You may have also heard the word cognate. A cognate is a word derived from the same root as another word; in other words, cognates are words that have a common origin. They may occur not only in one language, like English, but in a group of languages. For example, the word adversary in English and adversario in Spanish are cognates derived from the Latin adversus, which means “against” or “opposite of.”
It is widely noted that more than 60 percent of the English language is based on or borrowed from Greek and Latin (Dictionary.com, 2015). Even new words that enter our language are often based on Greek or Latin precedents. For example, the word megabyte builds on the Greek word mega that means “great.” It’s a combination of mega as a prefix and the computing term byte. The word locavore, which means “a person who eats only locally produced food,” builds on the precedent set by words like carnivore, derived from the Latin carnivorus. Many brand names originate from these two ancient languages. For example, the auto manufacturer Volvo takes its name from the Latin volvere, which means “to roll,” and its competitor Audi based its name on the Latin audire, which means “to hear” (Christa, 2013). Items as diverse as Nike sports apparel, Venus disposable razors, and Xerox copy machines can also trace their brand names to Greek and Latin.
This chapter focuses on some of the most common Greek and Latin roots that students are likely to encounter in school texts. In the lesson titles, the letter r denotes that the minilesson is about one or more roots, and the number indicates the order in which the specific lessons appear (for example, lesson R1, lesson R2, and so on). The roots are grouped alphabetically, covering words that start with the letter a through letter k. Chapter 4 covers the letter l onward. As Timothy V. Rasinski, Nancy Padak, Joanna Newton, and Evangeline Newton (2011) remind us, “The systematic, ongoing, and consistent integration of Latin and Greek roots into vocabulary instruction offers awesome potential for enhancing students’ academic growth” (p. 13). My hope is that you can get started on this path toward such awesome potential with the minilessons you find here.
Root: act
The root act is present in many common words. This minilesson focuses on the root act from the Latin meaning “to do.” You may want to start the minilesson by reviewing the verb act with your students and then building on it for the remainder of the target words. Act (a verb) means to do something or to behave in a certain way.
Lesson R1: action, actor, react, reaction
In this minilesson, teachers will teach the root act, such as in the words action, actor, react, and reaction.
Difficulty level: 1
S
The following lists target words students should see and say for this minilesson.
N
All these words are about doing something. The words act and react often work together. You can role-play to demonstrate an action and reaction to students. Share with them the popular saying, “For every action, there is a reaction.” This applies widely, not just in science, where they may have heard it before.
Remind students of the meaning of the prefix re- if this has been covered before, too.
A
Partner students up and have them take turns being an actor. Ask the designated actor to perform an action, like making an exaggerated expression or a funny face of some sort. Then ask the pair how the other partner, not the actor, reacted. Then reverse roles. Do several rounds of this as time allows.
The following are some ideas for the rounds. You can say:
P
Ask each student to write sentences using at least two of the following words: act, acted, acting, action, react, reacted, reacting, and reaction. You most likely used all these forms when you engaged the students in step A or when you defined the words.
Scaffolding
Assist struggling students by asking them to write about what they and their partner just did. This should help them use the words in context.
Acceleration
Enact is a related word that teachers can add to this minilesson for advanced students or for the entire class if appropriate.
1. To perform or to act something out
2. To make into a law or other rule or statute
Roots: ann, enn
These roots, which are alternative spellings of each other, originate in Latin and mean “year.” Ann is most often used at the beginning of words, like annual and anniversary. Enn is used in the middle of words, like the ones in lesson R2 as well as the words perennial and centennial.
Lesson R2: annual, anniversary, millennium, millennial
In this minilesson, teachers will teach the roots ann and enn, such as in the words annual, anniversary, millennium, and millennial.
Difficulty