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Robust Roots A–K

You may remember at some point in your own K–12 education completing a unit of study on Greek or Latin roots. My eighth-grade year was the year that my English teacher engaged us in what she called minicourses, most of which consisted of a slew of independent work that had to be completed and then bound into some kind of binder for her inspection. I vaguely remember the minicourses on journalism and word study being my favorites. Learning about roots, word families, and affixes in the word study minicourse was a joy for me. However, years later, when I tried to generate similar joy in my classroom, I failed miserably. Why did my students not find roots as mesmerizing as I did? That question I may never be able to answer, but I do know that the student who has knowledge of frequently used roots is the student who has a useful tool in his or her toolkit. The study of roots is definitely worth spending time on and can support our students in preparing for future academic study. This is not just teacher lore; many studies attest to word analysis as a practice that increases both students’ vocabulary and their general knowledge of language (Graves, 2006; Graves & Hammond, 1980; White, Sowell, & Yanagihara, 1989).

The study of roots that are present in cognates across several languages can support English learners. Native Spanish, Italian, and French speakers can find many shared word families in English. All teachers should be invested in the study of some of the most common English language roots because knowledge of these roots assists students with mastering content-area vocabulary and supports incidental word learning. Andrew Biemiller and Naomi Slonim (2001) estimate that children acquire about six hundred root word meanings per year from infancy to the end of elementary school. However, we know that not all our students will acquire six hundred root word meanings; some will acquire significantly less (Colker, n.d.; Hart & Risley, 2003; Morgan, Farkas, Hillemeier, Hammer, & Maczuga, 2015). Students who are new to schooling or new to English also face additional challenges. And lastly, students’ learning of roots should continue beyond elementary school and exceed six hundred root words per year. Thus, additional instruction about roots, whenever we can squeeze it into our lessons, can support our students in unlocking the meaning of thousands of words.

Root words, sometimes just called roots, are words that do not have prefixes or suffixes and cannot be further subdivided. Each root represents the smallest unit of meaning in our language and is the basis for a word family. For example, think about the word walk. Walks, walked, and walking are built on the root (also called the base word). Other roots like ped are not words unto themselves but are used with other component parts to create words like pedal and pedestrian.

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

The following lists target words students should see and say for this minilesson.

Action (n.): A thing that has been done

Actor (n.): A person who has done something; more specifically, a person who performs in movies, theater, television, and so on

React (v.): To respond to something; to behave in a certain way in response to something that happens

Reaction (n.): A response to something; the way someone behaves

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.

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:

“Make a funny face. See if your partner laughs or smiles.”

“Act sad. How does your partner react?”

“Roll your pencil across your desk. Does the pencil fall off the desk? Did your partner stop it from rolling off the desk or pick it up from the floor?”

“Get up and walk away from your partner. What is the reaction?”

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.

Enact (v.):

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 level: 1

The following lists target words students should see and say for this minilesson.

Annual (adj.): Happening once a year

Anniversary (n.): The date on which something occurred in a previous year

Millennium (n.): A period of one thousand years

Millennial (adj.): Relating to a period of or anniversary of one thousand years

Consider saying something like the following to your class.

All these words are about time, and specifically, they are about periods of time. Annual means one year has passed. An anniversary is a date marked each year, like a wedding anniversary or an anniversary of moving to a new place or meeting one of your friends. Millennium and millennial have been used frequently since we passed the year of 1999. The year 2000 and beyond is what we call a new millennium—a new period of one thousand years has begun. The year 3000 will mark the next millennium. You may have also heard the word millennial to describe people who reached adulthood in the year 2000 or since. They are people who came of age during this new millennium.

Form small groups of students. Ask them to discuss the following questions.

What is something that happens annually, meaning that it happens every year? Come up with as many things as you can think of.

Does your family celebrate any anniversaries? If so, what are they?

Have each student write a sentence using two of the target words (or related forms of those words). Have a few share aloud if time allows.

Scaffolding

Provide sentence templates like the following for students to choose from.

My favorite annual event is ___________________.

Some people celebrate the anniversary of ___________________.

Millennium means ___________________.

Millennial means ___________________.

Acceleration

Related words bicentennial and centennial may be of interest or may be familiar to some students. Discuss these words as appropriate, or ask advanced students to find out more about them during step A and to share what they find in step P.

Bicentennial (adj.): Relating to a two hundredth anniversary or a period of two hundred years

Centennial (adj.): Relating to a one hundredth anniversary or a period of one hundred years

Root: aud

The following two minilessons focus on the root aud, which comes from the Latin word audire. Audire means “to hear.”

Students may be somewhat familiar with the word audio because of their experience with electronic devices and the word auditorium because it is a place they have visited for school functions. However, the less common word auditory is taught along with these two words in this difficulty level 1 minilesson.

Lesson R3: audio, auditorium, auditory

In this minilesson, teachers will teach the root aud, such as in the words audio, auditorium, and auditory.

Difficulty level: 1

The following lists target words students should see and say for this minilesson.

Audio (n.): Sound, usually used in relation to the transmission or recording of sound

Auditorium (n.): A room or space in a building where people go to watch a performance, assembly, and so on

Auditory (adj.): Related to your sense of hearing

Ask students if they have seen or heard the word audio when using electronic devices or computers. Discuss a recent trip to the school auditorium or use the word in a familiar context. You may also connect the word audience to auditorium if you feel that this will help students. For auditory, you can point out how it is very similar to auditorium (in this step or the next step). You could say, “In addition to sight, we use our hearing when we go to the auditorium to watch a performance. In other words, we use our auditory system. That’s our sense of hearing.”

Consider saying something like the following to your class.

So, you can see that all three words share a root or word part, aud. Many English words use this root, and it always relates to sound and hearing. Remember that audio and auditorium are nouns. And remember our definition of noun—it’s a person, place, thing, idea, or feeling. Audio is a thing—it’s usually sound that is recorded or played, like the audio that comes out of our computers’ speakers. An auditorium is a place. It’s where we go to have an assembly or see a play. Auditory is an adjective. It describes nouns. For example, I could say that I enjoy learning by auditory teaching methods. When someone speaks to me out loud, I find that I remember the information better than if I just read about it. In other words, I’m good at auditory processing.

Small groups should discuss the following questions.

What are some devices that use audio? Look around the classroom for ideas. (Answers may include smartphones, televisions, DVD players, laptop and desktop computers, tablets, home stereos, car stereos, and so on.)

Have you been to an auditorium outside of school? If so, what were you doing there? (Answers may include attending a ceremony like a graduation, seeing a play, going on a class field trip, and so on.)

Have each student write three sentences, one for each word. If they like, they can simply write a definition in their own words, or give examples, similar to the following answers.

Audio is sound that plays on a device like my iPad.

An auditorium is a place where we go to see a presentation or play.

Auditory is about your hearing. Teachers have good auditory skills.

Scaffolding

Provide students with sentence stems. The blanks can be filled in with single words or with phrases. Examples include:

The word audio means _______________. An example of audio is _______________.

An auditorium is a place where we go to _______________.

If something is auditory, it can be heard. Something auditory from school today is _______________.

Acceleration

Ask students to generate additional words with the root aud or to find them online using a search engine or website. Quizlet (https://quizlet.com) retrieves a list of words with visuals if you use the search feature and type the phrase “root word aud.” Students can also view the presentation “‘Aud’ Words” (Gordon, 2014; https://prezi.com/ggdthqwezkdk/aud-words) to access information on this root. Advanced students could pair up and go through the presentation together, perhaps reading it aloud to each other.

Lesson R4: audible, inaudible, audiology

In this minilesson, teachers will teach the root aud, such as in the words audible, inaudible, and audiology. This level 2 minilesson focuses on three words that may all be unfamiliar but links together two antonyms to enhance memory.

Difficulty level: 2

The following lists target words students should see and say for this minilesson.

Audible (adj.): Capable of being heard

Inaudible (adj.): Incapable of being heard; producing no sound

Audiology (n.): The science of studying hearing

Ask students if they know any related words. Answers might include audio, audience, auditory, auditorium, and audiologist.

