1. Moving from Phonics to Structural Analysis: When & How?
Michael D. Robinson
Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment
Language Arts/Reading

2. Food for thought…
When do we begin helping students construct meaning from text?
When should we begin helping students construct meaning from text?

3. Note that even at the earliest part of the figure (to the left) there is still emphasis on meaning; likewise even we as mature readers use our knowledge of derivatives, phonics, and other word recognition skills – we just do it under the field of consciousness… Mature adult readers who must focus too much on decoding often lose the meaning as they read…

4. What is Structural Analysis?
One of several word recognition skills in which knowledge of the meaningful parts of words (morphemes) aids in the identification of an unknown written word. As readers mature, they use structural analysis as both a word recognition and reading comprehension skill simultaneously…

5. What is the difference between Phonics & Structural Analysis?
Based on graphology & phonemic awareness
Letter/sound relationships
Generalizations for pronunciation and spelling
OUTCOME = PRONUNCIATION
Structural Analysis
Based on morphology
Units of meaning
Generalizations for pronunciation and spelling
OUTCOME = PRONUNCIATION + Spelling + MEANING

7. Consider the following words…
unhappy
2 morphemes
un(bound) + happy(free)
desk
1 morpheme
desk (free)
redoing
3 morphemes
re(bound) + do(free)+ ing(bound)
disagreeable
dis(bound) + agree(free)+ able(bound)

8. uncomfortable  comfort
Every major word has a meaning-bearing morpheme. This morpheme may be either a bound or a free morpheme…
bound = root word
derived from another language and will not stand alone in English
refer, confer, defer (fer from the Latin to carry or take)
concede, recede (cede from the Latin “cedre” to go away or yeild)
free = base word
English words; will stand on their own
girls  girl
uncomfortable  comfort
redoing  do

9. REMEMBER: These are morphemes so they all have MEANING!
Affixes
Suffixes – bound at the end of a word
Prefixes –bound at the beginning of the word -base or root
REMEMBER: These are morphemes so they all have MEANING!
Inflectional Endings – bound at the end of a word AND change number, case, gender (nouns); tense (verbs) form (adjectives & adverbs)
Refer to handout

10. Compound Words & Contractions
Combination of 2 free morphemes retaining elements of both meanings and pronunciations of the two previous parts
dollhouse racetrack bathroom
Contractions
Combination of 2 free morphemes into a shortened form using an apostrophe to show the omission of letters
are + not = aren’t
they + are = they’re
he + will = he’ll

11. Structural Changes & Spelling Generalizations
Problematic for beginning readers and spellers
Especially if spelling change occurs in base word
See handout

12. In conclusion
Structural analysis, like phonics, and Greek & Latin derivatives, is but one tool used by successful readers to unlock the meaning of print. Helping students see that there are many tools available is just the beginning. Helping them choose the most appropriate tool separates the science from the art of teaching… Both are necessary.