English Language Arts and Reading.3.2.B.vii

The student is expected to

demonstrate and apply spelling knowledge by:

 

spelling words using knowledge of suffixes, including how they can change base words such as dropping e, changing y to i, and doubling final consonants;

beginning reading writing teks talk image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking--beginning reading and writing. The student develops word structure knowledge through phonological awareness, print concepts, phonics, and morphology to communicate, decode, and spell.

A teacher may wish to assess this SE following explicit instruction on SE 3.2.A.vi, decoding words using knowledge of suffixes, including how they can change base (e.g., stop + -ed = stopped and happy + -ly = happily). After students create new words by adding suffixes and appropriately changing the base word, have students spell different words with the same suffixes (e.g., bagged, mopped, luckily). Read aloud the list of different words and monitor and observe whether students accurately spell words with suffixes.

Further Explanation

This assessment requires students to demonstrate and apply spelling knowledge in order to correctly spell words with suffixes. Students should understand how the use of a suffix can change base words such as dropping e, changing y to i, and doubling final consonants. Students should have phonetic knowledge of and experience examining word parts (base word + suffix) in order to correctly spell words with suffixes. This knowledge is acquired through practice and experience spelling words with a variety of suffixes.

Both decoding and encoding skills are needed to build a foundation in reading. Decoding is sounding words out according to letter-sound relationship conventions. Encoding is the process of using letter-sound knowledge to write or spell words. Students must understand the various spelling patterns and rules of the English language to correctly construct words in their written products. It is important that students demonstrate this knowledge by applying these rules consistently instead of using invented spelling because they may unknowingly write a real word they did not intend, causing reader confusion.
a linguistic unit, or word, that can stand on its own and have meaning and can be modified by adding prefixes and/or suffixes to form related words (e.g., teach in teacher; mark in remarking)
Students must be able to spell words with the knowledge that a suffix is added after a root or base word. They should understand that changes can occur to the spelling of the base word when endings are added. Changes that occur by spelling rule (orthographic changes in the base form) include doubling of the final consonant before a suffix that begins with a vowel; dropping a final e when the suffix begins with a vowel; and changing y to i before a suffix, except those that begin with i. Examples include dropping the final e, as in sense/sensible; changing y to i, as in happy/happiest; doubling the final consonant, as in win/winning.

Research

Herrington, M. H., & Marry Macken-Horarik. (2015). Linguistically informed teaching of spelling: Toward a relationship approach. The Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 38(2). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mary_Macken-horarik/publication/281377934_Linguistically_informed_teaching_of_Spelling_Toward_a_Relational_Approach/links/561d886e08ae50795afd80de.pdf

Summary: This study examines teachers' knowledge of morphemes and phonemes, and how building greater awareness of word components (a toolkit for teachers) can increase the success of spelling instruction. The authors note that not only teaching children to look closely at the parts of words, but for teachers to look closely and analyze children's morphemic spelling approximations can reveal children's thinking and, thus, lead to targeted instruction.