Essential Understandings...where to start? |
Building essential orthographic understanding in the early years. |
"What are some ways to start teaching structured word inquiry
with a group of children...?"
A frequently asked question from teachers who are embarking on the critical journey of teaching orthography (morphology, etymology and phonology).
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Using significant words to investigate, from a Unit of Inquiry about materials and their properties. |
Learning to use resources to independently investigate the structure, meaning and history of words. |
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Using significant learning tools like flowcharts, to build understanding of essential suffixing patterns. |
Here is an example of a structured learning experience to introduce the essential understandings of English orthography.
Starter word: <healthy>
Structured Word Inquiry: A selection of learning experiences
(from 'Starting the Learning Journey' document)
1. Developing a bank of word webs, using free starter bases, to demonstrate the significance of the connectedness of meaning and spelling. For example (heal) is the base of (healthy), and is clearly related in meaning, even though there is a pronunciation change in the word (healthy). The spelling comes directly from the base <heal>, hence:
heal + th + y --> healthy
The word web for (heal), and other related activities, can be shared at an assembly or with other audiences.
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The students are creating morphological word sums for the base <heal>. |
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The students created the word sum for <unhealthier>. un + heal + th + i/y +er --> unhealthier |
The base (heal) jumped out of the base pot! |
The students demonstrated the word sum for (healthy), with the base (heal) and the two suffixes (th) and (y), demonstrating the suffix change of the i/y. |
- demonstrate how the words can be arranged in the form of a matrix.
- write and spell the word sums.
- focus on the suffixing pattern of i/y.
- investigate homophones (heal) (heel).
- investigate the different phonemes for the diagraph (ea) in (heal) and (health).
- do a further investigation of the etymology of (heal), looking for etymological markers as a key to the spelling.
As Pete Bower's states "How can we offer learners an understanding of our writing system unless the instruction is informed by an
accurate understanding in the first place?"
As indicated in the learning experience above, you can begin with a starter base already known by the students, with a prepared bank of words, OR you can...
...start with a group of words (in a bag, pocket or mystery box) with a starter base to be discovered by the students!
starter base <paint>
Start with a bag of words and a blank word web. In this activity the words are <painted> <painting> <painter> <repaint>... |
The children predict the base as the words are exposed, discussed and placed on the word web. |
The students actively participate in the learning. |
When all the words have been added to the word web the students are
asked to make a prediction about the base. Ask the students to share their ideas with a partner.
When the base has been revealed and proven it can be recorded on the word web. |
The completed (or maybe, not completed!) word web. |
You can find more information about these learning experiences by clicking on these links: word web collaborative activity; blog post 'Can you teach morphology to Young Children?'; article Starting the Learning Journey
Orthographic linguistics is a science - the rigorous scientific study of the structures of the representation of sense and meaning as text.
ReplyDeleteThe English orthographic system - as it has evolved and continues to evolve as the living entity that it is - is entirely coherent, consistent, and predictable. There is a reason for every spelling that is discoverable from the evidence of text itself.
Any talk of ‘exceptions’ is at best a confession of inability to explain a spelling and at worst an unacceptable implication that such ‘exception’ do not and can not have a rational explanation.
This blog is a rare jewel precisely because it proceeds from the conviction that - like all orthographic systems that have evolved - English orthography is an optimal match for the representation of the sense and meaning of a language to those who already know and speak the language that is being represented.
Bravo!
The Real Spelling Tool Box is a resource for understanding English orthography that, while definitely not a handbook for programmatic pedagogy, provides essential understanding that resources and informs principled professional pedagogues to make the informed judgements and choices that you are clearly devoted to and determined to implement.
Here’s a tutorial about the orthography of ‘unhealthy’ to resource your excellent teaching team to make your own professional choices of what you teach about it and how you will proceed in investigating it.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/68ag8soeqh46zty/unhealthy%202012.mov
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DeleteAs ever, Lyn, you are lighting the way for teaching how our writing system works from the very beginning of schooling.
ReplyDeleteAs pointed out by the Old Grouch, the critical point is that your work is built on a rigorously accurate understanding of the structure and purpose of English spelling. In addition, the activities you describe and illustrate make it clear for those who are new to this understanding that this instruction is totally appropriate - and engaging - for young children.
What could motivate learning more than understanding? And how can we offer learners an understanding of our writing system unless the instruction is informed by an accurate understanding in the first place?
Keep the posts coming!