Greek and Latin roots are sometimes the evil stepsister of vocab. Middle schools that use the Common Core (or any variation of it) must teach affixes, but high schools aren't required to, even though it’s valid vocabulary building. Affixes don't initially look glamorous to students, either; at first glance, affixes seem boring (a.k.a. memorization), and teachers are wary of how to teach them well (without just lecture and flash cards). Therefore, instead of viewing affixes as literary molecules - the building blocks to like, everything - classes often just go through the motions (or worse, ignore them completely). But what if you could teach prefixes, roots, and suffixes in a small amount of time, with higher student buy-in? Truth be told, I’ve done the full spectrum of bad to good with affix instruction: not enough of it, too much of it, successful flipped classroom, unsuccessful flipped classroom, too much in isolation, etc. Finally, I’ve got a balance that I’m happy with and that is starting to raise student awareness of the words they encounter while reading. Here's what that process currently looks like in our classroom. Yes, pretests are dry, but here’s the fun part: when my seventh graders bombed their pretest, they realized that they really DO need this instruction, and now they’re open to learning more about it. There are no egos in the way, and more students are willing to learn. (Steal my editable pretest here.) Side note: No, I don’t want students to fail or take a hit to their self-esteem… but many older teens and tweens assume they know or remember content that they do not. Next, we built flip books that contained essential lists of affixes AND practice for EACH chunk of them. Students rotated through stations to do things like… Complete the pages in their flipbooks Practice listing words that USE each affix Talk through how they could remember each one Play with a premade Quizlet set Pick up pre-made flash cards and start quizzing each other Yes, repetition is necessary, but practice can come from more than just index cards. Once students start to have a handle on some affixes, it’s time to do something creative (alongside your method of memorization) to make sure these meanings really stick. Start with an intermediate activity like this FREE puzzle challenge! The application level will look different, depending on your grade level and the extent of your students’ mastery. Here are a few ideas: Mixed Levels of Readiness: My 10-pack of application activities for affixes contains easier activities for students who are still acquiring roots AND more challenging ones for students who are ready, including pages about test prep and Harry Potter! (Try one for FREE here.) Embedded into Vocabulary: Start noticing the roots, prefixes, and suffixes in the vocabulary you assess elsewhere in your class. For example, in my Word of the Day program, we identify at least one affix and/or the language of origin for each word. Delve into REAL Latin: Don’t run from this idea! Do your students know common “English” phrases that are actually Latin, such as ad lib, per se, nota bene, pro bono, pro tempore, and status quo? If not, then maybe it’s time to build literacy with these common phrases. The REAL payoff... ...will come in that cute moment when a student raises her hand because she’s just noticed an affix in the text… or when a reluctant reader correctly zeroes in on what “agribusiness” means in a nonfiction article because he knows that “agri” means “farming”... or when a class tells you that they saw a root in their Science class and knew what the word meant. If students don’t get these affixes from us now, they never will, and it’s one of the best literacy graduation gifts we can give them. You Might Also Like... Tips and Activities for Teaching Vocabulary by Presto Plans Word Up Vocabulary Graphic Organizers by Tracee Orman
Greek and Latin roots are the "building blocks" of English and form a powerful framework to nurture students' vocabulary development.
Did you know over 60% of the words in the English language are derived from Greek and Latin roots? Learning about word roots is one of the quickest, most effective ways to boost a child's vocabulary. In this blog post I will share several ways you can seamlessly incorporate teaching about Greek and Latin roots into your daily instruction! Before we begin, though, let's quickly go over WHY it is so important to have your students become familiar with Greek and Latin Roots. Here are just a few reasons: Great way to build vocabulary: let's start out with the obvious! By learning the most common Greek and Latin roots, your students are on their way to cultivating impressive vocabularies. Your students will also practice making connections between different words- once they know the meaning of one root, it will unlock the meaning of many different words! Improved spelling: studying roots helps students learn similar letter patterns. By being exposed to these patterns repeatedly, they will improve their spelling. The ELL advantage: many Greek and Latin roots are also cognates in English and Spanish. By highlighting the meanings of different roots, you will be greatly helping out your ELL students! Increased understanding of informational text: If you thought it was amazing that 60% of English words are derived from Greek and Latin roots, check this out- that number JUMPS when you look at scientific and technical terms! Over 90% of subject-specific words are derived from Greek and Latin. Once your students start learning the meanings of all the different roots, their comprehension of informational text will skyrocket! If you've been struggling with ways to incorporate learning about Greek and Latin roots during your instructional time, here are 3 low- or no-prep suggestions that you could use in your classroom TODAY: 1. Whole Group- Root of the Day There are many ways to implement a "Root of the Day" in your classroom. Here are a few ideas I've used in the past: Display a root and discuss it during your morning meeting or at the beginning of your ELA block. (Who has seen this word root before? Can you think of any words that use this word root?) Have students keep a journal. Each day they can add the new word root and a list of words featuring that root. Have a friendly competition! Display a word root and have students try to find words with that root throughout the day. Provide a small incentive to the winner (such as picking out the next GoNoodle video)!This is such an easy way to make sure your students are exposed to Greek and Latin roots! I've put together a FREE set of Greek and Latin roots posters to help you get your Root of the Day routine started. Sign up below to grab them! Send it my way!Powered By ConvertKit 2. Center- Graphic Organizer Have you considered incorporating a Greek and Latin Roots center to your rotations? It's simple to set up- all you need are dictionaries (if using an online dictionary- Collins is my go-to!) and some graphic organizers. You can grab a FREE Greek and Latin Roots graphic organizer from my TpT store! My favorite centers are the kind that I don't have to change out week after week. Imagine all the new words students will learn as they vist this center every week! 3. Independent- Boom Cards The best way to familiarize students with Greek and Latin roots is to expose them to the different roots as much as possible. A great way for students to dig deeper into word roots is with Boom Cards! Never heard of Boom Cards? Check out this page for more information. Boom Cards are highly interactive, digital, self-checking task cards. You can assign different Boom "decks" to your students and even receive reports on how they did! Students love Boom Cards and will play the decks over and over again, which is perfect for providing that exposure to Greek and Latin roots! My Greek and Latin Roots Boom Card decks each feature 6 Greek and Latin roots. Students learn the meanings of each root, and then sort words based on the different roots. At the end of the deck there is a quick vocabulary check and even an open-ended response, so you can see exactly what your students have learned after completing the deck. You can find out more (and even preview the deck) by clicking on each link below: Greek and Latin Roots Volume 1 Greek and Latin Roots Volume 2 Greek and Latin Roots Volume 3 Greek and Latin Roots Volume 4 You can also save 30% by purchasing all 4 decks in the Greek and Latin Boom Cards Bundle: Click HERE to see the bundle on Boom Learning Click HERE to see the bundle on TpT How will you incorporate Greek and Latin roots into your daily instruction?
Greek and Latin roots are the "building blocks" of English and form a powerful framework to nurture students' vocabulary development.
Did you know that students should encounter a word up to 70 times before is is mastered? NO LIE! That is why teachers need to provide ...
Greek and Latin roots are the "building blocks" of English and form a powerful framework to nurture students' vocabulary development.
Greek and Latin roots and affixes are the “building blocks” of the English language. Incorporating them into your instruction or curriculum not only provides students with word meanings, but helps them with spelling conventions as well. Students will learn how to break down larger words in their reading. Studying
Reader's theater provides a quick and engaging way to introduce, conclude (or both) a unit on Antigone, the Iliad, Odyssey or Greek literature. Besides 4 scripts, the package includes suggestions for lesson planning, step by step implementation, RAFT writing assignments and links to online games and...
Greek and Latin roots are sometimes the evil stepsister of vocab. Middle schools that use the Common Core (or any variation of it) must teach affixes, but high schools aren't required to, even though
Today we worked on our culminating project for our Greek Mythology unit. The kids made trading cards for their favorite Greek characters. Th...
Did you know that students should encounter a word up to 70 times before is is mastered? NO LIE! That is why teachers need to provide ...
Sketch notes present your students with a meaningful and engaging activity that they will love. Doodle notetaking activates verbal and visual modalities to capture concepts. The whole brain is absorbed in hearing, synthesizing, and retaining ideas. This high level of engagement not only helps with retention of the content, but it also leaves little room for distraction. WHAT IS INCLUDED? This resource includes a completely unique doodle page for 60 different Greek and Latin roots. These roots are organized in 20 units (3 roots per unit); these units correspond to the units in my Get to the Root of it [Book 1]. You do not need to have my Get to the Root of It [Book 1] to use these Doodle Notes, but if you are looking for more structured word work for your students, you can learn more about it HERE.
Discover how ancient Greeks cooked their food, what ingredients they had to work with, who did the cooking, and how they sat down to eat.
Total Pages: 180 File Size: 81 MB PREVIEW
The next time some know-it-all moralist blames any number of social ills on violent video games or action films, ask them if they’d rather kids stick to the classics.
The Literary Maven is a blog about teaching, books, & teaching books. Find tips and resources for English Language Arts instruction.
What kind of posters do you have on your classroom walls? How do you use them? We all try to prepare the best learning environment for ...
This World Literature Poster is all encompassing, starting from the Greek Epics all the way to modern authors like Toni Morrison and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Covering a wide range of literary styles and world authors, this GIANT classroom poster is sure to provide a wealth of information in a stylish way. Our large 24" x 36" art print is available plain paper or laminated. SHOP QUANTITY DISCOUNTS • Purchase any 2 prints or sets and get 10% off your entire purchase. Enter code ECHOLIT10 at checkout. • Purchase any 3 prints or sets and get 15% off your entire purchase. Enter code ECHOLIT15 at checkout. • Purchase any 4 prints or sets and get 18% off your entire purchase. Enter code ECHOLIT18 at checkout. • Purchase any 6 prints or sets and get 20% off your entire purchase. Enter code ECHOLIT20 at checkout. Each original quote is printed using vibrant, premium, high luster, fade resistant Lucia Archival inks on heavy matte fine art paper. Carefully packaged to prevent damage during shipping. Copyright 2017
Learn five simple things you can do to teach Greek and Latin root words to your upper elementary students.
So the other day, I was looking at bathing suits for my kids at Target online. I put a few in my virtual cart, but then decided on buying from Lands End instead. Well, since
This It’s Greek to Me: Greek Mythology Lesson Plan is suitable for 6th - 8th Grade. Here you'll find a great collection of worksheets to supplement your instruction of Greek mythology, including informational texts on the Olympian gods and goddesses, a matching quiz, graphic organizers, and myth-writing activities.
Language Arts Classroom Poster.
The main difference between Myth and Legend is that Myths talk about supernatural characters like gods but Legends talk about historical figures and events.
When I was a child, our school did not have the most advanced curriculum, any cutting edge technology, or even innovative resources. However, the educators at the time did feel it was vital that we…
One day I’ll have drawn it all, but for now these are just the Odyssey set books for GCSE (OCR). PDFs AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD INSTANTLY! Book 1 Book 5 Book 6 Book 7 Book 9 Book 10 Book 12 Book …
This study guide and infographic for Aeschylus's Agamemnon offer summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary devices found in the text. Explore Course Hero's library of literature materials, including documents and Q&A pairs.
The Odyessey, the story of a hero's journey that can be difficult to teach! Find fun ways to teach The Odyssey while allowing your students to work colaboratively!
Part of the beauty of homeschooling is to have the flexibility to choose a curriculum and materials that suit your family's needs and desires. One family may place a high value on music and art, while another family chooses technology as a cornerstone in their homeschool. In our family, following a classical curriculum is a
Q: What are Word Chunks? They’re simply the Greek and Latin parts of words (i.e. prefixes, roots, and suffixes) that make up most words in the English language. Kelly Gallagher and Kylene B…
I’m so excited to tell you about this new project I’ve been working on, but since my friend Heidi from The Doodle Oven does a much better job of telling it than me, I’m just going to let her do it! When I was a child, our school did not have the most advanced curriculum, any cutting […]
Finally! I have achieved Utopia! Wordtopia Utopia, that is! I have been teaching English for 10 years, and I have used many different programs for teaching Latin and Greek roots. All of them have elements that are great, but I needed something that would go a little farther. Every year I always lamented, "If I had more time, I would do this..." Finally, this summer, I moved roots to the top of my to do list and created Wordtopia- the practically perfect word study program for me. Will it be practically perfect for you, too? I hope so, and if not, don't worry- my files are fully customizable. Wordtopia is a word study program that combines the study of Latin and Greek roots with writing skills. Each unit consists of six lessons centered around a common theme. In each of the six lesson, students explore a word part by sorting a list of words with a common root, examining the individual parts of these words, completing a word map, editing a paragraph about one of the words, exploring a website that illustrates the use of the word in the real world, and completing a writing activity where they make personal connections with the root. Each lesson should take approximately 45 minutes to complete. Lessons align with the Common Core and feature 21st Century Skills. Unit 1 Theme: Back-to-school Word Parts: ology, bio, auto, graph, scrip, scrib, gen 21st Century Skills: Critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, communication, research, information fluency, real-world exploration, technology In the full version, you will receive the following files: Presentation (42 Slides) of all 6 lessons in 3 different forms - Six lessons - Daily Oral Language, Word Sorts, Word Families, Word Maps, Real World and Writing Connections - Available in Google Presentation, ActivInspire, and Powerpoint Teacher’s Guide (43 pages) that includes... - Unit Overview - Planning Guide and Checklists - Lessons 1-6 Answer Keys - Pretest/Posttest - Twenty-five question multiple choice assessments on Lessons 1-3 and Lessons 4-6; test questions include matching, comprehension (with reading passages), analogies, and more! - Available in Google Drive and Word Student Workbook (12 pages) - Printer friendly worksheets to go along with the presentations - Available in Google Drive and Word ActivInspire Hollywood Squares Review Games (22 slides) for Lessons 1-3 and Lessons 4-6 Lesson Overview2. Word SortingFree Preview! 1. Daily Oral Language Editing Paragraph Students begin each lesson by proofreading a paragraph that features the lesson’s word part- a perfect warm-up/bellringer activity. They should correct ten mistakes in spelling, capitalization, usage, and punctuation. In ActivInspire, they can use the highlighter tool to find the mistakes. Then double click on the text box to make the change. I usually have my students bold and change the color of the mistake. Students sort a list of eight words into existing categories or categories of their choice. Some students may group words by root location; others may group by meaning. In ActivInspire, students can easily drag the words and labels around the screen. Then they can use a textbook or the pen tool to write on the label. 3. Word Parts Analyzing word parts helps students break apart larger words. In ActivInspire, slide the word part across the screen. The first column shows the word minus the root, the second shows the root only, and the third shows the entire word. 4. Word Map This graphic organizer can be used in many ways. Students analyze the selected the word for its word origin, word families, definition, and other word forms. They create a list of examples of this word as well as non examples (teachers may wish to substitute synonyms and antonyms when appropriate). Students can read the word in an example sentence, and then they write one of their own. Finally, students should find a picture to help them remember the root’s meaning. Clicking on the candle button will take students to the Online Etymology Dictionary (http://www.etymonline.com). Clicking on camera button will allow students to take a photo of this slide when they are finished. 5. Web Exploration and Writing Activities Clicking on the globe will take students to a website that shows a real world example of the lesson’s word part. Clicking on the four envelopes will reveal writing activities that go along with this website. Rather than assign all four, teachers should allow students to select a prompt of their choice. These activities are designed to be quick writes rather than lengthy assignments and may be used as a homework assignment. Students can then share their writing in small groups, large groups, or in an online environment. Assessments Track your students’ growth by having them complete a pretest and posttest before and after the unit. Two additional assessments have been included in this guide (Lessons 1-3 and Lessons 4-6). These multiple choice assessments challenge students to think about the word’s parts and meanings rather than memorize a list of words. Fully Customizable! I understand there really is no one-size-fits-all approach to word study. That’s why I am giving you EDITABLE files. If you wish to change or add on to my plan, you can easily do so. I only ask that you please do not repost my files on other websites. More coming soon! Since this is my word study plan for the year, I will naturally add more as the school year progresses. You can download a free preview of Wordtopia from my TeachersPayTeachers store.
Homer's The Odyssey Infographic to help you understand everything about the book. Visually learn all about the characters, themes, and Homer.
