LAN1060: Grammar, Spelling & Vocabulary – Key Take-aways

Grammar in the WA Curriculum (SCSA)

• Explicit grammar content embedded across strands (Language, Literature, Literacy)
• Codes identify content descriptors (e.g. $[WA7ELALA2]$) for planning and assessment
• Functional grammar approach endorsed; link grammar to text purpose, audience, context

Approaches to Grammar

• Traditional (prescriptive): rule-based, decontextualised, prioritises written form
• Functional (descriptive): meaning-focused, context-based, embraces language variation & change

Guiding Principles for Teaching Grammar

• Begin with authentic examples before definitions
• Model both correct & incorrect forms for analysis
• Provide explicit explanations connected to prior knowledge
• Embed practice tasks within meaningful texts
• Give timely, accurate feedback based on informed diagnosis

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria

• Short, student-friendly statements of what will be learned & done
• Share at lesson start to reduce cognitive load and aid formative assessment
• Most effective when paired with clear success criteria
• Example (Yr 7 autobiography): focus on consistent verb tense across past, present, future

Vocabulary Development

What students must know:

1. Code (spelling–sound links)
2. Meaning
3. Pronunciation
4. Spelling
5. Appropriate usage

Effective strategies:

• Teacher modelling in context
• Word charts, lists, "word of the week"
• Synonym/antonym activities & thesaurus use
• Student-generated word collections & games (Boggle, Scrabble, Word Bingo, My Word!, Anagrams, Tom Swifties)
• Regular dictionary practice

English Spelling Essentials

• Apparent irregularities stem from diverse language origins
• $50\%$ of words: phoneme–grapheme rules alone
• Additional $34\%$: one predictable error if sound-based only → $84\%$ largely regular
• Key knowledge domains:
  • Graphophonic (sound–symbol patterns)
  • Morphological (roots, prefixes, suffixes)
  • Etymological (word origins)
  • Consonant/vowel patterns

Active learning foci:

• Doubling consonants
• Dropping/keeping silent $e$ when adding suffixes
• Systematic spelling lists drawn from texts, errors, curriculum terms, high-frequency "demons"

Morphology & Etymology

• Morphology = structure & formation of words (root + affixes)
• Word matrices help visualise possible combinations
• Common Latin & Greek roots/prefixes (e.g. $ambi$, $contra$, $bio$, $-itis$)
• Teaching morphology boosts decoding, spelling, and vocabulary depth

Assessment & Professional Reflection

• Explore Years $7$-$10$ scope on SCSA site for alignment
• Use PETAA resources for functional grammar support
• Reflect on 3 key take-aways & AITSL Graduate Standards $1.2$ and $2.1$