Word Builders: Spelling and Reading Skills Through Morphology; Dyslexia Friendly

This class maximizes our knowledge of how the brain learns best; by making meaningful connections. Rather than studying a rather random list of words and trying to memorize them, this class takes learners through the process of building words together from a common base to see how all the words that result share connections in spelling and in meaning;  connections that will make them easier to remember, recognize and understand.

Each week, we will work with a different base word and its prefixes and suffixes to build as many words as we can from that word family. Students will have some guided practice in building words and then have some time to work independently. Then as a class, we will share and discuss which words we made. This word building and discussion will help students to practice and develop a variety of skills including:

1. A fundamental understanding of how English spelling works; that its function is to communicate meaning as well as sound, and that letters can serve functions in words other than creating a sound.
2. The possible spelling impacts of adding suffixes to the base, including when to drop a silent 𝘦 and when to double a final consonant
3. How the meaning of the base carries over into the meanings of the new words that are built from it (𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦/𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴)
4. An understanding that spelling patterns and meaning are retained even when pronunciation shifts. (𝘢𝘤𝘵/𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭/𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘺, 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯/𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘭)
5. An understanding that suffixes can affect a word's part of speech and usage in a sentence. 
6. An understanding of the impact of prefixes on the meaning of the base (𝘥𝘰 vs. 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘰 vs. 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘰)
7. The difference between a bound base and a free base

Examples of some bases we may study together include: 

vise (vision, revise, television, improvise, advising, etc.)
ease (easy, easier, easiest, uneasy, etc.)
cycle (bicycle, cycling, cyclone, cyclical, etc)
ject (rejected, subjects, objecting, etc)
busy (busier, busiest, business, etc)
cent (percentage, centennial, centimeter, etc.)

This is an ongoing class that meets weekly. Content does not build and learners are welcome to join the class at any time! I will always make sure that new learners understand what to do.