- Definition
It's knowing how word parts, like prefixes or suffixes, can be put together to make new words or change their meaning.
Knowing that adding '-s' to 'cat' makes it mean 'more than one cat' shows morphological knowledge.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: Think of word parts like Lego bricks — you can add a small piece like '-s' to a word to change its meaning.
Ask your child: What happens to the word 'jump' when we add '-ing' at the end?
Common mix-up: Kids may think words are just single units to be memorized. The key is to see that words are often built from smaller, meaningful parts.
Examples
- Understanding that '-ed' on 'walk' means it happened in the past.
- Recognizing that 'play' is the main part in the words 'plays,' 'played,' and 'playing'.
morphological knowledge is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗
