Etymology 101- Understanding Words Using Roots & Prefixes

In this multi-day class, students will learn how to decipher new vocabulary words using the root and prefix. This class is an introductory course to etymology. Etymology is a powerful tool in language because it can help us guess the meaning of a word even though we may have not seen the word before. By studying prefixes and roots, we can broaden our vocabulary and figure out the meaning of new words. In this class, we will study origins of words and will be able to define words based on what we know about the root word and prefixes. This class will be taught through slideshow (including lecture, pictures, video clips). Students will have two worksheets (attached PDFs) to complete and bring to class for discussion. The description for each class is below.

class 1: We will go over an introduction to etymology and how we use this tool in the English language. We will look at examples of words that have common roots and begin to decipher the meaning of these words. Students will have the opportunity to brainstorm with one another and ask questions. 

class 2: Please complete the attached PDF #1 and bring to class. We will go over this worksheet and correct any errors together in class. We will talk more about root words and see new examples of words with common roots. 

class 3: We will review what we’ve learned so far and continue to learn more common root words. Students will have the opportunity to guess what each word means before seeing the definition. 

class 4: Please complete and bring PDF #2 to class. We will be reviewing this worksheet in class together and I will be answering any questions students might have. We will learn more roots and take a fun trivia quiz to test what what we’ve learned at the end of this class.