Digital Toolkit for Educators by

Morphology is the study of the structure of words including the ability to separate words into their morphemes (Morphology in the Classroom, n.d.).

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-29 17:42:22 UTC

Phonology is the study of the sounds that are the building blocks of a language (Phonology in the Classroom, n.d.).

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-29 17:45:52 UTC

Syntax refers to the order of words, phrases, and clauses a language uses in a sentence (Reynolds, et al., 2022).

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-29 18:17:43 UTC

Semantics is the study of how words within a sentence are related to one another as well as their meaning (Reynolds, et al., 2022). Semantics also included an understanding of how words work together in a sentence to create meaning (Semantics in the Classroom, n.d.).

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-29 18:24:48 UTC

Pragmatics is concerned with how the context, including where, when, and who spoke the sentence, affects the meaning of words in a sentence (Reynolds, et al., 2022).

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-29 18:26:13 UTC

Classroom Activity One:

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-29 18:41:22 UTC

Affix Concentration is a memory game students can play individually or with partners where they match an affix (Prefix or suffix) to its correct meaning. Students can use note cards cut in half where an affix is written on the lined side of a single card and the correct definition is written on a different lined side of a card. Students will have a stack of cards with the affix written on a single card and the matching definition on another card. Students then lay out the cards face down on a desk. Students take turns turning over two cards at a time working to match the affix to the definition. This activity can also be created on Doceri where only one affix matches the virtual card containing the definition (Morphology in the classroom, n.d.).

Differentiation for this activity would include the choice of affixes used for this activity, including the number of affixes. Choosing just prefixes or just affixes will lower the complexity level for lower proficient students. Also placing students in carefully selected teams or partner groups is another way to differentiate this activity.

Classroom Activity Two:

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-29 18:48:39 UTC

Sorting is a game where students receive cards with an individual morpheme written on each card. Students sort the morpheme cards into two distinct columns or piles based on whether the morpheme is free indicating it is a complete word, or bound indicating that though it is a complete thought, it must be connected to a free morpheme to create a word (Morphology in the Classroom, n.d.).

One way to differentiate this activity for lower proficient English learners would be to provide a glossary of the morphemes along with their meanings. For Emergent English learners, it may also be useful to provide translations for the morpheme meanings. Also, this activity could be completed in partner groups for students needing extra support.

Classroom Activity Three:

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-29 18:59:41 UTC

Word Family Tree or Matrix is a game where students can build word families by adding affix morphemes. A word family tree or matrix shows students how seemingly complex words are just built from morphemes that may already be familiar to them. This is a great activity to complete in pairs. Students working with partners can use a list of affixes or cards of affixes in front of and/or behind a single morpheme to create new words. If working on paper, the new word is built on charts below the starting morpheme. If using cards, the new words can be written on a piece of paper. I would have teams look up and record the meanings of the new words and check for accuracy (Phonemic Awareness, n.d.).

Students could complete this activity in small groups or with a partner to provide support for students with lower English proficiency.

Classroom Activity Four:

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-29 19:16:06 UTC

Shortening Morpheme Activity could be used when words with a specific academic domain have several new words that are formed by the shortening of other words. This could occur when the initials are used rather than the words themselves as in the case of CPU or RAM, or when clipping occurs as in the word cell, or finally when blending occurs as in the case of "internet". Teachers have choices in how to proceed with this activity. The first could simply be in the form of a scramble where students unscramble the letters to create a new word. The second could be having the students identify the new word from its original such as central processing unit or cellular phone (Morphology in the Classroom, n.d.).

Having the students unscramble the letters to create a new word helps to engage students with lower English proficiency. If the activity involves identifying words from their originals, then partners will be a way to provide support for lower-proficient English learners.

Family Activity

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-29 19:39:17 UTC

Students benefit from practice with identifying and using the correct subject pronoun. Since pronouns are free morphemes this activity is a great way for students to learn correct pronoun use with their family. Learning Chocolate provides opportunities for players to match pronouns to images, hear the proper pronunciation of the pronouns, and to write the pronouns both in fill-in-the-blank activities and as part of a dictation.

Classroom Activity One:

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-29 19:52:20 UTC

Sorting Activity identifying initial sounds is a way to help students distinguish between similar initial sounds. Students receive a set of note cards that have the initial sounds such as /p/, /d/, and /t/ written on them. As students hear a word pronounced, the student holds up a card indicating the initial sound they heard for the word. An additional step could be taken at this point, if the teacher has the word written on a larger card, this card could be added to the whiteboard under a column indicating its initial sound (Robertson & Breiseth, 2009).

This activity is directed at students who are emergent or expanding levels of proficiency. Students at the bridging level of proficiency would most likely not need this level of instruction.

Classroom Activity Two:

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-29 19:59:53 UTC

Students whose home language does not include the phoneme or sound can benefit from explicit instruction on how to make the sound. I use a class set of hand mirrors that the students use to watch themselves produce the sound after clearly articulating how open the jaw is held, where in the mouth the tongue is placed, and how rigid the tongue is held. Students also need to learn if the sound is voiced or if it is a fricative. Students in return like to teach how sounds in their language are made if they do not appear in English phonemes.

This activity is directed towards students at the emergent and expanding levels of proficiency. Students at the bridging level of proficiency would most likely not need this level of instruction.

Classroom Activity Three:

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-29 20:09:58 UTC

Sounds to Print is an activity where students learn to spell the sounds they hear. Some sounds have only a single way to write the sound as in /w/; others have multiple ways to spell the sound as in /k/ which may be written with a c, k, or q. Other sounds may be written as a single letter or as a double letter as in /f/ as in fear or staff. Providing students with a narrow set of words with the sound and discussing the correct way to write the sound is important. There are basic rules that govern how some of the sounds are written such as if it appears at the beginning of a word or the end or if the word is comprised of multiple syllables (Phonology in the Classroom, n.d.).

This activity is directed toward students at emerging and expanding levels of proficiency. Students at the bridging level of proficiency would most likely not need this level of instruction.

Classroom Activity Four:

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-29 20:17:42 UTC

Syllabication is an activity where spoken words are broken into their phonemes as a way to ensure students understand how phonemes are combined to build morphemes. In Jane Fell Greene's linguistic program, students separated morphemes into the phonemes that comprised the word. For example, students sounded out words such as j-a-m before blending them saying jam. For students at the emerging proficiency level in English, this activity helped identify and differentiate the sounds of the English language. Some students at the beginning of the expanding level of proficiency may benefit from syllabication. Students at the expanding and bridging levels of proficiency would benefit from breaking more complex words into their separate syllables. Students could break words into their separate syllables by clapping for each of the separate syllables in a word as in counting out the separate syllables or by learning to separate words into their separate syllables by writing a line or slash between the syllables in words.

Home Activity

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-29 20:27:13 UTC

Listening to authentic language use is important when students are learning language. Storyline provides free access to children’s books read by SAG-AFTRA actors who clearly articulate their words. Phonemes can be clearly heard through their correct pronunciation. Students and their families are encouraged to listen together to books being read by SAG-AFTRA actors.

Classroom Activity One:

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-30 19:27:13 UTC

Pre-Reading Activity is a guided activity when the students preview a text before a close read of the text. When the students pre-read the text, special attention is given to the different sentence structures used within the text and the type of information these structures provide within the text (Syntax in the Classroom, n.d.).

Differentiation for this activity would occur based on the reading Lexile of the original text. Students with lower proficiency in English would benefit from more direct teacher instruction. This activity could also be completed through a guided set of questions such as in the Expository Reading and Writing Curriculum(ERWC) provided by the University of Southern California for high school language instruction. The act of previewing a text paying special attention to the different sentence structures and their purpose is a recommended instruction for all students and not just English learners.

Classroom Activity Two:

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-30 19:38:28 UTC

Building Human Sentences is an activity where teachers build compound, complex sentences that are complete with punctuation on large cards that are held by students. Students work together as a class to first build a simple sentence. Then adding adjectives, prepositions, adverbs, conjunctions, and punctuations, students work to create more descriptive or more complex sentences. The teacher can point out how some descriptive phrases/clauses, such as an adverbial phrase can be moved to the front of a sentence when off-set by a comma.

This activity is a whole group activity so students with lower English proficiency are already supported by their peers in class who are more proficient in English. Teacher guidance also provides additional support for students who are less proficient.

Classroom Activity Three:

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-30 19:45:06 UTC

Prepositions with a Chair is a total physical response activity where students learn the function of prepositions and how they show the connection with nouns and pronouns. Students and the teacher stand near their chairs. As the teacher calls out different prepositions students demonstrate the meaning of the preposition. For example, if the teacher calls out near, the students move near to their chairs; if a teacher calls out behind, the students move to stand behind the chair. After the movement portion of this activity, students then write sentences using the same propositions.

Since this activity begins as a whole class total physical response activity, all students regardless of the proficiency level are supported by watching and following the movements of the teacher who is modeling the action and the other students who are more proficient. To support the students during the writing portion, the teacher could use word cards when calling out the prepositions to be performed so students not only hear the word but also see it in print. Students could also receive a glossary or list of words and/or sentence frames into which they could write the preposition when writing sentences.

Classroom Activity Four:

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-30 19:52:38 UTC

Changing Grammatical Patterns is an activity where students practice different syntax structures for the same content based on the intended audience. Grammatical patterns change based on what is considered appropriate for the kind of writing and the intended audience (Syntax in the Classroom, n.d.). For example, students need to practice writing letters for different purposes. The salutations, punctuation, choice of words, and sentence length change based on the task.

Students with lower proficiency levels could complete this task by matching sample sentences to statements indicating the intended audience. Students could also use sentence frames when writing sentences in this task as a way to differentiate instruction.

Classroom Activity One:

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-30 20:04:44 UTC

Understanding Idioms is an activity based on the children's book The King Who Rained by Fred Gwynne. First, this book is read aloud to students pointing out the images, the idioms, and the true meaning of the idioms. Students then receive a new idiom and a white square of paper that has been divided into four equal quadrants. In the first quadrant, students draw an image of the literal translation of the idiom. In a second quadrant, students write what the idiom actually means. In the third quadrant, students write a sentence correctly using the idiom in a sentence. In the fourth quadrant, the students write the same sentence retaining its intended meaning but without the use of the idiom. Students are encouraged to share their idiom posters with their classmates and all posters are posted on a bulletin board.

Students at a lower proficiency level may be asked to complete only the first two quadrants where they draw a picture of the literal translation and what is the meaning of the idiom. The class together, could write sentences using each idiom correctly.

Classroom Activity Two:

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-30 20:17:27 UTC

Building Vocabulary using Semantic Relationships is an activity that may be completed by showing hyponyms ( or subordinate terms), meronyms (or parts that define the word), synonyms (similar words), and/or antonyms (opposing words) (Semantics in the Classroom, n.d.). For this activity, teachers can use printed graphic organizers or just plain paper for writing word webs that illustrate the relationships between the words. For synonyms or meronyms, teachers can use paint sheets obtained from local hardware stores. The paint sheets can be used to indicate the relationship between synonyms that have varying degrees of intensity such as mad, angry, furious, and hostile.

This activity offers multiple means of differentiation depending on the choice of words, whether it is completed individually, with a partner or small group, or completed as a whole class. Identifying synonyms and antonyms would be completed with students at the expanding and bridging levels of proficiency.

Classroom Activity One:

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-30 22:17:16 UTC

Changing the Text Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an activity where teachers demonstrate to students how the word choice, sentence structure, and sentence length of a text dependent upon the speaker, and the situation for the text. The teacher, possibly using input from students generates an AI text based on one set of criteria for speaker (age, socioeconomic level, and gender) and occasion (reason for writing, point of view, location, and time period). Then, the teacher changes one or more of the criteria and generates the same text again. This time the choice of words, the sentence structure, and the sentence length will change based on the new criteria. The students guided by the teachers will highlight or discuss changes to word choice, sentence structure, and sentence length.

To make this activity accessible for students with lower English proficiency, teachers would select a suitable reading Lexile and content for the original text. Also, the factors used to change when creating the companion text would be carefully selected so the changes in pragmatics would be at a level the students would understand and be able to discuss.

Classroom Activity Two

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-30 22:30:31 UTC

Examining illocutionary statements in advertising is an activity where the students examine common advertisements' use of illocutionary statements and determine each statement's targeted audience, level of urgency, and level of appeal to their audience.

Students at lower proficiency levels may not be examining illocutionary statements in advertising but common imperative and declarative statements. Examining these statements for the intended audience, level of urgency, and level of appeal would be more useful at this point in their language acquisition.

Home Activity

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-30 22:39:33 UTC

Families are to read together It's a Long Shot! by Cynthia Amoroso to understand some of the unusual idioms used in the English language. After reading, the family is to generate five idioms used in their home language. Along with the list of these idioms, the family needs to explain the literal and figurate meaning of each of the idioms

Classroom Activity Three:

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-30 22:50:43 UTC

Changing a register is a way for students to see how language changes based upon the purpose for writing. In this activity, students are to rewrite a sentence based upon the purpose of the or genre type of the writing. The teacher is to list three different registers from business English, to informal or casual English, and intimate English. Students will write the correct sentence for each register, such as a salutation or greeting. Students could complete this activity as a matching exercise if it is their first exposure to writing for different registers. Students with lower English proficiency could be provided with glossaries and/or sentence frames when asked to write statements themselves.

Classroom Activity Four

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-30 22:59:50 UTC

Understanding discourse markers and/or Transitions is an activity where students examine how and why discourse markers are used in speech and transitions are used in writing to connect sentences and phrases. Common discourse markers could be presented to students through short audio/video clips where the speaker uses discourse markers to connect ideas. Students could be asked to explain what ideas are connected by a specific use of a discourse marker such as them, or however. Students could be asked to read short non-fiction paragraphs where the writer uses transitions to connect sentences or phrases. Again, students could be asked to explain how the use of a specific transition connects ideas. Students with lower English proficiency could be provided with limited transitions and their definitions. Practice for these students could begin with modeling the use of the transition and then students write similar statements following the model statement. Students could also work with a partner as a way to provide additional support.

Home Activity

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-30 23:13:23 UTC

Parents and students are asked to read two or three children's stories based based upon a single story such as The Three Little Pigs, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, and/or The Fourth Little Pig by Teresa Celsi. Many of the children's fairytales have multiple retelling based on pragmatic changes. Many of the versions can be found on YouTube or on Just Books Read Aloud.

Classroom Activity Three

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-30 23:20:52 UTC

Semantic Mapping Is a way for students to connect words to how the word is used in sentences. In semantic mapping, students place an unknown word or phrase on a word web. Students then review the correct pronunciation of the word or phrase possibly using an online dictionary. Students then read the original text from where the word or phrase was located to record any related words from the context of the reading. Students then list words and phrases associated with the target word and record them on the word map. Students then draw images associated with the word on the word map (Zorfass & Gray, 2023). Students could also list translations on their word map that connect to how the word or phrase would be said and used within their primary language.

Teachers can differentiate this activity by the choice of words or phrases used for the semantic mapping. Semantic mapping can also be completed with partners or in small groups to assist students with lower proficiency in English.

Home Activity

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-30 23:28:41 UTC

Families have the opportunity to play games building sentences which are based upon the the English proficiency level of the students and/or family. Games begin at a simplistic level with Make a Sentence games and Picture the Sentence games, through Compound Sentence games as well as games that target specific word roles within a sentence. This is a free site that offers many games at progressing levels of complexity that allows students additional practice at home in forming sentences in English

Classroom Activity Four:

kwilliamspierce — 2024-03-30 23:37:51 UTC

Understanding Homophones and Homonyms is an activity for students to practice and understand easily confused words (Semantic in the Classroom, n.d.). For example, words such as there, their, and they're are often confused when students are writing. A fun game to foster students' proper use of these terms could be a fill-in-the-blank or a matching activity where students need to write the correct spelling of the word based on its use. Students also love using Kahoot! as a way to test their knowledge of the proper use of these words. Homonyms can also be challenging because the meaning of a word may differ based on how the word is pronounced, like in the case of content and content. Students can use stressed and unstressed syllable markers to indicate which inflection is correct based on the use of the word. The instruction of homonyms is often used with students who have passed the beginning or emergent proficiency levels of English.