Morphology and Syntax

in your classroom and

ELLs Proficiencies and
Needs
Guest Presentation
ED 684
Dr. Robert Troyer
Western Oregon University

Nov 27, 2012

Woodburn School District

Council of Chief State School Officers

National Governors Association
(CCSSO)
(NGA)
2009 Standards for College and Career
Readiness
(CCR) Core State
2010 Common
Standards
(CCSS) Next Generation
Forthcoming
Science Standards (NGSS)
K-5
Integrated Literacy and
Literacies:
English Language Arts,
History/Social Studies, Science,
and Technical Subjects
Each grade has standards for
Reading
Writing
Speaking & Listening
Language
[Language Progressive Skills by
Grade]
Standard standards
10: Range,describe
Quality,
Mathematics
and
Complexity
of Studentfor
the
language
requirements
Reading
each grade.

*note on integration of
standards

Grades 6, 7, 8, 9-10, and 11-12

English Language Arts
Each grade has standards for
Reading
Writing
Speaking & Listening
Language
[Language Progressive Skills by Grade]
Standard 10: Range, Quality, and
Complexity of Student Reading
History/Social Studies
Each grade has standards for Reading
Science and Technical Subjects
Each grade has standards for Reading
History/Social Studies, Science, and
Technical Subjects
Each grade has standards for Writing

Themes and Theory in the

Common Core
Language is a tool of
communication
its use should always be
functional and authentic
content and language are
inseparable

as opposed to Language is
a skill to be practiced and
mastered.

an individual trait.

Language is a social tool

its use is collaborative
our use of it is intertwined with
our daily lives and occupations a monolithic system.
Language is highly variable
different registers and genres
have different structures (not
just different vocabulary)
the listening, speaking, reading,

Application of Common Core State Standards for English

Language Learners
http://www.corestandards.org/assets/application-for-englishlearners.pdf
English Language Arts
take advantage of what ELLs bring
provide literacy-rich environment
develop skills in English that enable ELLs to participate in gradelevel work
make standards-meeting content comprehensible for ELLs
classroom involvement that builds communicative skills
ongoing assessment
interaction with proficient English speakers
Mathematics
active participation in reading, listening, discussing, explaining,
writing, representing, and presenting
cognitive demand: students should wrestle with important
mathematics
allow language switching [during speech] as long as student
understand the text of word problems
understand word problems before solving

Council of Chief State School Officers

English Language Proficiency
(CCSSO)
Development Framework
2009 College and Career Readiness (CCR)
Committee,
2010 Common Core State
Council of Great City Schools,
Standards
(CCSS) (NGSS)
Understanding Language
Forthcoming
Initiative at Stanford
2012 Framework for English
University,
Language Proficiency
World-Class Instructional Design
Development Standards
and list
Assessment
Section 2 of the Framework provides tables that
the language/literacy
practices for:
English Language Arts (CCSS)
Tables 1 and 2. Key Practices and Core Ideas+ Literacy Practices
Table 7. Discipline specific language
Mathematics (CCSS)
Tables 3 and 4. Key Practices and Core Ideas + Literacy Practices
Table 8. Discipline specific language
Science (NGSS)
Tables 5 and 6. Key Practices and Core Ideas + Literacy Practices
Table 9. Discipline specific language
Section 3 is a protocol for aligning a states English Language Proficiency
Development Standards
with the Framework (and thus the CCSS and NGSS)
Table 10. Foundations, Table 11. Progression,
Table 12. Standards Match, Table 13. Classroom match

Goals
As teachers with ELLs in our class and as ELL
specialists, we need to help ELLs understand and
use the language structures that will allow them to
be part of the class and learn the content.
1. know the linguistic demands of your class
2. know the language proficiency of your ELLs
Todays goals:
review descriptions of syntax and morphology
especially register and genre variation
describe the syntax and morphology of
classroom text & talk

Syntax
In as simple a way as possible explain to a partner
the syntactic differences between the following
sentences.
Sub MV
Obj
Mod
statement,
1. we go camping
year
HV Subabout
MV three
Obj times a sent
2. where do you prep
like phrase
to go camping
3. oh,MV
to lakes
and
the beach
Obj
Mod
Mod
4. take me with you next time

question,
sent
fragment
order, sent

Essential syntax terminology:

statement, question, order
sentence, clause, fragment, run-on
subject, helping verb, main verb,

