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Roots Lesson Plan

Students use Words With Friends (WWF) EDU to identify and spell common Greek and Latin roots.

Primary Objective Students will be able to identify and spell common Greek and Latin roots during WWF EDU game play.

Secondary Objective Students will be able to use the dictionary function in WWF EDU to determine the origin of a root in words played.

Aligned Common Core State Standards

L.4.4.b, L.4.6, L.5.4.b, L.5.6, L.6.4.b, L.6.6, L.7.4.b, L.7.6, L.8.4.b, L.8.6

Time 30 minutes

MATERIALS

• Student computers

• Index cards or student notebooks/digital notebooks

• Game board example: roots (1)

• Projector

• Poster and poster markers

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PREPARATION

1. Give students the opportunity to play WWF EDU before this lesson.

• Recommended practice time: at least 1 hour over a multi-day period or 3–5 game play sessions.

2. Give students the opportunity to learn about root words in advance of this lesson (i.e., this lesson should not be students’ very first exposure to the study of root words for the year).

• Recommended skill building: develop posters or other resources that can serve as visual reminders about the grade-level expectations for understanding root words.

3. Identify a list of common roots that can serve as a reference for you and for students. Review this list to identify low- and high-level root words based on the grade level of the students you teach.

• If systems for an explicit practice with roots already exist in your classroom, you may choose to use a roots list that will be familiar to students.

• If you do not have a preferred roots list, you may choose to access lists from Chicago Public Schools*.

4. Consider whether to teach this lesson in a large group or a series of small groups, depending on the resources that are available in your classroom (e.g., if you do not have a full set of student computers to facilitate a full-group lesson, this lesson may be taught in a series of small groups while other students are engaged in centers).

5. (Optional) Pair or group students together for practice with game board examples and/or game play.

PROCEDURE

1. Introduction

• Define: What are roots? (8 minutes)

o SAY: Roots are parts of our language that make up parts of many other words. Similar to roots on a tree, our language has grown and developed, stemming from these roots. Roots come from many historical cultures. Today, we are going to study some common roots of Greek and Latin origin, as well as roots from other cultures. We can see these roots in many languages across the world, particularly in romantic languages like English, French, Spanish, and Italian. The word romantic itself has a root: roman, meaning “from Rome”—not meaning that the words want to kiss each other J. Now that you know the root roman, you might have a better understanding of the various meanings of the word romantic. Growing this type of knowledge will help you become a stronger reader and writer (not to mention a better WWF EDU player J).

* Please note that this list is not affiliated with Words With Friends EDU, so we cannot fully vouch for its accuracy, but it can be a good resource if you do not have a root word list of your own.

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§ SAY: Greek and Latin roots can be root words, which are words that can stand alone but can also form the main part of many other words. Examples are aqua (water), image (picture), mega (large). Can you name some words with these roots?

§ SAY: Greek and Latin roots can also be affixes. When they are at the beginning of a word they are called prefixes. Examples are ante- (before), non- (not), and re- (again). Can you name some words with these roots?

§ SAY: Greek and Latin roots are very common in science words. Examples are agri- (field or farm), bio- (life), and geo- (earth). Can you name some words with these roots?

o SAY: Identifying key roots can help you discover new words while playing WWF EDU by using the roots as building blocks. If you can identify opportunities to play roots, you can consider what longer/higher scoring words you can build with those basic parts. One great strategy is to type a root that you can build with the tiles in your tile rack into the Power Word list. If you do this, you can see all the academic vocabulary words on that list that have that root!

o SAY: Another way that WWF EDU can help you grow your knowledge of roots is through the dictionary feature. When you look up a word with the dictionary, you can see the word’s origin. This part of the reference tool will give you critical information about the history of the word, including its root(s).

o SAY: Before we dive into WWF EDU game play today, let’s work together to identify some roots on a WWF EDU game board.

§ Show the game board example (1) on a projector. Lead students in identifying roots on the game board. Help students identify the definitions/meanings of the words using the dictionary feature, locating the “Origin” section and reading about the words’ history.

