1. Teach Learners to Understand Word Structure
80% of English words are combined by morphemes, which is a collective word for prefixes, roots (also known as bases) and suffixes. In Morph Mastery, there is a colour code (and optional ninjas!) to illustrate this. Colour coding is a powerful way to enhance cognition and retention.
Word play is possible, and your learners should enjoy analysing words according to their structure with the colour coding to help. The Morph handshake is often a hit with learners and offers a kinaesthetic way to help learners really “think out” a word’s structure.
The numerous morpheme cards offer a fantastic way to support learners in a variety of settings in building words and clearly seeing their parts.
2. Making sense of spelling
Why is kicked not spelled like strict? Why does going not rhyme with boing? There are so many exceptions to spelling rules we teach. But they are only exceptions if the rules are just phonetic: there is a morphological explanation to these, and many other, spelling anomalies. English orthography (or spelling system) is in fact etymologyical, morphological and phonological. Phonics doesn’t explain everything. Morphology doesn’t either, but it helps!
3. Word study
Many teachers are aware of the words they would like their learners to know deeply and use regularly, but they lack strategies for enabling deeper word study. Morph Mastery can help as it scaffolds word study, using questions on cards which learners can ask each other. For example, what is the root? How does the root change when the suffix was added? What does the suffix mean, or do? Can you think of another word using the same root/prefix/suffix? Word study can then move on to looking at word relatives. How are actor, action and reactive related, for example? Morph Mastery offers numerous games to support this type of word analysis, which can be played in intervention, guided work and whole class.
4. Vocabulary across the curriculum
Morph Mastery offers ways to teach disciplinary vocabulary across the curriculum. Many words are Latin or Greek in origin and the comprehensive lists of these in Morph Mastery can ease the way for learners and teachers to find out about their roots and relatives. Online or hard copies of etymological dictionaries can also help (I use dictionary.com). For example, where does contradict come from?
5. Finding out gaps in learners’ morphological language skills
If you’re puzzled about a learner’s vocabulary use and acquisition, The Morphological Awareness assessment in Morph Mastery is a way to dig a bit deeper. It’s an easy to use, oral assessment lasting approximately 20 minutes.
6. Finding gaps in learners’ spellings
Where you know there are spelling problems, but the problem is not phonics, how do you systematically work out where the gaps are? The Knowledge of Morphemes assessment will specifically assess reading and spelling of all the prefixes and suffixes in the English curriculum, including the suffixing spelling rules.
7. Structured and multi-sensory teaching of spelling for groups and interventions
Morph Mastery is PACKED with spelling games and activities to use in intervention, groups and class for teaching spelling words morphologically. You can use the morpheme cards to build words and play multiple games. Make portals (example below) to support spelling words in their parts (and avoiding those rogue and random letters that creep in!)
Then there are spinner games, voice recorder games, battleship type games, ninja games and many others.
8. Teaching spelling rules
The suffixing spelling rules are taught in Year 2 in England, but often learners in secondary school still struggle with them. This is because they are hard! And, because they are often taught quickly without visual and kinaesthetic support of what are complex verbal concepts. Morph Mastery offers some ways firstly to assess for gaps in spelling rules, and then to teach them visually and kinaesthetically.
9. Text work for reading
The “word espionage” activity in Morph Mastery involves hunting for morphemes in texts learners are already reading, and highlighting them according to the Morph colour code (photocopying the text first, of course!). This is a great activity for any guided or class read. Your learners will spot a lot of morphemes, and it’s a great way for them to talk about vocabulary and spellings, and to make links between words. This also supports comprehension.
10. Text work for writing
Again, using the Morph colour code, learners enjoy looking for morphemes within their own writing and highlighting them. Why not try this as an alternative editing activity? It’s a lot more fun than looking for missed full stops!
Keen to learn more?
Live Training in Hertfordshire
If you’d like to explore Morph Mastery some more in a face to face setting with colleagues, and get your hands on the materials, why not contact me about my course “Ten Ways to use Morph Mastery in your Setting“. The next course is on November 19th in Hertford at a very competitive price! Or contact me about hosting this course in your area.
More information about Morph Mastery can be found here and here
