ACT and SAT word analysis Part 1

 “Spelling is a multifaceted process that requires the mastery of many skills. It involves the ability to recognize, recall, reproduce, or obtain orally or in written form the correct sequence of letters in words” (Graham, 1983; pg. 561. See Graham & Miller, 1979). There is a finite number of resources that can unlock the mastery of over 98% of our words in the American English language and this acquisition is a true gift! Thus, one tool that I consistently discuss in my blogs is the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary 11th edition, which is a dependable, though underutilized, resource in English Language Arts (ELA) classrooms. Ideally, ELA goals include teaching the fundamental aspects of linguistics among all students and “the developing use of a dictionary has the potential to provide self-teaching opportunities to improve reading, spelling, and general phonological skills (Beech, 2004, pg. 19). Therefore, when considering the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary 11th edition as a tool to explore vocabulary (i.e., ACT & SAT words), there are a few points that relate to the Four-Part Processing Model (Seidenberg & McClelland, 1989), which illustrates how students read or identify words. 

Part 1 

For the lower-level processors (i.e., orthographic & phonological), Moats (2020) asserts “one can use phonic or dictionary symbols to transcribe the phonetic properties of words, but the disadvantage of such a phonic representation system is that many speech sounds must then be presented with letter combinations…” (pg. 32). We will be analyzing the word arduous on page 65 in the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary 11th edition. The phonetic transcription isˈär-jə-wəs

Quotefancy 2022

 

1st sound 

2nd sound 

3rd sound 

4th sound 

5th sound 

Phonemes

 

/j/

/ə/

 

/wə/

 

 

Graphemes

ar

d

u

ou

s 

These points address what we hear and see when using the dictionary’s phonetic symbols (i.e., less than dark print or pronunciation):

  • There are five phonemes, which are represented by a letter or combination of letters. 

  •  The primary stress is on the first syllable, ar-

  •  The 3rd most common way to spell the sound /j/ is with the letter d. 

o   In Latin based words, the d makes the /j/ sound when followed by the letter u.

  • The schwa is a complex sound as there are various vowel spelling combinations (i.e., u). 

  • The 7th most common way to spell the sound /wə/ is with the letters ou as in strenuous. 

o   In addition, the English letter [w] cannot be voiced as a single phoneme because it is a labio-velar approximant phonetic sound (i.e., a type of consonantal sound) that involves two places of constriction - a rounding of the lips and raising of the back of the tongue. Further, an approximant “are sounds that are made in such a way that one articulator is close to another without narrowing the vocal tract to create the friction necessary to be a fricative” (Yavas, 1998, pg 19).

  • The word has three syllables organized: Vowel-R (i.e., R-Controlled); Open and Closed.  

  • There are five phonemes, which are represented by seven single letters or combination of letters

After students have been exposed to the lower-level processors, it is time to explore both meaning and context processors.  

Part 2 

As I discussed in earlier blogs, at this stage, students are then exposed to multiple meanings of the vocabulary word, which strengthens the meaning processor through accessing the dictionary definitions.  

Analyzing the Latin word, we can identify the base is arduus “meaning high, steep, difficult akin to OIr I ard high” (pg. 65*). The suffix -ous is located on page 660*. By equipping students with this type of instruction, they gain fundamental linguistic knowledge through critically analyzing words. As Eide (2012) asserts “learning these tools also develops logic and higher-order thinking skills” (pg. 15), which is necessary to master vocabulary across different content as well as on ACT/SAT.

Point 3

Therefore, when we critically reflect on the word’s definition and consider all the elements learned, we can put the word into perspective (i.e., context) with the following activity. 

Direction: Read the sentence and write a definition or synonym for the word. Use contexts clue to help you determine the words meaning. 

Sentence: The student experienced a long and arduous exercise training program. 

Can you use the word in a sentence? 

Next blog May 30th! 

References

Beech, J. R. (2004). Using a dictionary: Its influence on children's reading, spelling, and phonology. Reading Psychology, 25(1), 19-36.

Eide, D. (2011). Uncovering the Logic of English: A Common-Sense Solution to America's Literacy Crisis. Logic of English, Inc.

Graham, S. (1983). Effective spelling instruction. The Elementary School Journal, 83(5), 560-567.

Graham, S., & Miller, L. (1979). Spelling research and practice: a unified approach. Focus on Exceptional Children, 12, 1–16.

* Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary 11th edition

Moats, L. C. (2020). Speech to Print. Language Essentials for Teachers. Paul H.

Seidenberg, M. S., & McClelland, J. L. (1989). A distributed, developmental model of word recognition and naming. Psychological Review, 96(4), 523–568. 

Yavas, M. S. (1998). Phonology: Development and disorders. Singular Publishing Group.

 

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