After searching quite awhile for a simple vocabulary program that studies roots, suffixes, and prefixes to use with my daughter, I believe I've finally found it. I didn't want just a workbook program.

Vocabulary through Morphemes consists of a hefty teacher's guide with lesson plans and a list of games and activities for your student, a CD-ROM with teaching pages for the student's notebook, and a blackline masters packet. The blackline masters' packet includes practice pages for each lesson, assessments, and game masters for the program. Although the program is written for classroom use, it is easily adaptable for homeschool use.

So what are morphemes you ask? They are Greek, Latin, and Anglo-Saxon prefixes, suffixes, and roots used to build English words. Through Ebbers' program, students learn to analyze the structure of words by identifying its prefixes, suffixes, and roots. Using context clues and the meaning of the word's morphemes, the student is able to deduce the meaning of the word. Because students break down the words into chunks, it can help improve reading skills. Spelling rules are also reviewed.

Since each lesson builds upon previous ones, you'll want to follow the sequence of lessons in the book. Vocabulary through Morphemes begins with studying suffixes, because often the suffix changes the part of speech. Next, students will study prefixes, which change the flavor of words more than any other morpheme. Finally students learn common roots and combine them wit previously learned prefixes and suffixes.

Ebbers suggests spending 20 minutes a day teaching one new morpheme each day. The entire program should take about a year to complete at this rate. You are not aiming for mastery of each vocabulary word, but for understanding of the prefix, suffix, or root taught. The program has built in review of each morpheme.

My favorite extra activity is the Pictoscripts. The Pictoscript master has four blank boxes to be used for illustrations, plus space to write about each illustration. There are several ways to use it, but the one that caught my eye is where students invent four new words suing their knowledge of morphemes. They draw a picture of each new word then write a sentence that illustrates the mean of the word and explains their drawing. The example provided includes the word "aquaphone," shows a picture of a diver using a telephone under water. The sample sentence says, "Deep-sea divers are excited about the new invention of the aquaphone."

So how could you use this program in your homeschool? Since it is written for grades 4-8, you could spread the program out to take a few years. Or you could go through it in one year, then review often. Because some of the games and activities work better in a group setting, I can see this program being used in a homeschool co-op class with moms teaching it at home, then spending time together playing the games. Also, since it encompasses several grade levels, you could teach it to several children in your home at once.

I am quite impressed with Vocabulary through Morphemes and cannot wait to use it with my daughter!



-- Product Review by: Dawn King, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine