5th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 5 of 17
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.”
New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 5RF3; 5L4 · 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 New York
In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 5 of 17 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
Use the word parts. What does “audible” mean?
audible
aud (hear) + ible (able to be)
- a vehicle with two wheels
- loud enough to be heard
- to send something from one place to another
- able to be seen
loud enough to be heard
Hint: Put the meanings of the parts together: aud (hear) + ible (able to be).
Question 2
Which root do all three words share?
visible • vision • visual
- manu
- vis
- mit
- meter
vis
Hint: Look for the letters that appear in all three words. Then think: what do visible, vision, visual have in common in meaning?
Question 3
Which word has a root that means “heat”?
- thermal
- photocopy
- telephone
- portable
thermal
Hint: The root “therm” means “heat.” Look for “therm” hiding inside one of the words.
Question 4
What does the root “cycl” mean?
cyclbicycle · cyclone · recycle- hear
- circle or wheel
- measure
- send
circle or wheel
Hint: Think about what these words have in common: bicycle, cyclone, recycle. The root “cycl” means “circle or wheel.”
Question 5
Which word has a root that means “look”?
- recycle
- export
- aquarium
- spectator
spectator
Hint: The root “spect” means “look.” Look for “spect” hiding inside one of the words.
Question 6
What does the root “photo” mean?
photophotograph · photocopy · photosynthesis- far
- hear
- light
- circle or wheel
light
Hint: Think about what these words have in common: photograph, photocopy, photosynthesis. The root “photo” means “light.”