Syntax
A few simple measures of syntax
# words/ sentence
# independent clauses/ sentence
# dependent clauses/ sentence
# of prepositional phrases/ sentence
# of other modifiers/ sentence
Other considerations
% of statements, questions, or orders
compound subjects and verbs
fragments and run-ons
ed-, ing-, and to- clauses as Sub/Obj/Comp
Comparison exercise
spoken narrative vs. written narr. (student) vs.
written narr. (professional) vs. narr. in social
studies text

SyntaxELL
student
I Can Fly
I can Fly. When I was
litle my Mom teach to
fly. I Fly every where. I
look for food. I have
friend when I was
flying and still looking
at food. My mom go
looking the nother
food. I hate finger
nails. I have a big body.
I have a good food. I
play with my friend. My
mom have a new
friend and we all play
together. we have a
party. I'm happy and I

sen word
t # s/
sent
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17

3
9
4
4
12
7
3
5
5
5
11
4
9
3
6
6
5
101
5.9

Indep
clause
s/
sent
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
2
0
1
1
1
18

Dep
clause
s/
sent
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2

Prep
phras
es/
sent

other
modif/
sent

1.06

.12

.29

0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

Syntax
Helping students deal with information overload
English sentences are hierarchically organized, so
-teach students to focus their attention on
the head noun of the subject, the main
verb, completer, and conjunctions.
-modifiers add extra (less important)
information
The Drake stopped at Alexandria, Bengasi, Tripoli,
Tunis and Algiers, passed the Rock of Gibraltar and
turned north up the coast of Portugal.
The Drake stopped at Alexandria, Bengasi, Tripoli,
Tunis and Algiers, passed the Rock of Gibraltar
and turned north up the coast of Portugal.

Syntax
Helping students deal with information overload
English sentences are hierarchically organized, so
-teach students to focus their attention on
the head noun of the subject, the main
verb, completer, and conjunctions.
-modifiers add extra (less important)
information
Horses were unknown in North America until the
1500s, when Spanish explorers began arriving.
Horses were unknown in North America until the
1500s, when Spanish explorers began arriving.

Syntax strategy
Carrier and
Tatum
(2006)
Sentence Walls

Morphology = the study of word formation

What teachers need to know
inflectional morphemes (do not change PoS)
in English, only suffixes
on nouns: plural marker (-s, -es), possessive
(-s, -s)
on verbs: tense and aspect markers(-ed, -en,
-ing)
present tense, singular subject
marker (-s)
on adj: degree markers (-er, -est)
derivational morphemes (change PoS and/or meaning)
in English, prefixes and suffixes
re-, auto-, ex-, un-, dis-, mis-, co-, de-, pre-,
in/im/ir/il-, etc

Affixes in ELL students writing

Example

Many students consideration how to choosing

e
words but lacking sufficiently
knowledgeable
in
.
y of vocabularies
contextual.
Inflectional
affixes
-s, -ies (plurality)
-ing (progressive)
-s (possession)
-s (3rd sing verb)
-ed (past tense)
-en (participle)

Derivational affixes
-ation (verb to noun)
-ly (adjective to
adverb)
-able (noun to
adjective)
-ual (noun to
adjective)

Affixes in ELL students writing

Examples
Some crimes, such as hi jack and rob
are conducted using Airsoft guns.
hijacking and robbery

It accurately point_ that lots of

farmlands losing is one factor which
led to food lacking around the world.
points out, farmland, loss, a lack of food (or food
shortage)

Affixes in literary fiction

The man doesnt usually have time
to watch television, so it takes him a
while to find a show hes interested
in, but when he eventually does find
one he sits rapt, his cereal forgotten,
for a very, very, very long time. In
fact, it lasts all day. It is five oclock
before the main character finally
leaves his job and heads home,
prompting the credits to roll.

Affixes in literary fiction

The man doesnt usually have time
to watch television, so it takes him a
while to find a show hes interested
in, but when he eventually does find
one he sits rapt, his cereal forgotten,
for a very, very, very long time. In
fact, it lasts all day. It is five oclock
before the main character finally
leaves his job and heads home,
prompting the credits to roll.

