English lesson plan · 8th grade (Year 9 in England) · 60 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 · 6 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.
- What does the Greek root "path" mean? (as in pathetic, sympathy, empathy) (star / feeling, suffering / shape, form / many) → feeling, sufferingPrompt: What do the example words have in common?
- Which word contains a Greek root that means "love"? (psychology / bibliophile / anthropology / apathy) → bibliophilePrompt: Split each word into parts. Which part could mean "love"?
- These words share a Greek root that means "many". Type it. polyglot, polygon, polytechnic → polyPrompt: Look for the letters that appear in every word.
Hook · 6 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 · 12 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 · 12 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 "lith" mean? (as in monolith, lithium, megalith) (stone / god / birth, origin, kind / hidden) → stonePrompt: What do the example words have in common?
- Which word contains a Greek root that means "birth, origin, kind"? (generation / monochrome / kinesiology / panorama) → generationPrompt: Split each word into parts. Which part could mean "birth, origin, kind"?
You do: independent practice · 17 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 · 7 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- These words share a Greek root that means "hidden". Type it. cryptocurrency, cryptic, encrypt → cryptPrompt: Look for the letters that appear in every word.
- What does the Greek root "gnos" mean? (as in agnostic, diagnosis, prognosis) (rule, chief / wisdom / know / birth, origin, kind) → knowPrompt: 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