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This article explores primary school teachers' views and practices in literacy instruction to support students' word knowledge development. This study provides insights into how primary school teachers with a deep interest in literacy understand and apply the literacy strategies they employ in their classrooms, and how previous professional development has influenced and contributes to their practice. Drawing from semi-structured interviews with six expert teachers, as well as classroom observations, the results highlight rich metalinguistic learning journeys. Themes generated from the data include: use of a range of tools and strategies to support students' linguistic understanding brought about by impactful professional development experiences; use of a range of assessment techniques to drive instruction; and a supportive mentoring culture for teachers' development of word knowledge. The findings suggest that experienced teachers recognise that English language learning can be a complex process, especially when it comes to the written form. Therefore, it was evident that the interrelationship of phonology, orthography, morphology and etymology played a crucial role in teaching for understanding of the language and its structure. This article highlights the importance of four linguistic elements and their role on learning English in the primary classroom, particularly in the context of spelling, writing and reading development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hebrew word מִכְתָּם creates a problem because the meaning is controversy. The Hebrew lexicon, BDB (1906) and TWOT lexicon (2003), confirm this difficulty, saying, "the meaning of this word is unknown." PONS Kompaktwörterbuch Althebräisch (2015) records that this word is untranslated, while the other sources translate as song, prayer, or epigram. Allen P. Ross (2012:48), a Hebrew scholar, indicates that its meaning is disputed. Ibn Ezra (Strickman 2009:112) interprets that this word refers to a very precious Psalm. He compares with ketem paz or the finest gold in Song of Songs 5:11 because both words are derived from the same root. This perplexity also occurs in ancient texts as they differ in their translations. This article, therefore, attempts to study and solve this dilemmatic word in ancient texts with textual criticism of its methodology. This study argues that the word מִכְתָּם is not only different in translation, but also the concept in ancient texts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the early 1960s, as she was attempting to complete Losing Battles , Eudora Welty began work on her only children's book, The Shoe Bird. Familial and financial difficulties, including her mother's failing health and the need for a new roof for the Welty house, prompted her to write the book for the promise of a $5000 advance from Harcourt, Brace and World. Due to the poor reception it received from some reviewers and the doubts Welty herself expressed about its quality, The Shoe Bird often remains overlooked and undervalued as a part of Welty's collected works. This essay is to reassess the significance of The Shoe Bird in relation to Welty's personal life and literary career by examining her correspondence related to The Shoe Bird alongside the first and second typescript drafts of the text. This study reveals a more complete and complex narrative of the crafting of the book, a journey that complements the children's story itself as they both reflect a struggle for freedom found through the power of language to prompt curiosity, courage, understanding, and love. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spelling gains were examined when spelling patterns were taught to Arabic adult ELLs in two interventions. The first intervention utilised an explicit wordstudy technique in isolation of meaningful reading tasks. Participants sorted discovery words; deduced, read about and discussed the spelling patterns; brainstormed words that followed the target patterns; and used the target patterns in writing meaningful sentences. The second intervention engaged participants with meaningful reading-comprehension tasks that contained the target patterns heavily embedded within the reading passages to foster incidental learning of the patterns. Participants subsequently followed the same word-study technique which was used in the first intervention. Pre- and posttest results demonstrated that both interventions led to meaningful gains in spelling achievement. The gains were comparable for both interventions. The results call for comprehensive inclusion of explicit teaching of the English orthographic spelling patterns within curriculums - a practice that is not typically emphasised with ELLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complexities of words in different subject areas increase as students transition from elementary school to middle school. Although most secondary school readers can read monosyllabic words, many other older readers have difficulty with reading multisyllabic words because of their poor phonological and morphological skills. Explicit word‐reading instruction, focused on syllabic and morphemic analyses of multisyllabic words, therefore should be considered for advancing older struggling readers' word‐reading skills. Results from word‐reading interventions have shown that analyses of syllables and morphemes in multisyllabic words advance older struggling readers' phonological and morphological skills. Proficiency in recognizing syllables and morphemes in multisyllabic words then promotes older struggling readers' accurate reading of complex words. Therefore, reading instruction for struggling older readers should focus on using syllable and morpheme analyses for promoting their multisyllabic word reading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This department column is a venue for thoughtful discussions of contemporary issues dealing with policy and practice, remixed in ways that generate new insights into enduring dilemmas, debates, and controversies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphological awareness-knowledge of roots and affixes within language and their interactions with one another to create multitudes of words-is arguably a skill requiring extended study beyond the elementary grades. With the rigors of contemporary curriculum that gradually guide students into college and career readiness-and, essentially, into literate citizenship-enhanced morphological awareness derived from specific study within a secondary curriculum is imperative for adolescents and, by extension, adult learners. This article outlines various facets of enhanced morphological awareness among adolescent learners, arguing its place as a necessary skill set to be included within a developmentally appropriate secondary curriculum. Theoretical bases for such skill development can be found in the aspects of both schema theory and psycholinguistic theory, and its development has also been justified in other related literature. These foundations manifest themselves in relevant classroom strategies that can enhance adolescents' literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to document the impact of an instructional approach, Word Study, on adults' spelling and reading. Forty-nine adults enrolled in ESL classes at a community-based site in the United States from January through May and were tested on the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System, the Elementary Spelling Inventory and the Developmental Spelling Analysis. This study employed a mixed-methodology including statistical and qualitative analyses. The results showed significant growth for the adult students on their spelling and reading scores and positive response to the intervention. Reasons for why this approach is valuable to educators are addressed in the discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]