Word Detectives: Morphological Instruction That Supports Academic Language

This study describes an intervention that uses morphology to support word learning within comprehension instruction of content-specific texts. The intervention is detailed such that the morphological understandings used to support word choice and word learning activities are clear and can be replicated by researchers and educators. Six main components that contributed to the intervention's success were identified including teaching students about comprehension strategies; teaching students about morphological problem-solving (i.e., word-solving); having students read and code use of strategies within text; sharing of main understandings on a visual; reinforcing learning through games; and including closure that reviewed and applied learning to different academic domains. This learning was fit within research-based comprehension strategy instruction and also within the Common Core Standards movement. Implications for instruction and research are shared.