Work on Words Wednesday - Greek and Latin Stems

Welcome back!  :)  Here's the latest installation of the Work on Words Wednesday series.  Today we are focusing on an easy strategy you can use for 5 minutes per day to teach Greek and Latin stems.

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     Understanding common Greek and Latin stems increases both vocabulary and comprehension, and is specifically cited in Common Core standards L.4.4b, L.5.4b, and L.6.4b.  This is a strategy I have used effectively both in the classroom and as a Literacy Specialist to ensure my students have a solid understanding of common Greek and Latin stems.  This strategy requires 5 minutes of whole group time daily, and can be tweaked to meet the needs of your classroom.  Consider using this strategy as a part of your daily meeting, an activity after you return from lunch, or even at the end of the day as students pack their backpacks.
Please remember: you know your students best, and will add to or change this strategy as needed for your individual students.  Happy Teaching!!

Monday: Uncover the meaning of the stem.  Take 2 words the students know.  Define these words in a kid friendly way so they explicitly see the meaning of the stem.  

Example:  portable – able to be carried; transport – carry around; so port = carry.

Tuesday: Brainstorm other words derived from the stem for a class list.  Turn it into a game: each team gets 1 point per word that contains the stem, and 3 points for words that no other team finds.  They must justify how it relates to the meaning from yesterday.  Using the Monday example, important would not go on the list. 

Wednesday: Search for more words built from the stem.  Encourage the use of dictionaries, textbook glossaries, and other resources from the classroom.

Thursday/Friday: Review vocabulary built from the stem (and previously studied stems).  In the past, I always created a simple to prepare Jeopardy game using index cards and a pocket chart.  

For a free printer-friendly guide and Jeopardy number cards, please click on the picture below to download from my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  Please remember to leave me feedback on TpT if you choose to download this resource!  I appreciate it!

What do you think? How is this approach similar to other approaches you have tried? How is it different? Be sure to share in the comments below!