Consider saying something like the following to your class.

The words audible and inaudible are opposites of each other, or antonyms. Notice that the prefix in- on the second word makes it the opposite of the first. So, if I were giving you directions for something we were doing in class, I’d want my directions to be clearly audible. That means you could all hear what I said. If you couldn’t hear the directions, you could say they were inaudible, or that I was speaking in an inaudible manner. Audiology has an interesting word part in it, too. Notice the -ology. Words like biology and psychology use that part, and in each case, it means the study of or the science of something. In audiology, it means the study of hearing. When you know the root aud, sometimes when it’s combined with other familiar word parts, you can unlock the whole word’s meaning.

You may want to underline or box the word part -ology so that students’ eyes can see it as a word component.

Have students work together to list audible things versus inaudible things. For example, a teacher’s lecture and the announcements on the public address (PA) system are audible. Movies, TV shows, and music are audible. However, a student daydreaming or journaling in class are inaudible.

Ask students to write short explanations (or synonyms) of all three words that they can share with students who are absent today or to summarize the minilesson. This writing can be done on sticky notes and attached to chart paper, a wall, or a door. Students can also use an online tool like TodaysMeet (https://todaysmeet.com) or Padlet (https://padlet.com).

Examples:

Something that is audible can be heard, but something that is inaudible cannot be. Audiology is the study of hearing.

Audible and inaudible are opposites. You can hear it if it’s audible but not if it’s inaudible. Audiology is the science of studying hearing. The -ology lets you know that and is in other words like biology.

Scaffolding

Allow some students to provide their explanations to you orally instead of in writing as time allows. You can reinforce the meaning of the words by saying, “I’d like to hear you give an audible summary instead of a written one.”

Acceleration

Ask students to brainstorm and write sentences with related words. Possible answers include audibly, inaudibly, audience, and audition.

Root: auto

The two minilessons in this section focus on the root auto, which originates from the Greek word autos, meaning “self” or “same.” Many students will likely know the word automobile as a synonym for car or if they speak Spanish or Italian because of the similarities of the word in those languages to English.

Lesson R5: autobiography, autograph, automatic

In this minilesson, teachers will teach the root auto, such as in the words autobiography, autograph, and automatic.

Difficulty level: 1

The following lists target words students should see and say for this minilesson.

Autobiography (n.): A person’s written account of his or her own life

Autograph (n.): A person’s signature or signing of one’s name; often a memento or souvenir from a sports star or other celebrity

Automatic (adj.): Working independently or on its own; self-directed

Be sure to pronounce the T in auto as a T and not with a D sound like audio. The roots auto and aud are pronounced differently and have different spellings and meanings. While these distinctions may seem obvious to you as a well-educated speaker of English, it can be confusing for non-native speakers, young students, struggling readers, and students who have auditory processing difficulties.

Consider saying something like the following.

You may have seen these three words before, and you may even know what they mean, but I’d like to talk with you today about a similarity they all share. Notice the root word auto that appears at the beginning of each word. It means “same” or “self,” and with these three words, the root auto definitely means “self.” You would write an autobiography yourself; you would be the author. If you became famous for writing your autobiography, your readers might come to a book signing and ask for your autograph. This is where you’d sign the inside of your book. Signed books by famous authors are often very valuable. Lastly, the word automatic means something that works by itself, on its own, sometimes without human direction. Many electric devices these days are automatic. For example, I have a coffee maker and an iron at home that are automatic. They cut off when they have been on too long, even if I don’t switch them off. They do it all by themselves.

You may ask students if they know related words, like biography, the opposite of autobiography (which they may have learned in English language arts), or automobile as a synonym for car.

Place students in triads. Have them complete the following sentences.

I would like to read an autobiography by ____________.

I would ask ____________ for an autograph.

Something automatic that I use is a ____________.

Encourage each triad to allow each person to have three turns, ensuring that each student gets to supply a personal answer for each prompt. Group members can help each other think of answers if necessary.

