English lesson plan · 6th grade (Year 7 in England) · 45 minutes
Latin roots: port, dict, rupt, spect and more
Vocabulary
CCSS L.6.4.BEngland: KS3 English (vocabulary and etymology)England: 11+ English
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Latin roots: port, dict, rupt, spect 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 and Latin roots
Leads to: Latin roots: bene, mal, cred, sequ, vert 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 and Latin roots). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- What does this root mean? bio (as in biology, biography) (water / light / earth / life) → lifePrompt: Think about what the example words have in common.
- Use the word parts to work out the meaning. What does "biography" mean? (bio = life, graph = write) (a drawing of animals / a written account of someone's life / a list of dates / the study of plants) → a written account of someone's lifePrompt: Put the meanings of the parts together.
- What does this root mean? graph (as in autograph, photograph) (far / light / write or draw / sound) → write or drawPrompt: Think about what the example words have in common.
Hook · 5 min
- Show an interesting word in a sentence and ask what it might mean from the clues around it.
- Share the objective: Latin roots: port, dict, rupt, spect 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 Latin root "ject" mean? (as in inject, eject, project)
- Step 1: Knowing what a Latin root means helps you work out unfamiliar words that contain it.
- Step 2: ject means "throw", as in eject, project, reject, inject.
- Step 3: So the answer is: throw
- Answer: throw
- 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 Latin root "duc / duct" mean? (as in introduce, educate, conduct) (throw / lead / look / shape) → leadPrompt: What do the example words have in common?
- Which word contains a Latin root that means "write"? (scribble / tractor / structure / audible) → scribblePrompt: Split each word into parts. Which part could mean "write"?
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.
- What does the Latin root "dict" mean? (as in predict, verdict, contradict) (hear / say / shape / look) → sayPrompt: What do the example words have in common?
- These words share a Latin root that means "lead". Type it. educate, conduct, produce → ducPrompt: 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 and Latin roots.
- 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: Latin roots: bene, mal, cred, sequ, vert 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-6.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder