vocabulary instruction, using words with multiple meanings. They wanted to see how instruction and strategies have an effect on learning multiple meaning words in terms of vocabulary and comprehension for students. Overall their data for vocabulary and using word analysis for multiple meaning words showed that it helps student make connections and understand that one part of the word has the same meaning as others but the remain of the word might not. (Nelson, and Stage, 2007). For example, disarmament and disadvantage both start with dis, and mean the same, but the ending is different.
Baumann, Edwards, Boland, and Olejnik- The study done by these researches assessed the effects of morphemic and contextual analysis strategies within a content area subject. It took in consideration students' ability to learn word meanings and comprehend text. There were two groups and the group of students who received instruction in morphemic for word analysis for vocabulary saw much more improvement in remembering vocabulary terms. (Baumann, Edwards, Boland, & Olejnik, 2003). Word analysis helps to demonstrate that when you are studying vocabulary in a specific content area, such as science or math, that a student can find a pattern. The pattern can be in the prefixes, which will help the students understand what the words mean in that context. For example in science biology and biosphere, in math quadrant, quadrilateral, and quadratic, and in geography disassemble, disarmament, and disadvantage.