Have each student select his or her favorite two words and write his or her own sentences for those words. Let students know that they can use a sentence they said themselves or that they heard another student say in the triad activity that preceded this step.

Scaffolding

Monitor students who struggle with the writing and point out objects in the room that might help them create their sentences. For example, you could show one or two autobiographies from your classroom library or mention those that students have read. You could also point out objects that have automatic properties, like the screen saver on an interactive whiteboard or computer, or even the overhead lighting.

Acceleration

Have students access the WordHippo webpage “Words Starting With AUTO” (2017b; http://bit.ly/2rBi0Hi) and scroll through the list of words that start with auto-. The advanced students can pick a new word or two to research and learn about—and to possibly share with the rest of the class.

Lesson R6: autonomy, autonomous

In this minilesson, teachers will teach the root auto, such as in the words autonomy and autonomous.

Difficulty level: 2

The following lists target words students should see and say for this minilesson.

Autonomy (n.): Self-governance, independence, or freedom to do what one wants

Autonomous (adj.): Self-controlling, independent, or free

Point out that autonomy and autonomous are related (one is the noun form, and the other is the adjective form, from the same root). Ensure that students know the accent is on each word’s second syllable. These words, especially when encountered during independent reading, may seem hard to pronounce.

Consider saying something like the following.

You see that these words have a common word part, in this case aut. This word component is usually spelled a-u-t-o but may be slightly different depending on the letters that follow. The main thing to remember about words that contain aut is that they all relate to the self. Autonomy and autonomous are about controlling your actions. Often teachers say they’d like autonomy, or the freedom to do what they choose in their classrooms. Autonomous is the adjective form, so an autonomous teacher would be one who could make decisions about what and how to teach. You might even tell your parents that you’d like to be more autonomous!

You may want to ask students what being more autonomous would be like for them—for example, setting their own bedtimes or curfews, determining how much screen time or device time they are allowed, or deciding when and where to complete their homework.

In pairs or small groups, have students brainstorm examples for autonomous. You may want to start them off with the following example.

Things that are autonomous: Deciding that you’ll be a vegetarian or vegan; determining what medical treatment you will or will not take; taking a stand on an issue regardless of what your best friends think; choosing how and when to observe your religion

Ask each student to choose one of the two target words and write a short paragraph (two to five sentences) about how he or she can apply or has applied each term in his or her own life. You may want to model or share your own example to get them started. For example, I might tell students that an example of autonomy for me was when I chose the college I wanted to attend, saved my money, and went there at age seventeen, even though it was an hour from my home and I had no car. I knew that once I arrived there, I would be almost entirely independent or autonomous.

Scaffolding

Offer students who struggle with the writing (P step) ideas individualized for them. Give them examples of when you’ve seen them being autonomous. For example, you might say to a student, “Yesterday you were being autonomous during silent reading time. You chose your book, got busy reading, and didn’t even need any help from me.”

Acceleration

Students can work independently or in pairs and view and discuss the slide show “Root Word AUTO” (studntz, n.d.) on SlideShare (www.slideshare.net/studntz/root-word-auto) during the last part of the minilesson (step P). (Visit go.SolutionTree.com/literacy to access live links to the websites mentioned in this book.) Even though this presentation is only ten slides in length, it’s not necessary for students to get all the way through it. There’s plenty of material to discuss within the first half of the slides.

Beyond the Lesson

You may want to tell your students that if they’d like greater autonomy in the classroom, they need to do certain things to convince you they can handle it.

Roots: ben, bene, beni and mal, male, mali

The following two minilessons focus on the roots that basically mean good and bad: ben, bene, beni and mal, male, mali. Because these roots have a similar meaning, mal, male, and mali are included here rather than in the next chapter where roots starting with the letter m occur.

Students may already be familiar with the word benefit or beneficial. Students may also know the word maleficent because of the movie by that title starring Angelina Jolie. See if you can build on their familiarity and move them to a few sophisticated yet less frequently used words.

Lesson R7: benefit, beneficial, benevolent, malevolent

In this minilesson, teachers will teach the roots bene and male, such as in the words benefit, beneficial, benevolent, and malevolent.

Difficulty level: 1

The following lists target words students should see and say for this minilesson. You can use the following four words with fairly young students because they may already be familiar with the words benefit, beneficial, or both.

Benefit (n.): A gain or profit

Beneficial (adj.): Resulting in something good or profitable

Benevolent (adj.): Kind or charitable to others

Malevolent (adj.): Mean or harmful to others

Consider adding teacher gestures (see chapter 2, page 23) if you feel it will help your students remember the words’ meanings. For example, for every word that contains bene-, you could add a sweeping gesture with your arms (showing openness), a broad smile, or both since they exemplify a positive reaction to something. In contrast, for malevolent, you can cross your arms and demonstrate a frown, which symbolizes a negative reaction.

You may want students to practice benevolent and malevolent several times, as they are more difficult to pronounce than the other two words.

Consider saying something like the following to your class.

Benefits you get from something are the good things that you receive. For example, some benefits you get from attending our school each day are that you’re able to see your friends, you learn new things, and you get help from teachers when you need it. The adjective beneficial can describe these benefits.

Pause to ensure the relationship between these two words is clear. One is a noun, and the other is an adjective, but their meanings are very similar. They cannot, however, be used interchangeably. This is a syntax error students may make. Provide clarification and examples as needed.

Then you might say something like the following.

Remember, benevolent and malevolent are both adjectives that usually describe people. Again, the word that starts with bene- is the positive or good word, and malevolent, that starts with male-, is the opposite of that. So, a benevolent person does kind things, but a malevolent person does mean things. I would say that teachers are benevolent people, and people who hurt animals are malevolent, the opposite of benevolent. In a moment, I’ll ask you to come up with examples with your group of fictional characters in books, on TV, and in movies that are benevolent and malevolent.

Small groups can list benefits of familiar activities, like participating in physical education classes, going on field trips, attending assemblies, playing a sport, or eating healthy foods. You may want to assign each group a different activity for which to list benefits so that every group is working on something slightly different.

Then, ask each group to list either benevolent characters from movies, TV, and literature or malevolent characters, or both, depending on time and how well your groups are working together. Circulate briskly and monitor, as there won’t be time to report out after this step. If you need to prompt students, here are some ideas.

Benevolent characters: Cinderella’s fairy godmother; Charlotte the spider in Charlotte’s Web; Miss Rumphius in the picture book of the same name; Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird

Malevolent characters: Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters; the wolf in “Red Riding Hood”; Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmatians; Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter books and movies

Use an adaptation of the four corners strategy here (see chapter 2, page 17). Call out names of characters or historical figures that your class has studied, and ask students to go to one side of the classroom if you call out a benevolent person’s name or the other side of the room if the person is malevolent. You may also allow students to stand in the center if they feel neither term applies.

Scaffolding

Provide students with sentence stems. Use the following if you like.

A benefit is something you receive that is good or that helps you. One benefit of a good night’s sleep is _______________. One benefit of eating vegetables is _______________.

If something is beneficial, that means that it’s good for you. For example, it’s beneficial to ask your teacher for help if you need it. It’s also beneficial to _______________.

A benevolent person often helps others. _______________ is a benevolent person because _______________.

A malevolent person is often mean to others. _______________ is a malevolent person that we have read or studied about because _______________.

Acceleration

Have students use a Venn diagram (see chapter 2, page 24) to compare and contrast two benevolent figures from history or literature (or two malevolent figures). Alternatively, or additionally, you could have students create a chart with benevolent in one column and malevolent in the other and have them brainstorm synonyms all the way down each column. Accelerated students could work in pairs or small groups if you prefer.

Beyond the Lesson

Encourage students to use the word beneficial instead of good when possible. You could start an anchor chart or small word wall with synonyms for good, starting with beneficial.

Lesson R8: beneficent, benefactor, maleficent, malefactor

In this minilesson, teachers will teach the roots bene and male, such as in the words beneficent, benefactor, maleficent, and malefactor.

Difficulty level: 2

These four words are easily grouped together because of their similar meanings. They are sophisticated words that can add polish to a student’s writing.

The following lists target words students should see and say for this minilesson. The adjectives beneficent and maleficent may require additional time to ensure students can pronounce them correctly. You may want to have students say the words several times and in different orders to help them practice the correct pronunciations.

Beneficent (adj.): Doing good things or producing goodness

Benefactor (n.): Someone who gives money or other support to others

Maleficent (adj.): Doing evil things or producing evil

Malefactor (n.): Someone who does evil to others

Make sure students understand that we classify two of the words as nouns and use them to talk about a specific type of person. The other two are adjectives and describe people but can also be used to describe things like policies or, more rarely, events. Tell students to think of beneficent as being similar to the word charitable and provide examples. So, the American Red Cross is a beneficent organization. On the opposite side, thieves and liars would be called maleficent. Be sure to give additional examples that students may be familiar with from being in your class.

Orchestrate a think-pair-share (see chapter 2, page 23). Ask, “Which people have been benefactors in your life? Which people have been malefactors?” If you wish, tell them to keep the people’s names to themselves or to use pseudonyms if their examples are current teachers or students at your school. Allow students one full minute of think time before pairing. Assign a partner A and partner B. Each partner then has two minutes to talk.

Give each student two sticky notes (or use an online application like Padlet or TodaysMeet). On one note, they use the word beneficent in a sentence. On the other, they do the same for maleficent. Have them post their sentences in a designated space. On the next day, you can share the most effective sentences or simply leave those posted and remove the others. You could also post the notes in a huge T-chart to show more clearly the words’ relationship as antonyms.

Scaffolding

Provide a list of benefactors and malefactors from history, current events, or literature on your interactive whiteboard, poster paper, and so on. Students can refer to this list to help them with the think-pair-share and when writing their sentences. Use the following examples if you wish.

Benefactors: Paul Revere, Mother Teresa, Bill Gates, Malala Yousafzai

Malefactors: Adolf Hitler, Osama bin Laden

Acceleration

Challenge advanced students to use all four words within their writing during the next week or so. Have them think about ways they can use the words in conversation with teachers or other adults.

Root: bio

The Greek root word bio means “life.” Some common English vocabulary words that come from this root word include biological, biographical, and even amphibian and symbiotic. The root can appear anywhere in a word but is most often at the beginning.

Lesson R9: biome, biology, biography

In this minilesson, teachers will teach the root bio, such as in the words biome, biology, and biography.

Difficulty level: 2

The following lists target words students should see and say for this minilesson.

Biome (n.): A large community of plants and animals that occupies a specific region

Biology (n.): The study of life or living matter

Biography (n.): A person’s written account of someone else’s life

Consider saying something like the following to your class.

These three words are very common academic words. Biology is a branch of science, and biome is actually a term that is often used in biology or other life science classes. Biography, although used in literature and not science, also has a meaning directly based on the root. Biology is the study of living things; a biome is a home for living things; and a biography is a life story.

Form pairs. Ask each pair to discuss the following.

Do people live in biomes? Explain.

Would you like to study biology? Why or why not?

Have you read a biography? Explain.

Have each student write a short summary of his or her discussion in step A, being sure to use every word in context.

Scaffolding

Share the following sentence stems with students if needed.

A biome is a place where _______________.

Biology is a type of _______________ about _______________.

A biography is the story of _______________.

Acceleration

Biodiversity and autobiography are words that are related to the target words. Accelerated students may want to explore these. Ask them what connections they see to the other words.

Biodiversity (n.): The variety of life in a particular biome or other area

Autobiography (n.): A person’s written account of his or her own life

Roots: cand, cend

These roots both originate in the Latin word candere, which means “to glow,” “to glisten,” or “to shine.” They are the basis of the words candle, incandescent, and incendiary and even chandelier, where the spelling is slightly different.

Lesson R10: candle, incandescent, incendiary

In this minilesson, teachers will teach the roots cand and cend, such as in the words candle, incandescent, and incendiary.

Difficulty level: 2

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