Classroom games can engage students in learning vocabulary words, according to a webinar hosted by educational publisher Prestwick House last week. “The Science of Vocabulary: How and Why Teaching Latin and Greek Roots Works” featured ideas for moving beyond lists of vocabulary words and building a toolbox for understanding complex words.
Keith Bergtrom, the president of Prestwick House, said the best method for students to learn vocabulary is to read widely, but “students are having a harder time reading than they have in the past.” According to data from the Nation’s Report Card, 14% of 13-year-olds read for fun almost every day, compared to 35% of 13-year-olds in 1984.
Vocabulary and the science of reading
The study of vocabulary is one of the four pillars of the science of reading, as well as phonemic awareness, fluency and comprehension. For speaking English, a basic vocabulary of around 8,000 words allows speakers to navigate daily life. Academic vocabulary allows speakers to move beyond the basic tier, while subject-specific specialty words refer to the vocabulary found in subjects such as math and history.
“When we look at vocabulary instruction, we are mostly focused on how we help our kids become better readers,” Bergstrom said. There are two types of vocabulary instruction: direct and indirect. Direct instruction offers lists of words to memorize, but teaching Latin and Greek roots can help with indirect instruction. Students can understand unfamiliar words in the context of a sentence if they are familiar with the roots of words.
3 fun games to teach vocabulary
Classroom activities can offer a fun way to learn the roots of English words in addition to lists of vocabulary words. Bergstrom offered a sampling of games teachers can use to teach Latin and Greek roots. “Building that game activity in there should really help your students pay attention and have fun,” Bergstrom said.
- Root/suffix/prefix brainstorming. The game involves students breaking down long words into roots, suffixes and prefixes. For example, the word retrospective can be broken down into three parts. Students receive points for each part of the word that they can guess the root.
- Mix and match. Take five prefixes, five suffixes and five roots. See how many words students can mix and match, similar to the word game Boggle. Students receive points for each correct word they can make.
- Jabber-dash. Share a difficult vocabulary word with clear roots. See if students can come up with a plausible definition. Students receive the most points for the correct word and fewer points for a correct prefix or suffix.
Why turn to Latin and Greek?
With at least 50% of English words stemming from Latin roots and 25% from Greek roots, turning to classic languages can help students understand words in context. Although English is a Germanic language, it has absorbed many Latin words from Romance languages such as French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. Meanwhile, many scientific words arise from Greek roots, especially in the field of medicine.
Understanding Latin and Greek roots of English words can also help students grasp the structure of language by boosting the ability to classify words as nouns, verbs or adverbs. For example, students can see that adverbs always end with “ly” by looking at roots and suffixes.
Vocabulary can also help students learn the semantic relationships between words, such antonyms and synonyms. Understanding the roots of words can also increase the number of words that are “potentially knowable” for students, said Bergstrom, as opposed to memorizing lists of vocabulary words.
Prestwick House also offers free resources for teachers such as Vocabulary Roots and Vocabulary Power Plus.
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