5th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 5 of 11
Greek and Latin Roots
Word parts that unlock meaning
What your child practices
Learning common Greek and Latin roots (like tele = far, port = carry, rupt = break) and using them to figure out long words such as “spectator” or “interrupt.”
Alabama Course of Study content standard: 5.2; 5.13 · Greek and Latin roots
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- Many long words are built from Greek and Latin roots.
- Common roots: tele (far), port (carry), rupt (break), spect (look), micro (small), auto (self), graph (write).
- Find the root, then think about the rest of the word.
Example: What does “spectator” most likely mean? The root spect means look. -or means a person who does something. Answer: a person who watches
Greek and Latin Roots in Alabama
In the Alabama Course of Study, this is unit 5 of 11 in 5th grade English Language Arts, after Context Clues and before Complex Sentences.
Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Which root do all three words share?
dictionary • predict • contradict
- therm
- aqua
- dict
- hydr
dict
Hint: Look for the letters that appear in all three words. Then think: what do dictionary, predict, contradict have in common in meaning?
Question 2
Use the word parts. What does “predict” mean?
predict
pre (before) + dict (say)
- a person's own handwritten signature
- arranged in time order
- to say what will happen before it happens
- the study of living things
to say what will happen before it happens
Hint: Put the meanings of the parts together: pre (before) + dict (say).
Question 3
Use the word parts. What does “visible” mean?
visible
vis (see) + ible (able to be)
- arranged in time order
- a person's own handwritten signature
- able to be seen
- to send something from one place to another
able to be seen
Hint: Put the meanings of the parts together: vis (see) + ible (able to be).
Question 4
Which word has a root that means “circle or wheel”?
- geography
- inspect
- recycle
- pedal
recycle
Hint: The root “cycl” means “circle or wheel.” Look for “cycl” hiding inside one of the words.
Question 5
Which word has a root that means “look at”?
- recycle
- microphone
- telescope
- biography
telescope
Hint: The root “scope” means “look at.” Look for “scope” hiding inside one of the words.
Question 6
What does the root “aud” mean?
audaudience · audio · audible- break
- heat
- far
- hear
hear
Hint: Think about what these words have in common: audience, audio, audible. The root “aud” means “hear.”