6th grade common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots

 ELA.6.L.C17.1

Provide a lesson plan for the following data including a test with answers using 6th grade common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., audience, auditory, audible).

Lesson Plan: Greek and Latin Affixes and Roots

Grade: 6th

Subject: English Language Arts

Learning Objectives:

Students will be able to:

• Define affixes and roots.
• Identify common Greek and Latin affixes and roots.
• Use affixes and roots to decode the meaning of unfamiliar words.

Materials:

• Whiteboard or projector
• Markers or pens
• Handouts or worksheet on Greek and Latin affixes and roots

Procedure:

1. Begin by introducing the concepts of affixes and roots. Explain that affixes are small word parts that are added to the beginning or end of a word to change its meaning. Roots are the basic units of meaning in words.

2. Write a few examples of affixes and roots on the board. For example:

• Affixes: pre-, -re, -un, -dis, -ly
• Roots: aud-, bio-, graph-, dict-, spect-

3. Ask students to brainstorm a list of words that contain these affixes and roots.

4. Once students have a good understanding of affixes and roots, you can begin to focus on specific Greek and Latin affixes and roots. For example, you could choose to focus on the following affixes and roots:

• aud- (to hear)
• bio- (life)
• graph- (write)
• dict- (say)
• spect- (look)

5. For each affix or root, write a definition on the board and provide a few examples of words that contain that affix or root.

6. Then, give students a handout or worksheet that contains a list of words with Greek and Latin affixes and roots. Ask students to identify the affix or root in each word and to use the meaning of the affix or root to decode the meaning of the word.

7. Once students have completed the worksheet, you can review the answers with them as a class.

Test:

Part 1: Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following words contains the Greek root aud- (to hear)?

(a) audible (b) visible (c) legible (d) intelligible

2. Which of the following words contains the Latin root bio- (life)?

(a) biology (b) biography (c) bibliography (d) all of the above

3. Which of the following words contains the Greek root graph- (write)?

(a) autograph (b) paragraph (c) photograph (d) all of the above

4. Which of the following words contains the Latin root dict- (say)?

(a) predict (b) diction (c) dictator (d) all of the above

5. Which of the following words contains the Latin root spect- (look)?

(a) respect (b) spectator (c) spectacle (d) all of the above

Part 2: Short Answer

1. What is an affix?
2. What is a root?
3. Give three examples of Greek roots.
4. Give three examples of Latin roots.
5. Use the Greek root aud- (to hear) to decode the meaning of the following word: auditorium.

Answers:

Part 1:

1. (a) audible
2. (d) all of the above
3. (d) all of the above
4. (d) all of the above
5. (d) all of the above

Part 2:

1. An affix is a small word part that is added to the beginning or end of a word to change its meaning.
2. A root is the basic unit of meaning in a word.
3. Greek roots: aud- (to hear), bio- (life), graph- (write)
4. Latin roots: dict- (say), spect- (look)
5. auditorium: a place where people gather to listen to something

This lesson plan and test can be adapted to fit the specific needs of your students. For example, you may want to focus on a different set of affixes and roots, or you may want to provide more support for struggling students.