Application Activity #1

Context:

A class of 24 students, 8 of which are English Language Learners. All 8 of the ELLs are

native Spanish speakers. This group of students is in 1st grade. They are beginning to

study patterns in reading, writing and math. In this activity, students will notice patterns

in words.

Activity:

The teacher will prepare 2 sets of index cards. One set will include 4 words using

the prefix un- (unhappy, unfair, uneven, unhook) and 4 picture cards that match the

words. The second set will have 4 words with the prefix bi- (bicycle, bilingual, binoculars

and biweekly) and 4 picture cards to match.

The teacher will explain that today students will be working in groups to look for

patterns in words. The teacher will break students into groups of 6. Each group will get

half a set (2 words and 2 matching picture cards).

Their first task will be to work together to match the pictures to the words. Then,

they will look for the pattern in their words. After 2 minutes, the teacher will call for

everyone’s attention and see if they found a pattern. Are two words enough to determine

a pattern? Students will regroup into a large group of 12, one un- group and one bi-

group.

Their task in the large group is to determine 1. The pattern in the words. 2. Does

the pattern mean something? After 3 minutes for discussion, the teacher will call all

students back to the rug to share out their thinking.

 To summarize, the teacher will identify un- and bi- as morphemes, chunks of

words that carry meaning. The teacher will explain that since these morphemes come at

the beginning of the word, we call them prefixes, they change the meaning of the “root

word.” Add the word cards with their picture cards to an anchor chart. Use the picture to

“annotate” or make note of the meaning from the morpheme. For example, the bilingual

card should have two languages or words in two different languages written on it, circle

them and write “2.” Circle the pair of lenses, weeks and wheels in the remaining words

and also use “2” to denote the meaning of “bi.” Make a connection to these words in

Spanish using the same prefix, “bilingue,” “bicicleta,” “binoculares.”

Review the words from the anchor chart and send students back to their seats.

Have them pick one word from each category to use in a sentence that shows the word’s

meaning.

Rationale:

The goal of this activity is to make students aware of morphemes in words. These chunks

hold meaning and are important to know to make meaning of other words found in

reading and writing. The teacher starts with a simple introduction, asking students to look

for patterns like they have in other content areas. The purpose of this is for students to

look at words with a more heightened awareness. The pictures serve as a scaffold for

students who might not know the meanings of those words yet. Peers in groups allow for

conversations to share thoughts and ideas and to build meaning together. By starting in

smaller groups and expanding to bigger groups, the students are able to build off their

ideas and talk to multiple peers at the different levels of the “investigation.” The anchor
chart provides a synthesis of the conversations the students had in groups as well as a

reference point for practice and continued learning. These words can also be added to a

class morpheme wall. At the end of the summarizer, the teacher makes notes of some

cognates with the prefix “bi.” Since all of the English language learners in this class are

Spanish natives, this will help make a connection of meaning to the words they (might)

already know in Spanish and help solidify the meaning in English. The extension activity

provides an opportunity for students to practice what they learned in the lesson and to use

the new words in context. Hopefully, at this point, students understand why the meaning

of the word happy changes when the un- prefix is added and it builds their understanding

to use the word in a sentence of their own.