by The Mr. G Show
4th - 8th Grade
This lesson combines the enjoyment of art and creativity with vocabulary development. It is basically a mnemonic activity, designed to help students commit the meanings of the Greek and Latin stems to memory.
This project can be completed in about five one-hour periods. It can also be an excellent sponge activity, something to keep kids busy in those minutes after they have finished the day's assignment before the end of class. When they say "Teacher, I'm finished with the assignment." You can say, "Good. Now you can work on your Greek Roots art book."
I did this project with a summer high school English class, mixed grade levels. Classes were two hours per day. I gave them five class periods to finish. I gave extra credit for coloring. The more time they spend on the imagery, the more they are absorbing the meaning of the root.
I can't over-state how much success I have had with this lesson. It keeps the kids interacting with roots and stems over long periods of time. It forces them to synthesize the affixes and apply it in an original way, a personal way that has meaning for them. The best part is, it is simple and doesn't require a lot of complex input or instructions from the teacher. Just show them an example, give them the materials and the list of affixes and away they go.
Research shows that vocabulary development through the mastery of Greek and Latin roots and stems is a key component to improving test scores on standardized tests such as the GRE, SAT, CST, AP exams and State standardized tests.
This is a stand-alone, free product. You don't have to buy any of my other products to make this lesson work. However, if you are interested in increasing the depth, breadth, and time, check out some of my companion products that go along with this lesson. There are links to them in this lesson plan.
