How To: Morpheme Brainstorm & Flashcards

• Lesson Objective: Use inquiry to develop shared definitions of targeted morphemes.

• Grouping:  Whole-group

• Methodology: A list of words are projected with the targeted morpheme. Students are guided students to identify the morpheme through inquiry. Once identified, the list is expanded collaboratively. Flashcards with definitions, examples, and visuals are created. The brainstorm list is revisited to confirm each word includes the morpheme.

• Duration: Entire 45-minute period

From Blank Page to Brainwave!

Each unit begins in a similar way: a brainstorm followed by flashcard creation. Brainstorming is effective because it activates prior knowledge, encourages creative thinking, and builds engagement. It helps students make connections between what they already know and new material, making learning more meaningful. Collaborative brainstorming also fosters a sense of ownership and community, allowing students to learn from one another. It’s a low-stakes way to generate ideas, build confidence, and promote deeper processing before moving into more structured tasks.

🖍 How the Routine Works

I begin by projecting a blank Morpheme Brainstorm chart. It's not prepopulated as students

Sample brainstorm after checking for understanding.

enjoy guessing the morpheme with as few clues as possible. I reference my morpheme word banks, found on each unit's Interactive Guide to guide the examples. Some days I'm terrible at thinking on the spot! At the beginning of the year it will take students five or more words to guess, but by midyear, they often guess the word part within one or two words—a rewarding sign of progress in pattern recognition.

Once the morpheme is correctly identified, students contribute additional words to expand the list. Even incorrect guesses are noted and revisited after we define the morpheme, encouraging risk-taking and refining understanding.

Next, we create a flashcard: the morpheme goes on the front; the back includes the

Sample flashcards. The morphemes are written on the front.

definition, part of speech, examples, and a visual. These are stored in individual baggies in student folders for ongoing review. Pro Tip: I create flashcards along with the students. I keep one in my personal flashcard baggie and the rest I save for absent students or to replace lost cards.

Finally, we return to the brainstormed list to confirm that all words include the targeted morpheme, reinforcing that morphemes carry meaning—not just letters. For instance, “pretty” may look like it includes pre-, but it doesn’t relate to “before,” so it doesn’t belong. Of course, it goes without saying, be gentle in making corrections, especially in the beginning of the year. I usually say something like, "Ah, I can see why you'd think of that word but..." We call the incorrect words "trickster" words to keep it light.

Repeat this process for all morphemes! We add parts of speech to the flashcards and brainstorm after that has been taught. I'll update this post at that time!

Check out the Interactive Unit Guides to see how this lesson fits within each unit. There, you’ll find links to the unit-specific Word Lists. Note that the Morpheme Brainstorm Template includes the frame for introducing derivation suffixes. We won't dive into that until after the parts of speech unit.