Affixes in occupational writing

The approach permitting process and
the access management planning
process can be time consuming. To
support the states economy while
maintaining support for the safety
and economic benefits represented
in Access Management, it is
important to get decisions made as
quickly and efficiently as possible.

Affixes in occupational writing

The approach permitting process and
the access management planning
process can be time consuming. To
support the states economy while
maintaining support for the safety
and economic benefits represented
in Access Management, it is
important to get decisions made as
quickly and efficiently as possible.
Oregon Access Management Manual

Morphology / affixes in your class materials

Choose a page from your course materials that
your students should read independently. Select
about 100 words if possible.
Circle the inflectional affixes.
Put a box around the derivational affixes.
Make a list for each type.
baseearlier
pluralgrades/levels,
poss
verb
verb
verb
verb adj suffix
adj
For
make
a grammar
-s
-s
-ed
-ing
-en
-s
er
-est
chart
flower flower

plant
plant

s
plants

For upper
tall

Verbs
contribute
prepare
survive

plants

plante plantin
d
g make a
grades/levels,

Nouns
Adjectives
contribution

preparation

survivor

culture
cultural
method
methodical
period
periodical

plant

s
word
forms chart

taller
tallest
Adverbs

culturally
methodically
periodically

Order of Acquisition of Grammatical

Morphemes
ELLs (of various
Native English speakers
L1s)
present prog ing

plural s
present progressive ing (mommy running)
copula BE
plural s (two books)
irregular past forms (baby went)
auxiliary BE
possessive s (daddys hat)
articles the and a
copula BE (Annie is happy)
irregular past
articles the and a
forms
regular past ed (she walked)
regular past ed
3rd singular simple present -s (she runs) rd
3 singular
auxiliary BE (he is coming)
present s
possessive s
Brown and many others (1960s-70s) Krashens summary

Grammar
The appropriate choice of word forms and function
words for a syntactic construction.
Once students can use the basic syntax of English,
the biggest challenge is correct morphological form
and selection of certain function words
(prepositions, pronouns, articles, helping verbs).
I was started to learning Chinese writing when I was 6
years-old boy.

I started to learn Chinese writing when I was a 6

year-old boy.

Grammar as Phonology, Morphology, and Syntax

The meaning and syntax of a noun calls for the plural
morpheme s.
or the meaning and syntax of a verb calls for the 3rd person
singular s.
The pronunciation of the
noun or verb.

s depends on the final sound of the root

In groups, develop a rule (actually three rules)

that tell when to use each pronunciation of -s
If the root noun or verb ends in [s, sh, ch], use [z]
a voiced sound, use [z]
an unvoiced sound, use [s]

The meaning and syntax calls for the past tense morpheme
ed.
The pronunciation of the
root verb.

ed depends on the final sound of the

In groups, develop a rule (actually three rules)

that tell when to use each pronunciation of ed.

Analyzing and Describing ELLs Grammar

Proficiency vs. Deficiency
Error vs. Mistake
Goal
Discuss what you have noticed about the
learners performance in English. Describe
different features of his/her language use (e.g.,
aspects of phonology, morphology and syntax).
Make sure that you evaluate aspects of oracy
(listening and speaking) and literacy (reading
and writing). Provide specific examples from the
students language sample to support your
assertions.

ELL writing: Literacy Autobiography

In my earliest memorize, I was writing begin when I was in
primary school. At that time, we just write some basic things
such as explain our hometown or your family. As time goes on,
when I was just get in high school, my writing of logical and
organization become better. On that time the teacher begins
give us some deeply topic to write.
Language issues
Verb forms: past prog (simple pres), begin (began), write (wrote),
goes (went), get (getting), become (became), begins (began),
give (to give)
Other word forms: explain (an explanation of), writing of
(writings), logical (logic), deeply (deep), topic (topics)
Syntax:
verb and completer: I was writing begin (I began writing), to
write (to write about)
Pronouns: your (our)
Prepositions: On (At)
Spelling: memorize (memories)

Analysis of your own ELL students writing

1. Begin with a few sentences (50 words?)
2. Make a list of grammatical issues
3. Affix complexity (number of correct inflectional and
derivational affixes)
4. Syntax (sentence length and structure)
5. Describe strengths and problems not captured in 2-4 (i.e.
vocab).
6. Analyze additional section.
Is it consistent? Add new issues to above lists.