Home > Reading Comprehension >Vocabulary word parts index (Greek and Latin Roots)

"Word Parts" - the roots of vocabulary

Go directly to "word parts" exercise links

Vocabulary is a weak area for lots of people, but much "vocabulary instruction" is handwriting practice for many students. The Clarifying Strategy and Ways to Teach Vocabulary have ideas for teaching vocabulary so words become part of a person's language instead. To quote:

" No doubt you share the common childhood experience of having to "go look up the words in a dictionary, write the definition, and then write a sentence using the term" -- but how much of that vocabulary do you remember now?... Perhaps the least effective way to study vocabulary is the ''look and remember' technique. Here, students typically stare at the term and definition, apparently trying to activate photographic memory they wish they had. Another common study technique is to do 'rote verbal rehearsal' -- saying it over and over again, usually in the exact language and format in which the definition originally came. " Ed Ellis and Theresa Farmer, The Clarifying Routine: Elaborating Vocabulary Instruction www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/teaching_techniques/ellis_clarifying.html

Teaching vocabulary interactively requires much more energy and focus than giving students definitions to copy. Many students (and teachers!) will have habits of passivity that will need to be broken.

Teaching will not be as "efficient" in terms of the number of words students will be exposed to, but you may have one of those priceless moments of gratification when a mom tells you, "Last night, A_____ was watching TV and asked me what a word meant. She's never paid attention to words like that before." That student learned more than the words we covered in class, and that parent was not concerned that we were "covering" fewer words than the 20/week prescribed in the little vocabulary book.

For each root, a wide variety of words are provided. You may choose different sets of words for different students, depending on their current language levels. Be sure to include words that you're pretty sure are in their vocabulary. Many people only use a word in its most common context and have not considered the word to have its own meaning that could be applied in other settings. Focusing on the meaning of that word on its own is an important language lesson. You want to deepen as well as broaden your students' knowledge.

Here are some word parts and practice exercises to use as part of vocabulary instruction. The first ones incorporate review of the previous words, because vocabulary should be assessed cumulatively (and because practice makes permanent :)).

	ject
	pre
	un
	logy
	therm
	bio
	ex/ exo A few more "out" words: e-
	con
	vert
	vol and mort (from Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)
	Lev (from "Wingardium Leviosa!," a spell from Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone)
	loco and mot (from "Locomotor Mortis!," a spell from Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone)
	pel and puls from "Expelliarmus!," from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
	lum and luc from "Lumos!" from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
	fid from the Fidelus charm from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
	patr from "Expecto Patronus! from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
	Fin from Finite incantatem!from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
	Bene - good
	Mal - bad
	Tele - far
	arch - leader or governmnet
	Ten/Tain - to hold