Words are like Spider Webs
Fifth Grade Literacy Lesson
By
Linda Anderson
Central Concept: Root words give words their basic meanings and are the
building blocks upon which all words are formed. Root words can appear at the
beginning, in the middle, or at the end of an English word. Prefixes and suffixes
modify or change the root word. The power of a concept map lies in the ability to
make visible the thinker’s thoughts. Often the process of making a map
stimulates the maker to recognize new relationships between the concepts and
find new meaning. Pictures can be very helpful in revealing the details of
students’ ideas. Pictures in which students display their ideas in words and
graphics allow for students to make a concrete commitment to their ideas.
Overview: This activity serves to engage participants in creating concept webs
to define scientific vocabulary by learning the Greek and the Latin prefixes,
suffixes, and root words. This lesson combines art, photography, and technology
to create concept webs.
Standards:
Reading
1.0 Word Analysis, Fluency, and Systematic Vocabulary Development
Students use their knowledge of word origins and word relationships, as well as historical and literary
context clues, to determine the meaning of specialized vocabulary and to understand the precise
meaning of grade-level-appropriate words.
Vocabulary and Concept Development
1.2 Use word origins to determine the meaning of unknown words.
1.4 Know abstract, derived roots and affixes from Greek and Latin and use this knowledge to analyze
the meaning of complex words (e.g., controversial).
Structural Features of Informational Materials
2.1 Understand how text features (e.g., format, graphics, sequence, diagrams, illustrations, charts,
maps) make information accessible and usable.
Investigation and Experimentation: Science
6. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a
basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should
develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:
g. Record data by using appropriate graphic representations (including charts, graphs, and labeled
diagrams) and make inferences based on those data.
Objectives:
1. Students will take the opportunity to give science vocabulary
meaningful definitions.
2. Students will design concept webs to express what makes meaning for
themselves.
3. Students will use the language of science.
4. Students will communicate their level of understanding science
vocabulary that they have developed to date.
5. Students propose explanations and build a store of concepts.
6. Students will make connections to previously held ideas.
7. Students will draw or cut out a picture representing the root word, suffix
or prefix.
Materials: Paper, pencils, drawing implements, Internet access, reference
materials, such as the Wiz-Word Greek and Latin Root Words Flipper and Words
on the Vine examples of completed webs.
Timeline: Two forty-five minutes periods. One at the beginning of the grading
period, the other at the end. The assignment is an on going project to be
completed throughout the reporting period with an oral culmination at the end.
Procedure:
1. Discuss the meaning of root words, prefixes, and suffixes. Explain that
Latin and Greek give us valuable clues to word meanings when we
analyze bits of unfamiliar words and that knowing word genealogy will
help us more readily understand unfamiliar words.
2. Have students find scientific words in their readings. Explain that this
project will allow them to create concepts webs that create meaningful
definitions to scientific word that they encounter.
3. Guide students through developing a concept web on the overhead or
whiteboard. Help them to think of what they visualize when they when
they hear, break apart, and define a scientific word. Show students
examples of what completed webs should look like. Keep examples
posted on bulletin board throughout year.
4. Provide students with materials and Internet access.
5. Instead of students drawing pictures, they may wish to download
pictures off the Internet.
Assessment:
1.
2.
During the course of the grading period, students will be asked
to produce ten concept webs on scientific word that they have
encountered in their scientific readings.
Students will share two of their concepts webs orally in front of
the class.
3.
Students will write a paragraph on why and how knowing the
Greek and Latin suffixes, prefixes and root words are beneficial
and a second paragraph on how this knowledge personally
helped their vocabulary development.
Homework: Students will keep a log of unfamiliar science words as they read
their literature and scientific readings. They will check to see if the words have
Latin or Greek derivatives. If so, they will make at least one concept web a week
for the grading period.
Extension: Spanish Language students can do the same assignment with
Spanish cognates.