Get Back to Your Roots!

Intentional Word Study with Greek and Latin Roots Tiffany Rose & Cheryl Harrel

WABE Conference, Yakima, WAApril 19, 2013

Rationale

• English language has 1,200,000 – 2,000,000 words!• Estimated that technology is contributing

20,000 new words a year• 90% of English words with more than 1

syllable are Latin based•Most of remaining 10% are Greek based• Single root can help us understand 5-20

related English words

Rationale, cont.Reading Comprehension

“Decades of research have consistently found a deep connection between vocabulary knowledge, reading comprehension, and academic success…vocabulary [is] a bridge between the word level processes of phonics and the cognitive processes of comprehension” (Rasinsky, et al, 2008, p. 15).

Five Common Misconceptions •Misconception 1: Definitions do the trick•Misconception 2: Weekly vocabulary lists

are effective•Misconception 3: Teachers should teach all

hard words, especially those printed in bold or italics.•Misconception 4: The study of Latin and

Greek roots is too hard for young learners•Misconception 5: Word learning can't be

fun.

• Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate. • (CCSS L4)

Common Core State Standards

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use• L.3.4.

• Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root • (e.g., company, companion).

• L.4.4.

• Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word • (e.g., telegraph, photograph, autograph).

• L.6.4.

• Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word • (e.g., audience, auditory, audible).

• L.7.4.

• Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word • (e.g., belligerent, bellicose, rebel).

• L.9-10.4. • Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate

different meanings or parts of speech • (e.g., analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate, advocacy).

• Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. • (CCSS L5)

Common Core State Standards

• Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering an unknown term important to comprehension or expression. • (CCSS L6)

Common Core State Standards

The earliest Greek civilizations lived around 3,000+ years ago.

Some historians put the earliest dates of Greek society around the time of the first

Olympic games – 776 B.C.

Others extend the beginning to circa 1000+ years B.C.

A Little Bit of History…

GREEK INFLUENCEThe Greeks loved philosophyand art , were interested inscience and medicine,and were deep thinkers who loved to discuss politics. English absorbedwords from ancient Greekfor these intellectual subjects.

Historical side note on Greek influence…

The probable origin of the caduceus to symbolize the

medical profession…

Caduceus, continued…

The Roman Influence…The Roman Empire

circa 44 B.C.

… lasted until circa 1453 A.D.

A Little Bit More History…

Romans, who spoke Latin, came from Rome (now

Italy).

Romans conquered and controlled all of these lands for

hundreds of years.

Those who have the power determine the language.

The people of the conquered lands had to learn many Latin words to be able to communicate

with the people who ruled over them.

Latin became the language of religion, medicine, business, and law.

Kinds of Roots

•Base root words•Affixes•Prefixes• Suffixes

Roots

bases

affixes

prefixes

suffixes

Parallel Latin and Greek Roots Parallel Latin & Greek bases

Definition water

foot, feet

earth

Latinaqua-

ped-

terr-

Greekhydro –

pod –

geo -

Broadening the Cognate Approach

EnglishInnovative

SpanishInovador

nov

NuevoNueva

NoviceNoveltyRenovate

Base Root

• “vis/vid” examples as base roots – vis/vid are not words by themselves, but they are roots that mean “see”. • Experience the Consensus Board!

Some examples…

• A visionary sees ahead to how the project could unfold.• A visor protects your eyes from the sun. • The vivid colors were so bright, we could see them

clearly from far away.• Readers with a good imagination visualize the action or

setting of the story.• Because it was so foggy, the visibility was very poor.• It is so fun to watch YouTube videos of the screaming

goats!• The girl felt invisible as she started her first day at the

new high school.

Prefixes

•Prefixes – give direction, negate, or intensify•Most English prefixes derived from

Latin (about 25)• The four most frequent prefixes

account for 97 percent of prefixed words in printed school English…•dis-, re-, un-, & in-, im-, il-, ir-

Parallel Latin and Greek RootsParallel Latin and Greek prefixes

Definitionagainstaroundmanyover

under, below

Latincontra-, contro-,circu-, circum-

multi- super-, sur-

sub-

Greekanti –peri –poly –

hyper –hypo -

Directional Prefixes

•Most of the prefixes students encounter in school texts are directional in nature. • Examples: • at-, ad- = to, toward, add to• de - = down, off• dis - = apart, in different directions• con- = with, together• re - = again

Suffixes• Least important component in terms of

understanding a word’s meaning• Usually used to indicate a part of speech• Only a few suffixes merit intensive scrutiny• - ology = “study of”• -er = “more”• -est = “most”• -ful = “full of”• -less = “without, lacking”• -able, -ible = “can, able to”

Word Spokes Activity

Instructional Routine

•10- 15 minutes, 3 – 5 times per week•Routine – allows focus on content

with a predictable set of activities, that minimizes time spent on directions or procedures

And if you’re into Marzano…

The first three steps are to assist the teacher in direct instruction.

• 1. Describe• 2. Restate• 3. Draw/Sketch

The last three steps are to provide the learner practice and reinforcement

• 4. Engage• 5. Discuss• 6. Games

Divide and Conquer

•Word dissection – helps students see the root in the context of words so they can learn how to identify it and use its meaning to determine the meaning of an unfamiliar word• Focus on new root and connect to familiar• Scaffold conversation through examples

you provide• “Struct” activity

Activity• Construct• Construction• Obstruct• Deconstruct• Infrastructure• Reconstruct(Latin base stru, struct; prefixes con-, de-, infra-, ob-, re-, )

Word

Suffix DefinitionRoot DefinitionPrefix Definition

Other words with this prefix

Other words with this root

Other words with this suffix

Prefix: Root: Suffix:

Extend & Explore

• Students practice with game-like activities•Word Theater (charades)•Odd Word Out •Wordo (like Bingo)• Scattergories•Rummy Roots

Word Sort Activity• Structure• Construct• Construction• Obstruct• Deconstruct• Infrastructure• Reconstruct• Instructor• Instruction• Instruct • Reconstructionist

Getting Started

• Early elementary – start with compound words and show how they can be broken apart• Then add negating words with prefixes

(un-, in-)• Then add directional words with prefixes

(pre-, re-)• Then add easy suffixes (-er, -est, -able)• Bases

Considering what we have discussed today, what routines might you establish in your classroom, even as you go back to your classes next week?

Final Thoughts

References• Beck, I. L., McKeown, M. G., & Kucan, L. (2013). Bringing words to life: Robust

vocabulary instruction (2nd ed.). New York, NY: The Guildford Press• Honig, B., Diamond, L., and Gutlohn, L. (2000). Teaching Reading Sourcebook:

For Kindergarten Through Eighth Grade (Core Literacy Training Series). Novato, CA: Academic Therapy Publications

• Marzano, R. J. (2010). Teaching basic and advanced vocabulary: A framework for direct instruction. Boston, MA: Heinle Cengage Learning

• Overturf, B. J., Montgomery, L. H., Smith, M. H., (2013). Word nerds. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishing

• Padak, N., Bromley, K., Rasinski, T. V., & Newton, E. (2012). Vocabulary: Five common misconceptions. Educational Leadership, 69. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/jun12/vol69/num09/Vocabulary@-Five-Common-Misconceptions.aspx#figure1

• Rasinski, T. V. , Padak, N., Newton, J., Newton, E. (2011). The Latin-Greek connection: Building vocabulary through morphological study. The Reading Teacher, 65 (2), 133 -141.

• Rasinsky, T., Padak, N., Newton, R. M., & Newton, E. (2008). Greek and Latin roots: Keys to building vocabulary. Hunington Beach, CA: Shell Educational Publishing