Subscribe

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.”

Maine Learning Results learning standard: Reading 3; Language 4 · Greek and Latin roots

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Many long words are built from Greek and Latin roots.
  2. Common roots: tele (far), port (carry), rupt (break), spect (look), micro (small), auto (self), graph (write).
  3. 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 Maine

In the Maine Learning Results, 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.

Source: Maine Department of Education

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    What does the root “dict” mean?

    dictdictionary · predict · contradict
    • light
    • say or speak
    • small
    • write

  2. Question 2

    Use the word parts. What does “thermometer” mean?

    thermometer

    therm (heat) + meter (measure)

    • arranged in time order
    • a tool that measures how hot or cold something is
    • the study of living things
    • a person who watches an event

  3. Question 3

    Which word has a root that means “break”?

    • pedal
    • bicycle
    • interrupt
    • paragraph

  4. Question 4

    What does the root “port” mean?

    porttransport · portable · export
    • carry
    • land
    • hand
    • hear

  5. Question 5

    What does the root “aud” mean?

    audaudience · audio · audible
    • build
    • hear
    • water
    • small

  6. Question 6

    Which word has a root that means “light”?

    • predict
    • photograph
    • audible
    • paragraph

More 5th grade