Curated OER
Root Words from Greek and Roman Gods' Names
Prepare a stack of index cards with a Greek or Roman god's name on one side and their description on the other. Then, use the worksheet attached to brainstorm as many words that contain the root from each card. Pupils also create their...
Scholastic
What’s the Good Word? Etymology Project Guidelines
Who named the shapes, or the days of the week? Should words be removed from the dictionary if they're no longer commonly used? Are there too many words in the English language? Language arts students explore these and additional...
Curated OER
Language Change: The Origins of Names
In small groups or pairs, learners explore the origins of each others' names. An awesome idea, but you'll need to do the initial research to gather your class's names and their origins. Or, consider having each member of your class...
Curated OER
Word Origins
Understanding a word's etymology can really help with decoding and building vocabulary skills. Readers compare and contrast words of similar origins but with different difficulty levels. They focus on prefixes, suffixes, and affixes....
Saddleback College
The Wonder of Words
If your language arts students think etymology isn't relevant to their everyday lives, show them a presentation that will prove them wrong! The slideshow provides explanation about various words, roots, and suffixes that have adapted in...
Curated OER
Etymology
Students tie together planet names with Greek mythology. Students browse thru a dictionary to see where exactly these names came from and what significance they have. Students explore the origins of some English words.
Curated OER
New Year's Etymology and Writing Activity
Students investigate the history and etymology of New Year's Day. They listen to a teacher-led lecture about the background of New Year's Day, design an image of Janus, and write a story in the first person telling what Janus might say...
Curated OER
Mythological Word Origins
No wonder the ship was called the Titanic. An investigation of Norse, Roman, and Greek Mythology provides insight into mythological characters and corresponding words in the English language. A close look at roots, prefixes, and suffixes...
Curated OER
Heraldry and Biography
Help learners discover more about their backgrounds. This family history activity includes links to sites about heraldry and family names. Begin by sharing your family history with the class and then allow students to do some internet...
Curated OER
Connection to Language Arts-Hidden Meanings
In this etymology worksheet, students read about the history of naming words and how words are named. They think critically by answering three questions about the meaning of words, etymologies and the derivation of words.
Curated OER
Unlocking Word Meanings
Fourth graders investigate eponyms in the English language. For this eponym lesson, 4th graders participate in a teacher led lesson on the definition of an eponym. They complete a worksheet in which they determine which eponym became...
Curated OER
History of the English Language - Word Origins
High schoolers use on-line resources to research their own name, determine its language origin and meaning. They take an on-line quiz to determine their "naming-style."
Curated OER
Math Prefixes
Students use a dictionary to gather appropriate information for writing simple definitions. They recognize prefixes that relate to numbers, such as mono-, bi-, and tri-. Pupils use their creative abilities to extrapolate new words to...
Curated OER
Diversity of Languages
Learners interpret graphs and statistics to recognise and understand the cultural and linguistic diversity of Australia. They create a profile of the linguistic diversity of the class or school. Students discuss Australia's cultural...
Curated OER
An International Menu
Students research etymologies using dictionaries. They explore the diverse origins of the common foods they eat after making a list of their favorite foods.
Curated OER
Ancient Greece
Learners explore the origins of modern language. In this etymology lesson, students discuss the cultural influences of Ancient Greece on modern society. Learners design and complete charts that demonstrate the original and contemporary...
Curriculum Corner
Fry Lists
Keep track of your learners' mastered sight words with 11 sets of words. Four columns list the words, as well as three columns for you to mark the date of mastery.
Curated OER
Vocabulary of Ancient Rome Grades 9-12)
Young scholars define ancient Roman vocabulary using the dictionary writing sentences.
Curated OER
Spiders, Man!
Students conduct online research to learn more information about spiders. They take a current issue of their local newspaper and add spiders to the pictures where spiders might live.
Curated OER
Vocabulary Lesson-Pre-K Through Grade 2 and ESL
Students say the name of pictures of simple objects, people and places, choosing 15 to use for the lesson plan. Students glue pictures in a scrapbook and write the word for each picture beside it. Students complete word recognition...
K12 Reader
Spelling Rule Exceptions for Plural Nouns: Words That End in CH and SH
Have you done the dishes? Or closed the hatches? A practice worksheet invites learners to check 20 words with different endings, and to add either -s or -es to each.
Florida Center for Reading Research
Dictionary Cube
Young scholars investigate new vocabulary words with a fun, collaborative activity. Given a deck of word cards, pairs of students flip over one at a time and independently look up the term in a dictionary. They then take turns rolling a...
Curated OER
Dragonwings: Explore Chapters 1-5
If you are beginning Laurence Yep's Dragonwings, this will provide activities for the first five chapters. The objectives include making connections to oneself and the world, organizing information and events, vocabulary acquisition,...
Florida Center for Reading Research
Vocabulary: Word Meaning, Dictionary Cube
Scholars work together to define words and answer questions using a dictionary cube.