ALEX Learning Activity

  

Greek and Latin Roots

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  This learning activity provided by:  
Author: Tomiko Masuoka
System:Phenix City
School:Lakewood Elementary School
  General Activity Information  
Activity ID: 2833
Title:
Greek and Latin Roots
Digital Tool/Resource:
Greek and Latin Roots Google Slides
Web Address – URL:
Overview:

Students will complete a Google Slides activity where they practice defining and using words with Greek and Latin Roots. Students will work with a partner or small group to play a Greek and Latin Roots Matching Game.

This activity results from the ALEX Resource Development Summit.
  Associated Standards and Objectives  
Content Standard(s):
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 5
12. Interpret the meaning of words, phrases, and patterns as they are used in texts, including domain-specific and academic vocabulary and figurative language.

a. Locate similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, imagery, alliteration, onomatopoeia, and idioms and interpret their meanings in context.

b. Explain the meanings of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.

c. Use the relationships between synonyms, antonyms, and homographs to increase understanding of word meanings.

d. Explain how an author's vocabulary and style influence the tone and mood of a text and support his/her purpose for writing.

e. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meanings of words.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
12.
  • Domain-specific vocabulary
  • Academic vocabulary
  • Figurative language
12a.
  • Similes
  • Metaphors
  • Personification
  • Hyperbole
  • Imagery
  • Alliteration
  • Onomatopoeia
  • Idioms
12b.
  • Common idioms
  • Common adages
  • Common proverbs
12c.
  • Synonyms
  • Antonyms
  • Homographs
12d.
  • Author's vocabulary
  • Author's style
  • Tone
  • Mood
  • Purpose
12e.
  • Common Latin roots
  • Common Greek roots
  • Common Latin affixes
  • Common Greek affixes
Knowledge:
12. Student know:
  • Academic vocabulary is language that is more formal than spoken language.
  • Domain-specific vocabulary refers to words that are used specifically in school subject areas, like math, science, and social studies.
  • Figurative language is a creative way to use words and phrases beyond their literal definition to explain or describe something.
  • Strategies to determine the meaning of words, phrases, and patterns in text.
12a.
  • Figurative language is a creative way to use words and phrases beyond their literal definition to explain or describe something.
  • Examples of figurative language include similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, imagery, alliteration, onomatopoeia, and idioms.
12b.
  • Idioms, adages, and proverbs are all figures of speech, in which the words and phrases carry meaning beyond their literal definitions.
  • An idiom is a common saying with a meaning different from that of its individual words.
  • Adages and proverbs are well-known sayings that have been used for a long time.
  • Proverbs usually give practical advice about ways to behave and live.
12c.
  • Words with opposite meanings are antonyms, and words with similar meanings are synonyms.
  • Homographs are words that are spelled the same, but not necessarily pronounced the same and have different meanings and origins.
12d.
  • Authors choose particular vocabulary and write in a specific style depending on the purpose of the writing and the tone and mood they intend to create.
  • Tone is the attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience, and mood is the overall feeling, or atmosphere, of a text.
12e.
  • Many English words and English morphemes originated from ancient Latin and Greek languages.
  • Understanding Latin and Greek roots and affixes can provide clues to meanings of unknown words.
Skills:
12. Students are able to:
  • Interpret the meaning of domain-specific vocabulary, academic vocabulary, and figurative language as they are used in texts.
12a.
  • Identify examples of similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, imagery, alliteration, onomatopoeia, and idioms in text.
  • Interpret the meaning of the figurative language in context.
12b.
  • Identify examples of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.
  • Explain the meanings of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.
12c.
  • Use synonyms, antonyms, and homographs to interpret word meaning.
12d.
  • Identify the tone and mood of a text.
  • Explain how an author's vocabulary and writing style influence the tone and mood of the text.
  • Identify an author's purpose for writing a text.
  • Explain how an author's vocabulary and writing style support their purpose for writing the text.
12e.
  • Identify and use Latin and Greek affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word.
Understanding:
12. Students understand that:
  • There are multiple strategies they can use to interpret the meaning of academic and domain-specific vocabulary, including using context clues in the text, their background knowledge, the morphological structure of the word, and outside resources.
  • Words and phrases, including figurative language, can have different meanings in different texts.
12a.
  • Figurative language carries meaning other than the literal meaning of the words or phrases, and authors choose to include figurative language in text to enhance the text's meaning.
12b.
  • Idioms, adages, and proverbs are figures of speech that carry meaning beyond the literal definitions of the words.
  • To fully comprehend text that contains figures of speech, they must learn the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.
12c.
  • The relationships between words can be used to increase vocabulary knowledge.
12d.
  • Authors select specific words and write in a particular style to set a tone and mood for the text, and indicate their purpose for writing the text.
12e.
  • The meaning of an unknown word can be learned by knowing the morphology and orthography of the word, including its origin.
Learning Objectives:

Students will be able to use Greek and Latin roots as clues to the meanings of words.
  Strategies, Preparations and Variations  
Phase:
During/Explore/Explain
Activity:

1. Students will open the Google Slides activity. The teacher will go over slide two with the students. This slide goes over some Greek and Latin Roots and their definitions.

2. Students will move to slide three. On this slide, the students will come up with their own definitions for words containing Greek or Latin roots. They will also look up the dictionary definition. Give students time to complete slide three. Then, discuss the definitions as a class. Ask students what they noticed about their definition versus the dictionary. Was their definition similar? More concise?

3. Move on to slide four. On this slide, students will use the words from slide three in a sentence. Give students time to work, and then allow students to share a few of the sentences they wrote with a partner. As students share, the teacher should listen in to check for understanding. If the teacher notices that there was a word that students struggled using in a sentence, stop and go over this word with the class. 

4. Students will complete the rest of the slides independently, and then submit them. On slide five, students will fill in the paragraph with the correct word, and slide six will provide directions for slide seven. On slide seven, students will choose one of the Greek or Latin roots from slide two and complete the graphic organizer. The teacher should monitor students as they work and answer any questions and provide guidance where it may be needed.

5. After students submit their Google Slide activity, they can get with a partner or small group and play the Greek and Latin Roots Matching Game.

For the Greek and Latin Roots Matching Game, students will need space on the floor, a few desks, or a table. Students will take the cards and lay them so that the Greek and Latin Roots and meanings are face down. Students will take turns trying to find a match. To make a match, students must match the root with the correct meaning. If students find a match, they get to go again. The winner of the game is the person with the most matches.
Assessment Strategies:

The teacher will assess the Greek and Latin Roots Google Slides completed by the students. The teacher will check to see that the student has:

  • written a definition for words with Greek or Latin Roots (Slide 3)

  • used words containing Greek or Latin Roots correctly in a sentence (Slides 4 and 5)

  • identified words that contain Greek and Latin Roots and defined them correctly (Slide 7)
Advanced Preparation:

The teacher will need to upload the Google Slides activity to the digital platform students use for digital activities.

The teacher will need to print, copy, and cut out the Greek and Latin Roots matching game.
Variation Tips (optional):
 
Notes or Recommendations (optional):

This learning activity can be used with the following activities:

Greek and Latin Roots Introduction

Greek and Latin Roots Independent Practice
  Keywords and Search Tags  
Keywords and Search Tags: Greek Roots, Latin Roots