Effective Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners Morphological Awareness

PURPOSE: Each year, teachers encounter the challenge of teaching English Language Learners an insurmountable amount of academic vocabulary. Various methods have been used, yet English Language Learners continue to struggle with unfamiliar academic vocabulary seen on standardized tests. To counter this issue, Teachers must focus their attention on English Language Learners’ morphological awareness skills, or lack thereof. PROCEDURES: Research shows that teaching vocabulary through explicit meaningful context with content-rich vocabulary, developing morphology as a cognitive strategy, and introducing word parts systematically are some ways to improve an ELLs vocabulary. OUTCOME: This project will critically examine literature that discusses effective methods in morphology instruction for teaching vocabulary towards ELLs and will provide a unit, an example lesson, and pre/post-tests that assess the students’ ability to acquire meaning of academic vocabulary. IMPACT: By using said techniques, English Language Learners will be better prepared for analyzing and making meaning of the unknown words they encounter on standardized tests through the skill of morphological awareness