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English lesson plan · 7th grade (Year 8 in England) · 30 minutes

Greek roots: path, phil, phob, psych, poly and more

Vocabulary

CCSS L.7.4.BEngland: KS3 English (vocabulary and etymology)

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Greek roots: path, phil, phob, psych, poly and more.

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Greek roots: bio, geo, graph, phon and more

Leads to: Using roots to work out a whole word's meaning; Greek roots: arch, crypt, gen, chrom, derm, tox and more

Materials: Word cards, A thesaurus or dictionary, A short text with the target words, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 4 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Greek roots: bio, geo, graph, phon and more). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. What does the Greek root "tele" mean? (as in telepathy, teleport, television) (look at, examine / measure / far / heat) → farPrompt: What do the example words have in common?
  2. Which word contains a Greek root that means "sound"? (anachronism / television / periscope / saxophone) → saxophonePrompt: Split each word into parts. Which part could mean "sound"?
  3. These words share a Greek root that means "time". Type it. synchronise, anachronism, chronic → chronPrompt: Look for the letters that appear in every word.

Hook · 3 min

  • Show an interesting word in a sentence and ask what it might mean from the clues around it.
  • Share the objective: Greek roots: path, phil, phob, psych, poly and more. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 7 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: What does the Greek root "crat / cracy" mean? (as in aristocrat, bureaucracy, autocrat)
  • Step 1: Knowing what a Greek root means helps you work out unfamiliar words that contain it.
  • Step 2: crat / cracy means "rule, power", as in autocrat, bureaucracy, aristocrat.
  • Step 3: So the answer is: rule, power
  • Answer: rule, power
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 6 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. What does the Greek root "morph" mean? (as in metamorphosis, amorphous, morph) (circle, wheel / shape, form / rule, power / fear) → shape, formPrompt: What do the example words have in common?
  2. Which word contains a Greek root that means "people"? (pandemic / polytechnic / recycle / bureaucracy) → pandemicPrompt: Split each word into parts. Which part could mean "people"?

You do: independent practice · 7 min

  • Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
  • Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 3 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Which word contains a Greek root that means "many"? (pandemic / psychology / technophobe / polyglot) → polyglotPrompt: Split each word into parts. Which part could mean "many"?
  2. What does the Greek root "phob" mean? (as in arachnophobia, claustrophobia, technophobe) (feeling, suffering / star / fear / circle, wheel) → fearPrompt: What do the example words have in common?

Watch out for

  • Picking a "bigger" synonym that doesn't fit the meaning.
  • Ignoring the clues in the rest of the sentence.

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Greek roots: bio, geo, graph, phon and more.
  • Use concrete materials: word cards.
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Move on to: Using roots to work out a whole word's meaning; Greek roots: arch, crypt, gen, chrom, derm, tox and more.
  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-7.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

eurekami

Greek roots: path, phil, phob, psych, poly and more

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    These words share a Greek root that means "fear". Type it. phobia, technophobe, claustrophobia

    Answer

  2. Question 2

    Which word contains a Greek root that means "feeling, suffering"?

    • A. bicycle
    • B. aristocrat
    • C. pathetic
    • D. arachnophobia

  3. Question 3

    What does the Greek root "crat / cracy" mean? (as in bureaucracy, aristocrat, autocrat)

    • A. circle, wheel
    • B. feeling, suffering
    • C. star
    • D. rule, power

  4. Question 4

    These words share a Greek root that means "star". Type it. disaster, asterisk, astronomy

    Answer

  5. Question 5

    What does the Greek root "anthrop" mean? (as in anthropology, misanthrope, anthropoid)

    • A. shape, form
    • B. human
    • C. rule, power
    • D. many

  6. Question 6

    These words share a Greek root that means "many". Type it. polygon, polyglot, polytechnic

    Answer

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Answer key: Greek roots: path, phil, phob, psych, poly and more

  1. 1. phob

  2. 2. C. pathetic

  3. 3. D. rule, power

  4. 4. astr

  5. 5. B. human

  6. 6. poly