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6th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 7 of 12

Roots & Analogies

Greek and Latin word parts

What your child practices

Using Greek and Latin roots (like “geo,” “aud” and “port”) to work out unfamiliar words, and completing analogies that compare word relationships.

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards benchmark: 6.2.1.2; 6.1.8.2 · Greek and Latin roots in reading and spelling

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Greek and Latin roots help with new words: geo (earth), aud (hear), port (carry), micro (small), therm (heat).
  2. An analogy compares two pairs that share the same relationship.
  3. Say the first pair’s link as a sentence, then use it on the second pair.

Example: Complete the analogy: puppy is to dog as kitten is to ___. A puppy is a young dog. A kitten is a young… Answer: cat

Roots & Analogies in Minnesota

In the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards, this is unit 7 of 12 in 6th grade English Language Arts, after Commas & Clauses and before Punctuation Power.

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: Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)

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

    Complete the analogy.

    brave : cowardly :: generous :

    • selfish
    • rich
    • gift
    • kind

  2. Question 2

    Use the roots: what does “thermometer” mean?

    • a tool that measures distance
    • a tool that measures water
    • a tool that measures heat (temperature)
    • a tool that measures sound

  3. Question 3

    Use the roots: what does “portable” most likely mean?

    • easy to break
    • built to stay in one place
    • able to be heard
    • easy to carry

  4. Question 4

    The Greek root “auto” appears in autograph and automatic. What does it mean?

    autoautograph · automatic
    • far
    • self
    • light
    • heat

  5. Question 5

    The Latin root “aqua” appears in aquatic and aquarium. What does it mean?

    aquaaquatic · aquarium
    • water
    • light
    • earth
    • time

  6. Question 6

    Which word has a root that means “write”?

    • territory
    • inscribe
    • geology
    • audio

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