1. Students will discuss many hundreds of English words derived from roughly 75 Latin roots not previously researched in Levels 1-4 of this course sequence. 
2. Students will engage in independent and collaborative research of English word etymologies using provided online sources as well as sources they identify on their own.
3. Students will also explore Spanish, French, and Italian words (and if desired, Portuguese and Romanian) derived from these same Latin roots.
4. Students will engage in word hunts while reading independently in order to find examples of English derivatives of targeted Latin roots.
5. Students will complete several crossword puzzles and play online games to reinforce studied materials.
6. Students will reorganize their mental lexicons (word stores) to reflect the word elements studied and discussed.

WHY ME?

I am a dedicated and creative literacy specialist with 25+ years experience working with students of all ages. I hold permanent certification from New York State in Reading (grades K-12). I am also a certified Wilson Reading System dyslexia practitioner. I have extensive experience with Orton-Gow methods for literacy re/mediation; the foundation for that work was the introductory training I received through the Gow Teacher Training Institute. I taught Orton-Gow (Reconstructive Language) at the Gow School and the Gow School Summer Program for several years. Across the past decade, as a teacher educator and university reading center director, I helped to prepare several hundred reading teachers and literacy specialists in NY and PA. 

I completed my undergraduate degree at The Catholic University of America School of Music. My doctoral and master’s degrees were earned at the University at Buffalo School of Education, under the advisement of Dr. Michael W. Kibby, a nationally known literacy diagnostician and scholar.  I have presented my research at several national and international conferences, including Literacy Research Association, International Reading Association, and International Dyslexia Association.

숙제 제공
Each week, students select Latin word elements to research, using provided web resources and any other sources they find on their own. They create lists of words (English, plus a few from Romance languages) derived from their target Latin elements, and type these words along with their simple definitions into the class Google Slides file. They share back their findings with each other in class so we can build on them as a team. Periodically, students are asked to complete crossword puzzles or other summative learning activities for homework.
수업 외 주당 1 - 2 시간
제공되는 평가
This is an ungraded course. Student work is shared publically and collectively discussed in a manner that is elaborative, not evaluative. The instructor adjusts pace and provides direct instruction, modeling, and scaffolding as needed.
제공되는 성적

Many of the students who take my Vocabulary Building courses experience literacy-based learning difficulties. I scaffold students and modify my procedures and small assignments so that every student has an opportunity to participate. 

Ideally, students in this section should have taken at least one of the other courses in my Vocabulary Building series before enrolling in this one.