Morphemes.

Jj is for Jottings 135.  Morphemes.

There was a brief definition of morphemes in the article on learning vocabulary.  Direct vocabulary instruction referred to using morphological knowledge to work out meanings of more complex words.  So it’s probably time to go more thoroughly into morphemes and how important they really are.  Knowledge of morphemes is important in phonics for both reading and spelling; and also in vocabulary and comprehension.  That’s a broad sweep across both language and literacy. Continue reading →

Word Confusions: Bought/Brought; In A Moment/Momentarily.

Jj is for Jottings 134.  Word Confusions: Bought/Brought; In a Moment/Momentarily.

In this article I want to concentrate on word confusions: Bought/Brought; and In a Moment/Momentarily.  I said in my first article on word confusions that I would write about other word confusions from time to time.  (And I freely admitted that ton/tonne was a somewhat unusual choice for a first article. But I received a very complimentary comment on my blog from a transport company who appreciated the article.  They said how vital it was in their line of business and that the distinction was underappreciated.  I was similarly complimentary to an oblivious news reporter on television the other night when she pronounced “tonne” correctly. It makes a pleasant change from berating them about their errors.)  Anyway – to the topics in hand… Continue reading →

Vocabulary: Homonyms, Heteronyms and Homophones.

Jj is for Jottings 133.  Vocabulary: Homonyms, Heteronyms and Homophones.

 

Following on from learning vocabulary and direct vocabulary instruction, it is useful to consider another aspect of vocabulary: homonyms, heteronyms and homophones.  These categories are often either unknown or confusing for many people, so this is a good time to sort them out.  We can also see how useful they are as part of the approach to teaching vocabulary.

Much of the confusion about these word categories can be ironed out by discovering the root words of each category.  Then it is easy to remember what they mean. Continue reading →

Direct Vocabulary Instruction.

Jj is for Jottings 132.  Direct Vocabulary Instruction.

When a child has poor vocabulary knowledge for their age, it indicates that they struggle to learn vocabulary from their written or spoken language experiences.  They will then need direct vocabulary instruction to increase their chances of catching up with their peers.

It also makes sense to teach them strategies to help them learn new word meanings from their language experiences.  These strategies involve teaching them to use morphological knowledge (see previous article) to work out meanings of more complex words, or to search for words that might provide clues to the meanings of other words in context.  A combination of this broad, strategy-based approach and direct vocabulary instruction will provide the best results, according to recent research.  And it aids not just vocabulary knowledge, but also reading comprehension.

 

SUPERFICIAL WORD KNOWLEDGE.

Many children with poor language and reading skills will have only a nodding acquaintance with many word meanings.  They can even be quite common, concrete words which you would expect them to know.  These children can easily slip through the net. Parents and teachers may not observe that, although children may use a word, their knowledge of it is actually very limited.  It’s not just a case of “he used that word so we can mentally tick it off as part of his vocabulary”.  We need to be more vigilant than that.

Picture of woman holding a baby alpaca with the caption: Direct Vocabulary Instruction needed at this age? Probably not for a cria.

Direct Vocabulary Instruction needed at this age? Probably not for a cria.

Continue reading →

Learning Vocabulary.

Jj is for Jottings 131. Learning Vocabulary.

Learning vocabulary – the words a person knows and uses – is a lifelong process. Talking to and reading with your child right from the start is a good recipe for a child to develop a rich vocabulary.  I have talked about vocabulary in previous articles, mainly in the context of reading with children and children reading for themselves.  But, given that vocabulary is so important, I thought it was worth going into a little further.

Photo of a father reading to a young child with the caption: Learning Vocabulary. The User Guide in "Aa is for Alpacas" explains how to use the book to enhance vocabulary skills.

Learning Vocabulary. The User Guide in “Aa is for Alpacas” explains how to use the book to enhance vocabulary skills.

Continue reading →

Adjectives Add Interest.

Jj is for Jottings 129.  Adjectives Add Interest.

In previous posts we have discussed nouns  and articles.  The next part of speech we will cover is adjectives. Adjectives add interest to language because they describe nouns and pronouns, making our speech or writing more colourful and informative.  They are the difference between “The man walked down the road” and “The bent old man walked down the long, winding road”.  You get a much clearer and more interesting mental picture with the second sentence, I bet. Continue reading →

Hard and Soft ‘C’ and ‘G’.

Jj is for Jottings 128.  Hard and Soft ‘C’ and ‘G’.

The great thing about spelling rules – such as the bossy ‘e’ rule – is that, once you learn a particular rule, you can read (and hopefully spell) many different words.  In other words, rules give you lots of bang for your buck.  When dealing with hard and soft ‘c’ and ‘g’, we teach the hard sound first as part of basic sound-letter links, and introduce the soft sounds a little later. Continue reading →

Sequencing is Important.

 

Jj is for Jottings 127.  Sequencing is Important.

We probably don’t think about it very much, but sequencing is important in many aspects of our lives.  A definition of “sequence” is: a set of related events, movements, or items that follow each other in a particular order.  (This is the definition for the noun.  It is also a verb, as in “I’m going to sequence the tracks on my playlist.”)

Photos of alpacas in a paddock, with the caption: Sequencing is important - but is it important in this picture?

Sequencing is important – but is it important in this picture?

Many times, if things are not in sequence, they don’t make any sense.  Although the playlist referred to above has a sequence, the sequence isn’t vital; it’s just a preference.  But if you put on your shoes first and then your socks… Continue reading →