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5th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 5 of 13

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.”

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: 5.2(A); 5.3(C) · 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 Texas

In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 5 of 13 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: Texas Education Agency (TEA)

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

    Which root do all three words share?

    audience • audio • audible

    • port
    • aud
    • mit
    • tele

  2. Question 2

    What does the root “vis” mean?

    visvisible · vision · visual
    • study of
    • see
    • time
    • earth

  3. Question 3

    Which word has a root that means “write or draw”?

    • geography
    • aquatic
    • aquarium
    • export

  4. Question 4

    What does the root “therm” mean?

    thermthermometer · thermal · geothermal
    • see
    • far
    • build
    • heat

  5. Question 5

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

    spectator

    spect (look) + ator (one who)

    • to break into a conversation or activity
    • loud enough to be heard
    • a person who watches an event
    • a tool that measures how hot or cold something is

  6. Question 6

    Which word has a root that means “look”?

    • microphone
    • spectator
    • autograph
    • pedal

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