Greetings,
Still working on the etymology text and curriculum. This is something that truly can benefit learners of all ages and backgrounds. Right now, I get to teach etymology/vocabulary acquisition and development to middle school, high school, and college students. I even teach an etymology class on Sundays at the Shepherd Park Library; we discuss how legal definitions often lean towards the denotative or etymological definition of a word, showing me how it is beneficial to adults as well. I'd really like to thank my etymology teacher, Abdullah Talib Mosi Bey, and the wonderful information, skills, and concepts he instilled in me. Please check out his page Moorish Civiletter.
I plan to use this blog to chronicle the writing of my book and curriculum, and my experiences as both a student and educator in the field of etymology and linguistics. I am grateful for the families that have entrusted me to teach their children, and fellow educators that have motivated and pushed me to write the best book possible.
Still working on the etymology text and curriculum. This is something that truly can benefit learners of all ages and backgrounds. Right now, I get to teach etymology/vocabulary acquisition and development to middle school, high school, and college students. I even teach an etymology class on Sundays at the Shepherd Park Library; we discuss how legal definitions often lean towards the denotative or etymological definition of a word, showing me how it is beneficial to adults as well. I'd really like to thank my etymology teacher, Abdullah Talib Mosi Bey, and the wonderful information, skills, and concepts he instilled in me. Please check out his page Moorish Civiletter.
I plan to use this blog to chronicle the writing of my book and curriculum, and my experiences as both a student and educator in the field of etymology and linguistics. I am grateful for the families that have entrusted me to teach their children, and fellow educators that have motivated and pushed me to write the best book possible.
One thing that I have found is that my college students are fascinated by the topic. They get excited about being able to break words down and identifying common morphemes between words. However, they struggle to find the meaning of words using word analysis. I only see the once a week, so I do not get to practice with them as often as I do with the high schoolers. I think the book would be ideal for vocabulary development rather than the required text Building Vocabulary Skills (Townsend Press.) I like the Townsend Press text because it provides ample and a variety of opportunities to practice using the word. It is good for vocabulary study, not word study. And remember, word study teaches us how to find the meaning of unknown words in a variety of subjects, as well as open the door to understanding other languages.
My 9th graders are somewhat getting the concept. I teach two sections (1 and 2) of ELA with students that have IEPs due to learning difficulties. My co-teacher provides etymology instruction to the two other sections (4 and 5) with zero students with special needs. The sections 4 and 5 have improved tremendously on their root word vocabulary tests. Before Test 3, I played a Jeopardy game with them on a Friday, and on the following Monday, the students were tested; they all passed with a 80% or higher (compared to at least half of the class failing). I believe the engaging classroom activity, as well as the worksheets/handouts that they receive truly prepared them to at least, identify the root and the meaning of the root in a word and definition respectively. In other words, exclusive is an adjective (-ive) that means to "shut (clus) out (ex)." Knowing that clus means to shut or close is half the battle. I recognize that the students need explicit and consistent practice with this skill, yet it must be varied enough to challenge the student (perhaps the exercises get harder as they develop their skill and comprehend the importance of morphology in vocabulary acquisition.)
My students with special needs are struggling, so I am challenging myself to develop more opportunities for practice and a fun and engaging way to comprehend the skill. I think that the first two classes have a lot of personalities that are easily distracted, so it must be something to keep their attention. I will keep everyone updated, but I am very much open to people's ideas and experiences with etymology, morphology, and word study.
My students with special needs are struggling, so I am challenging myself to develop more opportunities for practice and a fun and engaging way to comprehend the skill. I think that the first two classes have a lot of personalities that are easily distracted, so it must be something to keep their attention. I will keep everyone updated, but I am very much open to people's ideas and experiences with etymology, morphology, and word study.
RSS Feed