§ (Optional, additional 5–10 minutes) Give students the opportunity to extend this practice to their own game boards. Help them identify game boards in their Moves List that they might use; they can choose to use ongoing game boards (under “Your Move” or “Their Move”) or recently “Completed” game boards. Encourage students to collaborate with a partner or in small groups to consider roots that they could spell and play with the letters in their tile racks. Circulate around the room to support this practice.

• Set the intention for game play (2 minutes)

o SAY: Today, while we play WWF EDU, I want you to keep track of any root words or words that contain roots that you play on an index card (or in your notebook/digital notebook, pass out index cards if this is your choice). We will use the notes that you take on your index card (or in your notebook/digital notebook) to build a list of roots as a class. Please note the origins of the words you play, using the dictionary feature in the game. You can also use the Power Word search strategy when you are able to identify the range of words that you might be able to build using a certain root.

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o SAY: As always, I encourage you to look for the green light on the Power Word list that indicates that there is a Power Word you can play; seize those opportunities to grow your academic vocabulary and score some major points!

2. Practice/Play time (10 minutes)

• Circulate around the room as students play WWF EDU, focusing on affix identification and spelling strategies. Encourage, troubleshoot, and support students as they work/play. Publicly praise students when you see them playing words with affixes and Power Words. Remind them to use their index cards (or notebooks/digital notebooks) to take notes.

3. Closure (10 minutes)

• Lead students in a discussion that sums up the game play experience, noting how many words with roots or root words were played, including Power Words. Work together to create a “WWF EDU Roots Poster” based on the students’ notes. Discuss any tricky spelling moments and help students connect words played to their meanings by categorizing words by their cultural origin (you may consider organizing your poster in this way). Help students make a connection between how knowledge of roots helps us in game play, and, more importantly, how that knowledge helps us become stronger readers and writers.

EXTENSIONS AND VARIATIONS

Use these ideas to further engage students in activities aligned to the learning objectives of this lesson. For those of you who may be searching for ways to provide more student-led activities in your classroom, we’ve labeled the activities that can be easily led by students with #StudentLed.

• If students are less familiar with the game, or a significant number of students are English language learners, play a demonstration round (or two) of WWF EDU to show roots and Power Words in action.

• Make the “WWF EDU Roots Poster” a living document on your classroom wall by encouraging students to add to it as they continue playing WWF EDU. (Optional) Visually link roots to their origin using a map. #StudentLed

• Encourage students to identify roots that are common in other languages. This could be a particularly useful activity if you have many English language learners in your classroom. Have students keep track of cognates that they encounter, and then encourage them to teach each other new words in their different home languages. #StudentLed

• Play a root matching game! After reviewing common roots, give students the chance to play a game that would allow them to match X root in a list to Y origin in a corresponding list. #StudentLed

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GAME BOARD EXAMPLE: ROOTS (1 OF 2)

Prompt: What roots can you identify on this game board? One word with a common root is highlighted to get you started. The word’s definition is also here for you to see—where can you find the word’s origin in the dictionary feature? What other words do you know that have the same root? Are there other roots that you can identify on this game board?

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GAME BOARD EXAMPLE: AFFIXES (1 OF 2)

Possible additional words with “ex”: exhaust, exhume, exist, extra, extraterrestrial, excuse, extinct…

Possible other root words/word with roots:

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GAME BOARD EXAMPLE: ROOTS (2 OF 2)

Prompt: What roots, root words, or words with roots could you spell using the letters on the game board and the tiles in this tile rack?

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GAME BOARD EXAMPLE: ROOTS (2 OF 2)

Possible answers: airs, band, bend, bind, bird, braid, dais, dial, dint, dire, dirt, end, lair, land, lend, nadirs, nib, nit, rains, rend, rids, rinds, zed, zit

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Aligned Common Core State Standards

STANDARD DESCRIPTION

L.4.4.b Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., telegraph, photograph, autograph).

L.4.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal precise actions, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and that are basic to a particular topic (e.g., wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal preservation).

L.5.4.b Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., photograph, photosynthesis).

L.5.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal contrast, addition, and other logical relationships (e.g., however, although, nevertheless, similarly, moreover, in addition).

L.6.4.b Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 6 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., audience, auditory, audible).

L.6.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

L.7.4.b Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 7 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., belligerent, bellicose, rebel).

L.7.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

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L.8.4.b Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 7 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., precede, recede, secede).

L.8.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.