Author:
Deborah Maroulis
Subject:
Languages, Composition and Rhetoric, Language, Grammar and Vocabulary, Reading Foundation Skills
Material Type:
Module
Level:
Community College / Lower Division
Tags:
  • English
  • Greek
  • Language
  • Prefix
  • Roman
  • Roots
  • Suffix
  • Vocabualry
  • License:
    Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike
    Language:
    English
    Media Formats:
    Downloadable docs

    Education Standards

    Greek and Roman Root Vocabulary

    Greek and Roman Root Vocabulary

    Overview

    We all know how important a strong vocabulary is, and let's face it, if a student wasn't an avid reader as they grew up, they probably don't have a varied vocabulary. Plus, memorizing one word at a time on a weekly list that seems to go on forever and ever can be discouraging for students who have little skill in decoding or comprehending. Studying and becoming familar with Greek and Roman roots can help students identify parts they might know in unfamilar words, and this may lead to building stronger access to higher level words more quickly.

    This module is designed to help the students focus on two to three roots per week through ten to fifteen words. Through the week, they are given tasks to work with the roots and develop a relationship to them so they can access them more readily when reading higher level texts. By working with antonyms, synonyms, and building sentences, students develop the ability to decode faster and comprehend more. Hopefully, this leads to stronger success in, not only the academic world, but the workplace and home life as well.

    Why We Need to Study Vocabulary

    This page explains why studying vocabulary, in particular Greek and Roman roots, helps students build a more diverse vocabulary without having to memorize one word at a time. This method creates exponential growth of a person's vocabulary and allows students to add other words as they encounter them by teaching them how to break down roots and put them with others they may know.

    If you've ever uttered the words, "I know what I mean, but I can't figure out how to say it," this module is for you.

    Taking command of the English language isn't just for writers or lawyers. Good communication is vital to every profession (regardless of level) as well as to having successful interpersonal relationships. At the heart of strong communication skills is a strong vocabulary. Having a varied vocabulary can help people communicate their ideas in a succinct manner, better describe their emotions, and even convince others their opinion is correct. Likewise, people with a varied vocabulary are less likely to be manipulated by Fake News and advertisements for expensive shiny objects that break or go out of style as fast as they came in.

    English is made up of bits and baubles from other languages. Even though a lot of our modern language derives from Germanic origin, most stem from Greek or Roman roots. By understanding their meanings, people can exponentially grow their vocabulary much faster than trying to memorize specific words. And who wants to deal with all those flashcards, anyway?

    A great example of how being familiar with roots can help break down definitions is by looking at the word matriarchy. The matr part derives from the Latin work for mother, and the archy part means rule. Put them together, and you now have a word which means a society ruled by women. Now do the same for patriarchy. See? Easy. And I bet you can think of other words ending in archy and start decoding their meaning.

    In order to increase your vocabulary, we will look at several different roots each week. By the end of the class, you should have a basic grasp on some of the most used prefixes, suffixes, and roots derived from Greek and Latin and be able to decode them in larger, more complex words. And the more you retain, the easier all those textbooks with big words will be to understand. It's worth noting, however, that no one can possibly get through all the roots in one semester of English; in fact, it would take years. This course is intended to give you a headstart in understanding a lot of the most used roots. No one ever stops learning vocabulary, especially since English is constantly changing. Cool, right? I mean, sick, bro! Meh, you see what I mean...

    Click the through the tasks to see how the weekly assignment is broken down, and to see the roots you will be working with each week. Before you leave this page, click on the link below for a video with more illustrations on how important Greek and Roman roots are to building a better vocabulary.

    How to Vocabulary, the Root Way

    This is the instruction page on how to study the roots and assigned words. Students will be asked to work with the words in various ways, repeating the steps with different words every week. The intent is to not only define the roots but to show the myriad ways they can be used as well as find antonyms and synonyms for them. The most important part of this assignment is to write appropriate sentences with the words in context so students get used to using them correctly. In the past, one of the things my students struggled with the most was to use the root in a form other than a noun. If you choose to use this guide as is, I suggest spending the bulk of grading time assessing the sentence portion to determine your students have a grasp on how to correctly implement what they've learned.

    So now that you know why you're studying Greek and Roman roots, here's the how. Each day, you should spend about fifteen minutes completing a different section of the activity so, by the end of the week, you've completed every part for every word. For example, you can find antonyms and synonyms for every word on the list one day, then choose to write sentences for every word the next. Or, you could choose to complete all sections for three to four words instead, if that makes more sense for the way you study.

    As long as you complete them by the deadline, there's no wrong way to do the assignment. Well, staying up the night before they're due to cram everything in is the obvious exception. I won't know if you do pull the late night cram sesh, but you won't learn nearly as much if you do. The only way to learn a new language, and new words in your primary language count as such, is to work with it every day.

    So, what do you do?

    I suggest setting up a notebook or Google Doc by splitting the page in half so two words show on each page. First, write the date on the innermost part of the page so you can keep the outer edge to write the roots you're working with, like this:

    Vocab Set Up 1

    Unlike my example, be sure to put the meaning of the root next to it at the top. Next, fill out each half of the pages. Then, list the ways you will work with the word, like this:

    Vocab Set Up 2

    Then, fill in the spaces as you've decided to complete them. Remember, you can do all the definitions one day or choose to complete all the spaces for one or two words, whatever works best for you.

    Vocab Set Up 3

     

    Finally, if you choose, choose a highlighting key to help you quickly identify parts of speech and definitions so they're easier to find when you study, like so:

    Vocab Set Up 4

    Okay, let's move on to the words! Each new task will have each week's vocabulary roots and words, so you can work at your pace. Please note I will be checking for completion on the due date each week.

    Week One Words

    From here on, the next task pages will be lists of targeted roots and the words corresponding to them. To check for understanding I typically give fill in the blank quizzes that expect the student to know which vocabulary word goes with which sentence. I also do not allow word banks, but I will provide a copy of all the roots once we get far enough into the semester to warrant it. I combine my vocabulary quizzes with conventions, so I won't attah them here. I am happy to share samples, however, upon request. If this changes, I will upload them for everyone to use.

    Welcome to Week 1!

    This week's roots are:

    The words related to these roots are:

    Be sure to fill out your Google Doc or journal with the appropriate spaces and have all the words completed by the due date.

     

     

     

    Week 2

    From here on, the next task pages will be lists of targeted roots and the words corresponding to them. To check for understanding I typically give fill in the blank quizzes that expect the student to know which vocabulary word goes with which sentence. I also do not allow word banks, but I will provide a copy of all the roots once we get far enough into the semester to warrant it. I combine my vocabulary quizzes with conventions, so I won't attah them here. I am happy to share samples, however, upon request. If this changes, I will upload them for everyone to use.

    Welcome to Week 2!

    Here are the roots you'll be working with this week:

    And the words that correspond:

    Be sure to fill out your Google Doc or journal with the appropriate spaces and have all the words completed by the due date.

     

     

    Week 3

    From here on, the next task pages will be lists of targeted roots and the words corresponding to them. To check for understanding I typically give fill in the blank quizzes that expect the student to know which vocabulary word goes with which sentence. I also do not allow word banks, but I will provide a copy of all the roots once we get far enough into the semester to warrant it. I combine my vocabulary quizzes with conventions, so I won't attah them here. I am happy to share samples, however, upon request. If this changes, I will upload them for everyone to use.

    Welcome to Week 4!

    Here are your roots:

    And the corresponding words:

    Be sure to fill out your Google Doc or journal with the appropriate spaces and have all the words completed by the due date.

     

    Week 4

    From here on, the next task pages will be lists of targeted roots and the words corresponding to them. To check for understanding I typically give fill in the blank quizzes that expect the student to know which vocabulary word goes with which sentence. I also do not allow word banks, but I will provide a copy of all the roots once we get far enough into the semester to warrant it. I combine my vocabulary quizzes with conventions, so I won't attah them here. I am happy to share samples, however, upon request. If this changes, I will upload them for everyone to use.

    Welcome to Week 5!

    Here are your roots you'll be working with:

    And here are the corresponding words:

    Be sure to fill out your Google Doc or journal with the appropriate spaces and have all the words completed by the due date

    Week 5

    From here on, the next task pages will be lists of targeted roots and the words corresponding to them. To check for understanding I typically give fill in the blank quizzes that expect the student to know which vocabulary word goes with which sentence. I also do not allow word banks, but I will provide a copy of all the roots once we get far enough into the semester to warrant it. I combine my vocabulary quizzes with conventions, so I won't attah them here. I am happy to share samples, however, upon request. If this changes, I will upload them for everyone to use.

    Welcome to Week 5!

    Here are your roots for the week:

    And the corresponding words:

    Be sure to fill out your Google Doc or journal with the appropriate spaces and have all the words completed by the due date

     

    Week 6

    From here on, the next task pages will be lists of targeted roots and the words corresponding to them. To check for understanding I typically give fill in the blank quizzes that expect the student to know which vocabulary word goes with which sentence. I also do not allow word banks, but I will provide a copy of all the roots once we get far enough into the semester to warrant it. I combine my vocabulary quizzes with conventions, so I won't attah them here. I am happy to share samples, however, upon request. If this changes, I will upload them for everyone to use.

    Welcome to Week 6!

    Here are your roots for the week:

    And the corresponding words:

    Be sure to fill out your Google Doc or journal with the appropriate spaces and have all the words completed by the due date

    Week 7

    From here on, the next task pages will be lists of targeted roots and the words corresponding to them. To check for understanding I typically give fill in the blank quizzes that expect the student to know which vocabulary word goes with which sentence. I also do not allow word banks, but I will provide a copy of all the roots once we get far enough into the semester to warrant it. I combine my vocabulary quizzes with conventions, so I won't attah them here. I am happy to share samples, however, upon request. If this changes, I will upload them for everyone to use.

    Welcome to Week 7!

    Here are your roots for the week:

    And the corresponding words:

    Be sure to fill out your Google Doc or journal with the appropriate spaces and have all the words completed by the due date

    Week 8

    From here on, the next task pages will be lists of targeted roots and the words corresponding to them. To check for understanding I typically give fill in the blank quizzes that expect the student to know which vocabulary word goes with which sentence. I also do not allow word banks, but I will provide a copy of all the roots once we get far enough into the semester to warrant it. I combine my vocabulary quizzes with conventions, so I won't attah them here. I am happy to share samples, however, upon request. If this changes, I will upload them for everyone to use.

    Welcome to week 8!

    Here are your weekly roots:

    And their corresponding words:

    Be sure to fill out your Google Doc or journal with the appropriate spaces and have all the words completed by the due date

     

    Week 9

    From here on, the next task pages will be lists of targeted roots and the words corresponding to them. To check for understanding I typically give fill in the blank quizzes that expect the student to know which vocabulary word goes with which sentence. I also do not allow word banks, but I will provide a copy of all the roots once we get far enough into the semester to warrant it. I combine my vocabulary quizzes with conventions, so I won't attah them here. I am happy to share samples, however, upon request. If this changes, I will upload them for everyone to use.

    Welcome to Week 9!

    Here are your roots for the week:

    And the corresponding words:

    Be sure to fill out your Google Doc or journal with the appropriate spaces and have all the words completed by the due date

    Week 10

    From here on, the next task pages will be lists of targeted roots and the words corresponding to them. To check for understanding I typically give fill in the blank quizzes that expect the student to know which vocabulary word goes with which sentence. I also do not allow word banks, but I will provide a copy of all the roots once we get far enough into the semester to warrant it. I combine my vocabulary quizzes with conventions, so I won't attah them here. I am happy to share samples, however, upon request. If this changes, I will upload them for everyone to use.

    Welcome to Week 10!

    Here are your weekly roots:

    And the corresponding words:

    Be sure to fill out your Google Doc or journal with the appropriate spaces and have all the words completed by the due date

    Week 11

    From here on, the next task pages will be lists of targeted roots and the words corresponding to them. To check for understanding I typically give fill in the blank quizzes that expect the student to know which vocabulary word goes with which sentence. I also do not allow word banks, but I will provide a copy of all the roots once we get far enough into the semester to warrant it. I combine my vocabulary quizzes with conventions, so I won't attah them here. I am happy to share samples, however, upon request. If this changes, I will upload them for everyone to use.

    Welcome to Week 11!

    Here are your weekly roots:

    And the corresponding words:

    Be sure to fill out your Google Doc or journal with the appropriate spaces and have all the words completed by the due date

     

    Week 12

    From here on, the next task pages will be lists of targeted roots and the words corresponding to them. To check for understanding I typically give fill in the blank quizzes that expect the student to know which vocabulary word goes with which sentence. I also do not allow word banks, but I will provide a copy of all the roots once we get far enough into the semester to warrant it. I combine my vocabulary quizzes with conventions, so I won't attah them here. I am happy to share samples, however, upon request. If this changes, I will upload them for everyone to use.

    Welcome to Week 12!

    Here are your roots for the week:

    And the corresponding words:

    Be sure to fill out your Google Doc or journal with the appropriate spaces and have all the words completed by the due date

    Week 13

    From here on, the next task pages will be lists of targeted roots and the words corresponding to them. To check for understanding I typically give fill in the blank quizzes that expect the student to know which vocabulary word goes with which sentence. I also do not allow word banks, but I will provide a copy of all the roots once we get far enough into the semester to warrant it. I combine my vocabulary quizzes with conventions, so I won't attah them here. I am happy to share samples, however, upon request. If this changes, I will upload them for everyone to use.

    Welcome to Week 13!

    Here are your roots for the week:

    And the corresponding words:

    Be sure to fill out your Google Doc or journal with the appropriate spaces and have all the words completed by the due date

    Week 14

    From here on, the next task pages will be lists of targeted roots and the words corresponding to them. To check for understanding I typically give fill in the blank quizzes that expect the student to know which vocabulary word goes with which sentence. I also do not allow word banks, but I will provide a copy of all the roots once we get far enough into the semester to warrant it. I combine my vocabulary quizzes with conventions, so I won't attah them here. I am happy to share samples, however, upon request. If this changes, I will upload them for everyone to use.

    Welcome to Week 14!

    Here are your second to last roots for the semester:

    And the corresponding words:

    Be sure to fill out your Google Doc or journal with the appropriate spaces and have all the words completed by the due date

    Week 15

    From here on, the next task pages will be lists of targeted roots and the words corresponding to them. To check for understanding I typically give fill in the blank quizzes that expect the student to know which vocabulary word goes with which sentence. I also do not allow word banks, but I will provide a copy of all the roots once we get far enough into the semester to warrant it. I combine my vocabulary quizzes with conventions, so I won't attah them here. I am happy to share samples, however, upon request. If this changes, I will upload them for everyone to use.

    Welcome to Week 15, the last vocabulary week in the semester!

    And the last words of the semester:

    Be sure to fill out your Google Doc or journal with the appropriate spaces and have all the words completed by the due date.  Congratulations, you've made it, and you have a larger vocabulary!