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English lesson plan · 8th grade (Year 9 in England) · 30 minutes

Greek roots: arch, crypt, gen, chrom, derm, tox and more

Vocabulary

CCSS L.8.4.BEngland: KS3 English (vocabulary and etymology)England: GCSE Combined Science (scientific vocabulary)

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Greek roots: arch, crypt, gen, chrom, derm, tox 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: path, phil, phob, psych, poly and more

Leads to: Decoding advanced words from their roots

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: path, phil, phob, psych, poly 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 "path" mean? (as in sympathy, pathetic, empathy) (mind / people / circle, wheel / feeling, suffering) → feeling, sufferingPrompt: What do the example words have in common?
  2. Which word contains a Greek root that means "fear"? (astronomy / anthropoid / aristocrat / technophobe) → technophobePrompt: Split each word into parts. Which part could mean "fear"?
  3. These words share a Greek root that means "star". Type it. astronaut, asterisk, disaster → astrPrompt: 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: arch, crypt, gen, chrom, derm, tox 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 "derm" mean? (as in epidermis, dermatologist, hypodermic)
  • Step 1: Knowing what a Greek root means helps you work out unfamiliar words that contain it.
  • Step 2: derm means "skin", as in dermatologist, epidermis, hypodermic.
  • Step 3: So the answer is: skin
  • Answer: skin
  • 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 "crypt" mean? (as in cryptic, cryptocurrency, encrypt) (birth, origin, kind / hidden / god / wisdom) → hiddenPrompt: What do the example words have in common?
  2. Which word contains a Greek root that means "wisdom"? (philosophy / cryptocurrency / cinema / pandemonium) → philosophyPrompt: Split each word into parts. Which part could mean "wisdom"?

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. These words share a Greek root that means "rule, chief". Type it. monarch, anarchy, matriarch → archPrompt: Look for the letters that appear in every word.
  2. What does the Greek root "crypt" mean? (as in cryptic, cryptocurrency, encrypt) (colour / hidden / rule, chief / god) → hiddenPrompt: 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: path, phil, phob, psych, poly 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: Decoding advanced words from their roots.
  • 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-8.

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

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Greek roots: arch, crypt, gen, chrom, derm, tox and more

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    These words share a Greek root that means "stone". Type it. lithium, monolith, megalith

    Answer

  2. Question 2

    What does the Greek root "chrom" mean? (as in chromosome, monochrome, chromatic)

    • A. wisdom
    • B. know
    • C. god
    • D. colour

  3. Question 3

    Which word contains a Greek root that means "all"?

    • A. toxin
    • B. monolith
    • C. panorama
    • D. neologism

  4. Question 4

    These words share a Greek root that means "birth, origin, kind". Type it. generation, genre, genetic

    Answer

  5. Question 5

    What does the Greek root "lith" mean? (as in megalith, lithium, monolith)

    • A. belief, opinion
    • B. god
    • C. stone
    • D. birth, origin, kind

  6. Question 6

    Which word contains a Greek root that means "skin"?

    • A. epidermis
    • B. cryptic
    • C. monochrome
    • D. diagnosis

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Answer key: Greek roots: arch, crypt, gen, chrom, derm, tox and more

  1. 1. lith

  2. 2. D. colour

  3. 3. C. panorama

  4. 4. gen

  5. 5. C. stone

  6. 6. A. epidermis