Morphemic analysis has the power to accelerate students’ word knowledge with a minimum of time and effort. For instance, chances are your students know erase, pretend, and active, but might have difficulty reading the words erasure, pretension, and activate. In an extensive, classic study of the word knowledge of students in grades 4-12, the words erase, pretend, and active were known by most 4th graders, but erasure, pretension, and activate weren’t known until grade 12 (Dale & O’Rourke, 1976). Had their ability to analyze the morphemes in words been developed, chances are the students would have noted the erase in erasure, the pretend in pretension, and the act in activate long before 12th grade. In a sense, the meanings of many apparently challenging words are hiding in plain sight. Recently, I was puzzled by the word agonal that appeared in a research article I was reading, until a colleague pointed out that agon referred to agony. I had better luck with the word albumen, which appeared in the sentence: “Albumen supplies protein to the yolk.” I knew that an alb was a long white vestment worn by clergy. Using the context in which albumen appeared plus my knowledge of the word alb, I was able to deduce that albumen is the white of an egg.
The first step in developing students’ morphemic analysis ability is helping students detect the separate morphemes in words. They may not realize that a challenging word contains one or more familiar morphemes that can be used to recognize or derive the meaning of the word. A second step is structuring a systematic program for developing morphemic analysis. In study after study, students’ knowledge of morphemic elements is limited but improves significantly with instruction (Gunning, 2025).
Morphology is a vast area of study. The digital dictionary website Wordsmyth lists hundreds of bases (roots), prefixes, and suffixes. However, many appear rarely. Effective programs focus on those that would be most appropriate for students and would be most likely to help them derive the meanings of the challenging words they are facing now and will be meeting in the future. It also helps if they see the value of morphemic analysis in helping them read hard words and building their vocabularies. It helps, too, if they find the study of morphemes interesting and challenging. That’s where Morpheme Mondays comes in. In a blog entitled “Morpheme Mondays,” I will provide discussions of morphemes and supply related activities. I will attempt to make the discussions relevant and engaging. The first Morpheme Mondays blog will appear on Sunday, March 15, and will explore morphemes related to spring. The blog is designed for grades 3-4 and up and is even appropriate for any secondary students who are not familiar with the morphemes being introduced.
References
Dale, E., & O’Rourke, J. (1976). The living word vocabulary. Elgin, IL: Field Enterprises.
Gunning, T. G. (2025). Creating Literacy instruction for all students (11th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Pearson.