English lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 60 minutes
Greek and Latin word parts: tele, graph, port, aqua, scope
Vocabulary
CCSS L.4.4.BEngland: Y5/6 Vocabulary (etymology)England: 11+ English (vocabulary)
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Greek and Latin word parts: tele, graph, port, aqua, scope.
- 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: What does the prefix mean? (mis-, over-, non-, pre-, dis-); Prefixes sub-, inter-, super-, anti- and auto-
Leads to: the next skill in this area.
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 (What does the prefix mean? (mis-, over-, non-, pre-, dis-); Prefixes sub-, inter-, super-, anti- and auto-). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- What does "nonstop" mean? (stop wrongly / without stopping / stop too much / stop again) → without stoppingPrompt: Split the word into prefix + root.
- What does "autobiography" mean? (a life story about a car / the story of a person's life written by that person / a story written between friends / a very long life story) → the story of a person's life written by that personPrompt: Find the prefix and think about what it means.
- Use the clue in brackets. Which word fits? The bath will ___ if you leave the tap running. (flow over the top) (misflow / overflow / reflow) → overflowPrompt: Read the clue in brackets.
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 and Latin word parts: tele, graph, port, aqua, scope. 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 word part "dict" mean?
- Step 1: Many English words are built from Greek and Latin parts. Knowing the parts helps you work out new words.
- Step 2: So the answer is: say or tell
- Answer: say or tell
- 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 word part "spect" mean? (say / look / carry / build) → lookPrompt: Think of a word you know that contains this part.
- Use the word parts. What does "aquarium" mean? (a tank of water for keeping fish / a room full of books / a place to study rocks / a building for planes) → a tank of water for keeping fishPrompt: Split the word into its parts.
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.
- What does the word part "photo" mean? (water / sound / light / carry) → lightPrompt: Think of a word you know that contains this part.
- Read the question. Which word has a part that means "life"? (biography / telescope / geology / dictate) → biographyPrompt: Remember: aqua water, phon sound, port carry, tele far, bio life, therm heat, tri three, dict say.
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: What does the prefix mean? (mis-, over-, non-, pre-, dis-).
- 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
- 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-4.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder