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Morph Mastery


Synopsis


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.

Louise Selby

Summary

Chapter 1: The Power of Morphs

Summary:
This chapter introduces the concept of morphs and their transformative power. Morphs are the building blocks of language, representing morphemes, the smallest meaningful units in a word. They combine to form words that convey complex meanings.

Real-life example:
The word "unhappy" consists of the morphemes "un-" (negation) and "happy" (a state of contentment). The morph "un-" changes the meaning of "happy" by negating it, resulting in the word "unhappy."

Chapter 2: Unlocking Morph Skills

Summary:
This chapter provides practical techniques for identifying and analyzing morphs. It explains how to break down words into their constituent morphemes and understand their grammatical and semantic relationships.

Real-life example:
The word "disagree" can be broken down into the morphs "dis-" (negation), "agree" (to have the same opinion), and "-ment" (action or result). This analysis reveals that "disagree" means to have a differing opinion from someone.

Chapter 3: Morphology in Action: Noun Mastery

Summary:
This chapter focuses on noun morphology, covering plural formation, possessive forms, and other important grammatical processes. It explains the rules and patterns governing these transformations.

Real-life example:
The plural form of "child" is "children," which is formed by adding the suffix "-ren." The possessive form of "boy" is "boy's," which is formed by adding the possessive suffix "-'s."

Chapter 4: Mastering Verbs

Summary:
This chapter explores verb morphology, including tense, aspect, mood, and voice. It provides rules for conjugating verbs and explains the grammatical and semantic implications of different verb forms.

Real-life example:
The past tense form of "eat" is "ate," which is used to indicate an action that occurred in the past. The present perfect form of "sing" is "has sung," which is used to indicate an action that has been completed in the past but has relevance to the present.

Chapter 5: Adjectives and Adverbs

Summary:
This chapter covers the morphology of adjectives and adverbs, including comparative and superlative forms and their grammatical functions. It explains how to form and use these words effectively in written and spoken communication.

Real-life example:
The comparative form of "tall" is "taller," which is used to compare the height of two or more things. The superlative form of "good" is "best," which is used to indicate the highest degree of a quality among a group of things.

Chapter 6: Morphology in Context

Summary:
This chapter applies the principles of morphology to real-world texts, such as news articles, literary works, and academic papers. It shows how an understanding of morphemes and their interactions can enhance comprehension and critical analysis.

Real-life example:
In the sentence "The students eagerly awaited the results of the test," the adverb "eagerly" conveys the manner in which the students were waiting. This understanding is enabled by recognizing the morph "-ly," which forms adverbs from adjectives.