Morphological awareness—knowledge of roots and affixes within language and their interactions with one another to create multitudes of words—is arguably a skill requiring extended study beyond the elementary grades. With the rigors of contemporary curriculum that gradually guide students into college and career readiness—and, essentially, into literate citizenship—enhanced morphological awareness derived from specific study within a secondary curriculum is imperative for adolescents and, by extension, adult learners. This article outlines various facets of enhanced morphological awareness among adolescent learners, arguing its place as a necessary skill set to be included within a developmentally appropriate secondary curriculum. Theoretical bases for such skill development can be found in the aspects of both schema theory and psycholinguistic theory, and its development has also been justified in other related literature. These foundations manifest themselves in relevant classroom strategies that can enhance adolescents’ literacy.

No abstract