Morphological knowledge refers to an individual's understanding of the structure and meaning of words based on their familiarity with morphemes (i.e., word parts, including prefixes, suffixes, and bases). This knowledge is crucial to developing various aspects of language and literacy to successfully function in 21st century education and…

When young readers encounter texts that contain too many unfamiliar words, their comprehension suffers. Reading becomes slow, laborious, and frustrating, impeding their learning. That's why vocabulary knowledge is a key element in reading comprehension. To comprehend fully and learn well, all students need regular vocabulary exploration.…

In this article, the authors make a case for teaching vocabulary in the elementary grades through a focus on the morphological structure of words, in particular English words that are derived through Latin and Greek roots and affixes. The authors present a set of engaging instructional ideas for the use of Latin and Greek derivations to teach…

Robert Perrin emphasizes the active and playful power that can be discovered from specificity of language. Students observe the impact carefully chosen words have in their daily lives by examining names of products and colors used for particular contexts and audiences, as well as names given to inventions, highlighting the vibrancy of…

Within the walls of their classroom, high school teacher Sandra Whitaker and students take on the challenge of language acquisition. They play with morphemes and etymologies and examine how authors craft meaning. Whitaker observes that it is possible for students to "learn more words than teachers can teach directly."

Discusses paronyms, with reference to translation, and related forms such as synonyms, polysemes, and false cognates. (AM)

Prompted by a parent's comment that indicated a desire for her elementary-age children to learn the elements and principles of design in their art class, the author set out to enrich her own understanding and appreciation of the language used in the art room. Looking at word origins helps students appreciate the significance of art and craft in…

Suggests a method for reinforcing topics covered in an upper-division graduate course on the history of the German language. In three-week projects toward the end of the semester, students investigate modern German words according to conceptual groups from the perspective of etymology. (Author/JL)

Presents a method for teaching vocabulary in the language class that is based on etymology and association. Word lists and sample materials for French are appended. (AM)

Three approaches to vocabulary presentation in the second language classroom are described. The examples used are drawn largely from German, Russian, French, Latin, and Greek, but they can be extended to all commonly taught languages, although certain approaches are particularly suited to specific languages. In addition, the goals of a particular…

This curriculum guide for high school Latin courses emphasizes the usefulness of a knowledge of Latin for career preparation. As a supplement to standard Latin textbooks, a variety of classroom material is offered. The instructional approach revolves around the relation of English and Latin vocabulary acquisition and etymological knowledge on the…

The greatest need of language teachers today is a workable approach to teaching vocabulary. This is essential if students are to be enabled to achieve communicative competence, that is, to make a transfer from the textbook to the real world of French, as reflected in the French media. An effective and comprehensive approach to teaching vocabulary…