1st Edition
Morph Mastery: A Morphological Intervention for Reading, Spelling and Vocabulary
Morph Mastery is an accessible, practical guide designed to support learners with specific learning difficulties (SpLD) who are struggling with spelling, reading and vocabulary. It is an effective, research-based and fun solution for when phonics-based teaching has run its course.
Understanding the morphological regularities in English helps to support both spelling and reading comprehension, yet there are few practical interventions that take a morphological approach. Morph Mastery combines this exciting new approach with tried-and-tested teaching methods that work. The activities in this book follow three engaging ninja-like characters, Prefa, Root and Sufa, who represent the three core components of morphology (prefixes, root words and suffixes) and use their sceptres to craft words.
Key features include:
• Exciting and engaging activities and games, designed to be used by individuals or small groups
• Detailed, curriculum-linked assessments, enabling specific target setting
• Photocopiable and downloadable activity sheets and resources
Written in a user-friendly tone, for teaching assistants, teachers and other professionals with little or no specialist knowledge, this book is a must for any school with struggling readers and writers aged 9–13.
Foreword Acknowledgements Author’s Note How to Use this Book Case Studies: Morph Mastery The Pilot Chapter 1: Morphology and the Mastery of Language: An Introduction Chapter 2: Spelling: Friend or Foe? Chapter 3: Key Skills in Becoming a Morph Master Chapter 4: Golden Rules for Becoming a Morph Master Teacher Chapter 5: Laying the Foundations: What you Need to Know Chapter 6: Assess – Plan – Do – Review: An Overview of Morph Mastery the Intervention Chapter 7: Measuring, Planning and Monitoring through Assessment Chapter 8: Using the Assessments to Plan Chapter 9: The Lessons in Detail Chapter 10: Games and Resources Chapter 11: Using Morph Mastery in Class Chapter 12: What next? Appendices Appendix 1: Morphological Awareness Assessment Appendix 2: Knowledge of Morphemes Assessment Adult Record Sheet Appendix 3: Knowledge of Morphemes Assessment Pupil Word Lists Appendix 4: Assessment Summary Sheet Appendix 5: Morph Mastery 6 week Plan Appendix 6: Suggested Teaching Sequence of Affixes with Roots Appendix 7: Word Lists for Planning Appendix 8: Lesson Plan Masters with Guidance Appendix 9: Lesson Plan Masters Appendix 10: Meet the Masters Appendix 11: Morph Mastercard Appendix 12: Word Mastery Questions Appendix 13: Examples of Phonologically Opaque Morphemes Appendix 14: Morpheme Cards Appendix 15: Greek and Latin Meanings and Derivations Chart Appendix 16: Impact Data from the Pilot Appendix 17: Morpheme Cards with Greek and Latin Appendix 18: Useful Resources Appendix 19: Reference and Bibliography Appendix 20: Glossary
Biography
Louise Selby is a primary trained teacher with 20 years of experience in teaching and supporting learners with Special Educational Needs in mainstream schools. After a number of years of class-based teaching, support teaching and SENCO experience in primary schools, Louise spent 11 years working for Hertfordshire Local Authority as a specialist advisory teacher for specific learning difficulties across the age ranges. She also works freelance in consulting, training and assessing for specific learning difficulties and dyslexia. For more information about Louise’s work, visit her website on www.louiseselbydyslexia.com.
Morph Mastery uses recent research on the development of morphological knowledge to support structured and cumulative learning. The games are fun and adaptable, the learners are encouraged to develop independence through their ‘word espionage’ and the materials are engaging for all ages.
Professor Julia Carroll, Coventry University
What a fantastic resource! The characters that run through the book really facilitate the use of morphology to unlock spelling and reading for learners with SpLD. This book will appeal to primary school aged learners but also to secondary school learners, a group of learners who often get forgotten. The research based assess/plan/do/review format for the intervention will support pupils to achieve their specific targets, build their lexicon, extend their grammatical knowledge, improve their reading skills through recognition of common morphemes, and progress their spelling skills through encoding root words, prefixes, and suffixes. The addition of game-based resources should allow for the reinforcement, repetition and overlearning that so many SpLD learners need to help cement new learning.
Claire Harvey, Head of Education, Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity
