Word Analysis/Word Sorts
With word analysis, students look at the broken apart pieces of words such as prefixes, suffixes, roots, and base words. Using these different structures of words, students are able to help decipher the meaning of unknown words. The reason being is because students can memorize what the prefix anti- means and apply that meaning to an unknown word such as "antiviral". As early as second grade, students can be taught to use word parts as a vocabulary strategy (Biemiller, 2005).
The word sorts that are used with this strategy are not the same as those associated with a list-group-label. The closed and open sorts described in the LGL page are finding similarities among word meanings. In word sorts with word analysis students sort words based on word structure. Doing this gives students practice at identifying similarities among words and allows them to identify unknown words in text with common word structures.
A list of steps for how to carry out a word sort based on word analysis would be as follows:
1) Select (prefixes, suffixes, roots, or base words) you want students to learn, and several words with these structures in them.
2) Have students group the words based on the word structure.
3) To go further, have students take the (prefixes or suffixes) and combine them with other base words to form new words.
4) Students can take part in a search in their text to add to the groups they already have.
Watch students at Pine View Elementary as they sort words based on letter-sound combinations.
The word sorts that are used with this strategy are not the same as those associated with a list-group-label. The closed and open sorts described in the LGL page are finding similarities among word meanings. In word sorts with word analysis students sort words based on word structure. Doing this gives students practice at identifying similarities among words and allows them to identify unknown words in text with common word structures.
A list of steps for how to carry out a word sort based on word analysis would be as follows:
1) Select (prefixes, suffixes, roots, or base words) you want students to learn, and several words with these structures in them.
2) Have students group the words based on the word structure.
3) To go further, have students take the (prefixes or suffixes) and combine them with other base words to form new words.
4) Students can take part in a search in their text to add to the groups they already have.
Watch students at Pine View Elementary as they sort words based on letter-sound combinations.
Here are five resources for word analysis/word sorts activities and information:
1) Reading Educator - http://www.readingeducator.com/strategies/sort.htm
2) Teachers Pay Teachers - https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Word-Sorts-154154
3) Ohio Resource Center - http://www.ohiorc.org/record/11896.aspx
4) Reading Rockets - http://www.readingrockets.org/reading-topics/spelling-and-word-study
5) ASCD - http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/104134/chapters/Phonics-and-Word-Study.aspx