1. Get Back to Your Roots!
Intentional Word Study with Greek and Latin Roots
Tiffany Rose & Cheryl Harrel
WABE Conference, Yakima, WA
April 19, 2013

2. 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
Along with point about 90% of English words are Latin based –
Latin roots are important especially for Spanish speakers, but for other languages as well, since many of the roots are cognates which help build a bridge to English
Tiff does welcome & both rationale slides

3. 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).

4. 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.
From 2012 Padak, et al, article in Educational Leadership (researchers with Tim Rasinsky)

5. Common Core State Standards
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)
3 of Language Standards specifically address vocabulary acquisition and use C

6. Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
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.
(e.g., belligerent, bellicose, rebel). L
Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech
(e.g., analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate, advocacy).

7. Common Core State Standards
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
(CCSS L5) C

8. 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) C

9. A Little Bit of History…
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 years B.C. T

10. GREEK INFLUENCE The Greeks loved philosophy
and art , were interested in
science and medicine,
and were deep thinkers
who loved to discuss
politics. English absorbed
words from ancient Greek
for these intellectual subjects. T

11. Historical side note on Greek influence…
The probable origin of the caduceus to symbolize the medical profession… T

12. Caduceus, continued… T

13. A Little Bit More History…
The Roman Influence…
The Roman Empire
circa 44 B.C.
… lasted until circa 1453 A.D.

14. controlled all of these lands for hundreds of years.
Romans, who spoke Latin, came from Rome (now Italy).
Romans conquered and
controlled all of these lands for hundreds of years. C

15. 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. C

16. Kinds of Roots Base root words Affixes Prefixes Suffixes
Roots are semantic units that carry meaning – different from phoneme and word families C

17. Roots affixes bases prefixes suffixes
They are all root words, but then they can be broken down something like this C
suffixes

18. Parallel Latin and Greek Roots Parallel Latin & Greek bases
Definition
water
foot, feet
earth
Latin
aqua-
ped-
terr-
Greek
hydro –
pod –
geo -

19. Broadening the Cognate Approach
English
Spanish
Innovative
Inovador
nov
Nuevo
Nueva
Novice
Novelty
Renovate

20. 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!
Cheryl explains consensus board procedure with “VIS/VID”

21. 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. C

22. 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-
T – see if teachers can guess 4 most common prefixes…tell them list of 25 most common in their packet…
Reference Teaching Reading Sourcebook: For Kindergarten Through Eighth Grade by Bill Honig, Linda Diamond, and Linda Gutlohn. © 2000 by CORE.
Dis – not/opposite of; re – again; un – not; in, etc, - also means not like “injustice”

23. Parallel Latin and Greek Roots Parallel Latin and Greek prefixes
contra-, contro-,
circu-, circum-
multi-
super-, sur-
sub-
Definition
against
around
many
over
under, below
Greek
anti –
peri –
poly –
hyper –
hypo -

24. 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 T

25. 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”
Refer to handout in packet that lists most common prefixes, suffixes and base words. - T

26. Word Spokes Activity
Emphasize picture support with word spokes – Marzano’s non-linguistic representation; GLAD sketch for comprehensibility - T

27. Find one of the most common prefixes, give one of those to teachers to create word spoke with as team at table - T

28. Instructional Routine
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 C

29. 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 C

30. 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 T

31. Activity Construct Construction Obstruct Deconstruct Infrastructure
Reconstruct
(Latin base stru, struct; prefixes con-, de-, infra-, ob-, re-, )
Give teachers worksheet of table to “divide and conquer” -T

32. Word Prefix: Root: Suffix: Prefix Definition Root Definition
Suffix Definition C
Other words with this prefix
Other words with this root
Other words with this suffix

34. Extend & Explore Students practice with game-like activities
Word Theater (charades)
Odd Word Out
Wordo (like Bingo)
Scattergories
Rummy Roots
T – emphasize that this goes along with Marzano step 6

35. Word Sort Activity Structure Construct Construction Obstruct
Deconstruct
Infrastructure
Reconstruct
Instructor
Instruction
Instruct
Reconstructionist
Give extend & explore table to identify nouns, verbs, adjectives- T

36. 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 C

37. Final Thoughts
Considering what we have discussed today, what routines might you establish in your classroom, even as you go back to your classes next week?
10/2 – C – and evals

38. 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
Rasinski, T. V. , Padak, N., Newton, J., Newton, E. (2011). The Latin-Greek connection: Building vocabulary through morphological study. The Reading Teacher, 65 (2),
Rasinsky, T., Padak, N., Newton, R. M., & Newton, E. (2008). Greek and Latin roots: Keys to building vocabulary. Hunington Beach, CA: Shell Educational Publishing