Greek and Latin Roots

A huge focus in fifth grade is word study. Research is fairly consistent in saying that studying words should be done in conjunction with what’s already being taught in the classroom with small mini-lessons to target specific skills. Today, I wanted to share some resources I have found especially helpful as we have integrated Greek and Latin Root Words into our daily learning.

Each week, as I introduce words for our Class Word Wall we analyze the words we are learning, focusing on specific prefixes, roots, or suffixes.

When first introducing the idea of roots, I used BrainPop’s Video for introducing prefixes, roots, and suffixes. It also has a great quiz for practice! Additionally, you can download the Brain Pop app to use on personal devices and iPads making it the perfect tool/reminder for a literacy center!

Of course, we also jam to Flocabulary’s Root Word video. If you didn’t know, we are all about rapping and LOVE Flocabulary.

Each week we also focus in on one root using Rolodex of Roots. I post the root word wheel (I made it using our root cards, Command Hooks, and binder rings) outside of my door and it acts as a “Password” as students enter into my classroom. Each morning, students lead (after many weeks of training) a simple, 3-5 minute activity working with our root – record it, list it, picture it, chant it, and teach it. I’ve blogged more about the routine here.

We also use Kristen’s {Ladybug Teacher Files} Grammar Morphology Posters to remind us about the function of parts of speech. Not only are the posters beautiful, but when I introduced them a sweet girl said to me, “These will be really helpful for us.” *swoon my teacher heart*

Even with the mini-lessons and the weekly focus on specific roots, my kiddos still needed practice…especially my students who have had limited access to words. Knowing we needed more engaging practice, I created a series of puzzles to use during literacy centers. Choosing 7-8 puzzles a week; students have hands-on, interactive practice mastering root words. Each puzzle asks students to match a root, its meaning, and the root in action within a sentence.

To hold my students accountable, I also included four different accountability options for students. The first is a log, where students record the roots they are learning throughout the year. I’ve also included Frayer models, webs for making connections among root words, and a general puzzle piece recording log. All of these resources aren’t meant to be busy work, but function to make sure students are staying on track…we all know how easily distracted our 10 year olds can be when partnered with a friend. 🙂

In literacy centers, we loving playing Stacks! Below are picture from our prefix stacks that we did in January, and now we are playing root word stacks. How does it work? I write a root on the bottom of each cup and its meaning on the inside of the cup. I place the cups in a large Ziploc bag and students works in pairs. One partner grabs a cup. He/she defines the root and then, gives an example of a word that uses the prefix. The partner checks their work (mentally or using the answer I have written on the inside of the cup). If the partner answers correctly, they can add it to their cup pyramid. If incorrect, the cup goes back into the bag. Students work together to build the tallest possible pyramid in our 12 minute work period! Super fun, low maintenance, and great practice!

We all have SO many different learners
in our classroom, so it helps to have lots of resources at our disposable. These are the resources that I am using and loving! Click below to learn more about them or grab them for your own classroom. If you’re interested in other FREE classroom resources and freebies, sign-up here for teaching ideas to land in your inbox each month.