The morphosyntactic analysis assignment focuses on identifying morphological and syntactic writing errors that are often influenced by the writer’s (First Language Learner) L1. Often these errors impede reading comprehension of the writer’s message. Without understanding of (Second Language Acquisition) SLA, morphology and syntax, (Second Language Learner) L2 writing errors could be mistaken for a learning disability, dyslexia, or a processing disorder. As ESL master teachers, it is important to practice identifying these errors, to explain why they occur and to recommend strategies that could support the L2 writer in improving writing skills in English.
On this page, you will find a) Scaffolded Analysis Worksheet, b) the Morphosyntactic Guidelines Template, and c) the table to summarize your analysis of learner errors. You will also find a pdf ( also available in course resources) of the Swan book that organizes each chapter by language in order to describe typical English learner errors found with speakers of that language.
Report Guidelines for Morphosyntactic Analysis
Format. 5-6 pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman or Calibri, 12pt, APA 7th edition (title page, reference page & appendices are expected but not included in page count). Use running head. No Abstract.
Outline: The report includes the following parts:
Introduction
Procedure of Grammatical Analysis
Identification and Interpretation of Grammatical Challenges Instructional Recommendations
Conclusion
References
Appendices
Appendix A: Morphosyntactic Analysis Table (see MS Table revised SU2023)
Appendix B: Individual Writing Sample (color-coded as in the scaffolding) with the following six pages: Corpus (word count and content/function); Noun Phrases; Verb Phrases; Other parts of speech, sentences & orthography (see CW09 Analysis Scaffolding Revised SU2023)
Introduction to Grammatical Analysis
Describe the purpose of the grammatical analysis and summarize the project. Provide imagined (or compiled) demographic information about the multilingual learner (ML), such as gender, L1, school grade or adult learner, and a brief descriiption of the ML’s English language proficiency level. To do this, choose a writing rubric from either WIDA, CEFR, IELTS, or LINCs and match your ML’s writing with a proficiency level from your selected framework. In your descriiption, compare the ML’s writing (both grammatical and ungrammatical aspects) with rubric level’s descriiption.
Procedure for Grammatical Analysis
In one or two well-constructed paragraphs, describe the procedure for analyzing this ML’s use of morphosyntactic structures as evidenced in the writing samples. In other words, describe the steps taken to identify the ML’s difficulties in writing meaningful and grammatical sentences. This descriiption includes step-by-step actions, such as making multiple copies of the samples, color-coding different parts of speech, counting, charting onto the table, identifying patterns, etc.
Identification and Interpretation of this ML’s Grammatical Challenges
Briefly summarize all difficulties this ML experienced when writing this sample in English (as evidenced in your analysis). All difficulties include mechanics, such as punctuation and spelling.
Next, prioritize 2 of the most significant morphosyntactic difficulties. Choose only morphological and syntactical errors that most impede meaningful communication. Do not choose punctuation. For each error, explain why it is morphological or syntactic. Provide examples of the error pattern and include actual numbers of occurrences and usage errors from the analysis table. (The Morphosyntactic Analysis Table template is provided on the Canvas guidelines page).
Instructional Recommendations
Having named the two (2) difficulties related to morphology and/or syntax, now provide an age-appropriate learning outcome for each challenge area.
Based on what you have described so far, provide a detailed descriiption of at least one instructional activity that addresses each morpho/syntactic error pattern (2 errors total). One or two activities per error is recommended, so that the total number of recommendations is between 2 – 4.
Measuring Progress
Based on the language learning outcomes identified for instruction, briefly summarize how to measure your ML’s writing progress toward the language learning outcomes. Explain exactly how your assessments will inform you of your ML’s writing progress regarding the specific morpho/syntactic challenges that you have highlighted.
Implications for Teaching
To conclude your report, respond in detail to the following prompt: How will your morphosyntactic analysis influence your approach to teaching and assessing language development for multilingual learners?
Appendices
Morphosyntactic Analysis Table
Writing Sample (color-coded as in the scaffolding)
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