1. Word Components: Perfect Squares
Students are given Ziplock Bags that contain small cards
with several prefixes and roots written on them.
They need to find a combination of prefixes and roots that will
produce a word if combined both horizontally and diagonally.
Model:
DUCE
VOKE
PRO RE
Four words:
reduce, revoke
produce, provoke
Example:
Mountain, Lee. “Flip-a-chip to Build Vocabulary.
Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. 46:1. September 2002.

2. Word Components: Perfect Squares
DUCE
VOKE
PRO RE
Then, students are asked to
write a cloze paragraph on
an index card in which
each of the four words of the
perfect square would fit in to the
blanks. (See example below.)
Students insert the index card
into the baggie and exchange
with another group.
Example of a cloze paragraph for the perfect square above:
Mrs. Benjamin was vexed. “My students,” she declared_______ me when they
are late to class. They_________one excuse after another. I want to ________
the number of lateness to class, so I’ll _______ the privilege of using the
lavatory pass to any student who arrives late.”

3. Suggested Perfect Squares:
a gressive
re version
gressive
version
re clusive
ex tract
clusive
tract
pro
retro
gress
active
con fer
de duct
fer
duct
bi lateral
uni cycle
lateral
cycle
in cur
oc clude
cur
clude
re duce
intro spective
duce
spective
re cycle
uni verse
cycle
verse
com putation
re ply
putation
ply
ex plain
com pel
plain
pel
com munity
im pact
munity
pact
dis tortion
ex tended
tortion
tended
re tort
con vert
tort
vert
co herent
in vert
herent
vert
im pair
re ply
pair
ply

4. Suggested Perfect Squares:im ex
port
pel ex
sup
pose
plicate
con
trans
ference
gress
pro re
duce
pel
pro re
vision
pel in
pro
scribe
ject
sub in
ject
scription
pro de
mise
mote at re
tain
tract
con re
tract
verse
per re
spire
tain re en
treat
tail ex de
ception
position re in
volve
vert de
trans
scribe
port

5. Suggested Perfect Squares:im ex
port
plicate
con
per
ception
tain re
ceive
duce
intro re
spective
vert
per de
ception
scription ex at
tend
tract
late
port
trans re
late
port
pro de
mise
mote
pro re
cess
tract
com re
ply
pulsive ap re
ply
peal at de
tain
tract ex at
tract
tend re
trans
versal
port
com re
plicate
pulsive

6. Suggested Perfect Squares:de
fine
flect
com re
mand
mission in
pre
clude
tense
con ex
clusion
tend
trans in
form
fer in re
quest
fer
con
trans
gress
form
pro de
mote
tect at
con
tention
tract im ex
plode
plicit re e
voke
mit in re
novate
form ad re
vise
mit a
con
spire
flict in re
formation
fuse