English lesson plan · 9th grade (Year 10 in England) · 45 minutes
Decoding advanced words from their roots
Vocabulary
CCSS L.9-10.4.BCCSS L.9-10.4.AEngland: GCSE English Language (vocabulary)England: SAT Reading and Writing (Words in Context)
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Decoding advanced words from their roots.
- 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: Latin roots: vit, mort, corp, nov, ann, fid and more; Greek roots: arch, crypt, gen, chrom, derm, tox and more; Using roots to work out a whole word's meaning
Leads to: Advanced prefixes: ante-, hyper-, hypo-, pseudo-, retro-…
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 · 5 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Latin roots: vit, mort, corp, nov, ann, fid and more; Greek roots: arch, crypt, gen, chrom, derm, tox and more; Using roots to work out a whole word's meaning). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- What does the Latin root "magn" mean? (as in magnificent, magnify, magnitude) (life / year / great, large / eat, swallow) → great, largePrompt: What do the example words have in common?
- What does the Greek root "derm" mean? (as in epidermis, hypodermic, dermatologist) (skin / all / rule, chief / know) → skinPrompt: What do the example words have in common?
- Which word contains a Latin root that means "love, friend"? (mortal / amateur / survive / territory) → amateurPrompt: Split each word into parts. Which part could mean "love, friend"?
Hook · 5 min
- Show an interesting word in a sentence and ask what it might mean from the clues around it.
- Share the objective: Decoding advanced words from their roots. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 10 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Use the roots and affixes to choose the meaning of the word. retrospective
- Step 1: Advanced vocabulary is often built from Latin and Greek parts you already know.
- Step 2: retro = back + spect = look.
- Step 3: So the answer is: looking back on the past
- Answer: looking back on the past
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 10 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Use the roots and affixes to choose the meaning of the word. tenacious (weak and fragile / holding on firmly; persistent / easily distracted / very thin) → holding on firmly; persistentPrompt: Do you recognise any root from other words? (loqu → eloquent, culp → culprit, somn → somnambulist…)
- Which word has this meaning? holding on firmly; persistent (euphony / tenacious / ambivalent / equanimity) → tenaciousPrompt: Which root or prefix matches part of the meaning?
You do: independent practice · 10 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 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 5 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- Use the roots and affixes to choose the meaning of the word. equanimity (great anger / fairness in law / calmness under pressure / equal shares) → calmness under pressurePrompt: Do you recognise any root from other words? (loqu → eloquent, culp → culprit, somn → somnambulist…)
- Which word has this meaning? eager to argue or fight (loquacious / malevolent / incisive / pugnacious) → pugnaciousPrompt: Which root or prefix matches part of the meaning?
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: Latin roots: vit, mort, corp, nov, ann, fid 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: Advanced prefixes: ante-, hyper-, hypo-, pseudo-, retro-….
- 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-9.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder