English lesson plan · 7th grade (Year 8 in England) · 45 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 · 5 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.
- What does the Greek root "therm" mean? (as in thermostat, thermal, thermos) (look at, examine / earth / measure / heat) → heatPrompt: What do the example words have in common?
- Which word contains a Greek root that means "far"? (teleport / geode / stethoscope / photosynthesis) → teleportPrompt: Split each word into parts. Which part could mean "far"?
- These words share a Greek root that means "light". Type it. photosynthesis, photocopy, photon → photoPrompt: Look for the letters that appear in every word.
Hook · 5 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 · 10 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 · 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.
- What does the Greek root "morph" mean? (as in morph, amorphous, metamorphosis) (rule, power / many / shape, form / human) → shape, formPrompt: What do the example words have in common?
- Which word contains a Greek root that means "fear"? (anthropology / claustrophobia / monologue / astronaut) → claustrophobiaPrompt: Split each word into parts. Which part could mean "fear"?
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.
- Which word contains a Greek root that means "people"? (philharmonic / pandemic / polytechnic / claustrophobia) → pandemicPrompt: Split each word into parts. Which part could mean "people"?
- These words share a Greek root that means "people". Type it. pandemic, demographic, epidemic → demPrompt: Look for the letters that appear in every word.
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