Common Latin and Greek Roots (Stahl)
Root
Meaning Origin
Examples
-aud-
hear
Latin
audio, audition
-astro-
star
Greek
astrology, astronaut
-bio-
life
Greek
biography, biology
-dict-
speak, tell
Latin
dictate, predict
-geo-
earth
Greek
geology, geography
-meter-
measure
Greek
thermometer
-min-
small, little Latin
minimize, minimum
-port-
carry
Latin
transport, portable
-phono-
sound
Greek
microphone
-duc(t)-
lead
Latin deduct, produce, educate
Tips for Word Study of Latin and Greek Roots
1. Highlight Greek and Latin roots as they come up in your readings—briefly for less important
words and in more depth for essential concepts.
2. Associate the new word derived from a root with more generally known words in the students'
lexicon. Visual organizers can be helpful.
3. Encourage students to look for additional words that share the newly learned root in their
independent reading and reading in other content classes.
4. Encourage students to use words containing newly learned roots in their writing, conversations,
or discussions.

Write Comic Strips in Class
This lesson is an extension of the superhero lesson plan (see the series below), in
which students used their knowledge of Greek and Latin Roots to create a superhero. In
this lesson, students will be placed into groups and formulate a comic strip in which their
superheroes are the stars!
Materials Needed:
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11x17 sheets of white paper (several per group)
A Comic Strip Template
Map Colors, markers, or crayons
Greek and Latin roots list with definitions
Comic Book - must be a well-known superhero comic to show students as an example
Divide students into pairs, or groups of three or four. Keeping groups smaller will be
more beneficial to the overall lesson plan, because having more than four superheroes
involved in the comic strip will make creating a plot line difficult.
After dividing the groups, instruct them to share their Greek and Latin Roots Superhero
with the group. Each student should take the time to read the description they wrote
about their superhero, and explain what "super powers" the hero possesses. The
students should breakdown the meaning of their superhero name to the group and
explain why they chose that name. Using the example of "HYDROMAN" from the
previous lesson, the student would explain that "hydro" is a Greek and Latin root
meaning "water", therefore the Hydroman Superhero has talents and powers that
involve the use of weather. They should also describe the costume, and explain any
special elements they have drawn.
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After sharing each hero with the group, take out your comic book that you have brought
to use as an example, or you can print out this example of a Superman comic strip. Go
through each box, and explain how dialogue plays just as important of a role as
illustrations. Inform students that they will be creating their own comic strip, but their
superheroes will be the focus of the strip. The plot will center on their Greek and Latin
Roots superheroes working as a team to battle evil, save the day, or whatever conflict
the students feel their heroes should fight!
Using the 11x17 scratch paper, tell students to use the paper to begin jotting down plot
ideas and illustrations. They will be required to make a five-box comic, using a template.
(You can require more boxes, but five is a manageable starting point for "rookie" comic
strip creators!) Encourage students to create an "evil villain" or adversary for the
superheroes to battle using a Greek and Latin roots list to formulate the name of their
evil villain. You can create the requirements for the strip, and designate how much text
and other elements you hope to see in the final product. This lesson is an excellent way
to extend your students' knowledge of Greek and Latin roots, that doesn't involve rote
memorization!