For this assignment, I interviewed first grader Isaac, and his sister Anna, who is in the third grade. Both attend Crossroads Park Elementary. I asked them the following question, "What is a compound word?" I was curious as to how they would answer the question, and if I would get the same response from both.
When I asked Isaac the question, he didn't say anything. After a few seconds of silence, I asked him if he knew the answer. He said "no". I told him I was going to give him two words and asked him to tell me something about them. I said "newspaper" and "firehouse". He then responded with, "One word would be fire and one word is house". I told him this was correct and explained to him they are compound words.
I then asked his sister Anna the same question. She responded by saying, "I don't know." I then gave her the examples of "ladybug" and "eyebrow". She responded with, "Two different words that are put together to make one word". I told her she just gave me the definition of a compound word.
When asked this question, both Anna and Isaac seemed genuinely confused. Only after giving them examples were they able to tell me more about the word, but still unable to make the connection that the words they heard are in fact compound words. I honestly wasn't that surprised when hearing their answers. I would imagine both of them use compound words on a regular basis without knowing the technical term.
With Anna being in the third grade, this is a lesson she should have already had in an earlier grade. Isaac, on the other hand, may have not had this lesson yet. When thinking about the hurdles students may have had, or moving forward while learning this concept, I believe the students would need to have a vast range of vocabulary in order to put the two together. Students would also need to learn this concept in a way that is mentally engaging so that it stays with them for future lessons and application.
If I were going to teach this lesson, I would start by having examples of the words written on the board. I would then ask specific students to read the words out loud. Next I would ask the students if anyone knows what is unique/different about these words. I would engage the class as a whole, prompting them with questions to help them arrive at the definition of a compound word. The students would then be paired up and given a bag that contains cut outs of single words. With their partner, the students would be instructed to put together as many words as they can. As they are working, I would walk around the classroom, helping any pair who may be struggling. After the students have enough time to practice, I would pull everyone together to discuss the words they put together.
Engaging the students and giving them time to arrive at the definition themselves would help them retain that information more than had I just given it to them. Having them work in pairs is also a great way for them to work with others and build off of what their peers know.
It was interesting that Anna did not know the definition when asked. I suppose I wouldn't expect Isaac to know it, but I would expect a third grader to. Yet, they could both identify what a compound word is, just not define it. I enjoyed reading your instructional approach and allowing them to work with it on their own after some group instruction. I appreciate that you would let them work in pairs while you walk around to ensure things are going well, and then you bring them back to process and synthesize as a whole group. I think it's important for students to not only know what a compund word is by definition, but also be able to identify ones in context.
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