Vocabulary and Concept
Development
EDI
Standard:
1.4 Students will identify
common roots and affixes
derived from Greek and Latin
and use this knowledge to
analyze the meaning of complex
words (e.g., international).
Learning Objective
• I will know common roots derived from
Greek and Latin and use this knowledge
to analyze the meaning of complex
words.
Activating Prior Knowledge
• Have you heard the word structure?
• The root struct means “build.”
• Can you see the root tract in
tractor?
• The root tract means “pull, drag.”
• Can you see the root tract in the
Spanish word “tractor” or in the
English word tractor?
Concept Development
• Root : The fundamental element of a word or form, exclusive of
all affixes and inflectional phonetic changes.
• Root: The root is the part of the word that
contains the basic meaning.
Concept Development
•
struct: From the Latin word struere meaning “to heap up,
build.”
tract : From the Latin word tractus meaning “to pull”.
• struct: Latin root meaning “measure.”
• tract: Latin root meaning “heat.”
Tell your
partner what
struct means.
Struct is a
Latin root
meaning
“build.”
Tell your
partner what
tract means.
Tract is a
Latin root
meaning “pull
or drag.”
Read the following Latin roots.
struct
build
Latin
tract
to pull
Latin
Importance
• Have you ever been confused about a
word and have not been able to figure
out its meaning?
• Have you ever had to use knowledge of
word meaning to figure out the meaning
of a new or difficult word?
Skill Development
• Read these words:
construction
contraction
destructive
extract
protractor
reconstruct
retract
structure
traction
can’t
• Read these definitions / synonyms:
 to take back or withdraw
 tearing down; likely to discourage,
ruin destroy, put an end to
 the power to grip or hold to a
surface
 putting something together,
building
 a semicircular device used for
drawing and measuring angles
 to build again, to make over
 to pull out or remove by force
The arrangement of the parts of a
whole; something built, constructed,
organized
 A shortening of two words, such as
isn’t for “is not”
• Match the words with the correct definitions or
 to take back or withdraw
synonyms:
construction
 tearing down; likely to discourage,
ruin destroy, put an end to
contraction
 the power to grip or hold to a
surface
destructive
 putting something together,
building
extract
protractor
 a semicircular device used for
drawing and measuring angles
 to build again, to make over
reconstruct
retract
structure
traction
 to pull out or remove by force
The arrangement of the parts of a
whole; something built, constructed,
organized
A shortening of two words, such as
isn’t for “is not”
Answer these questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What is a root?
Does struct as in strucure mean pull or build?
What does the root tract mean?
What is the root in subtract?
What does the root mean?
Guided Practice
Identify the roots.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
construction
traction
contraction
structure
destructive
retract
extract
reconstruct
protractor
Meaning in Context
Use the words in the box to fill in the blanks in the following paragraph.
structure
reconstruct
traction
protractor
destructive
destructive
After a (1) _______________
windstorm blew down their
tree house. Tyrone and Lana decided to (2) _______________ it
and make it bigger and better. “Let’s draw the new version
before we start building.” said Tyrone pulling out paper and
pencil. “I want our new tree house to be an impressive (3)
________________.” “If we put it on the big limb on the right,”
said Lana, “we’ll need to know the angle it makes with the trunk.”
She pulled out her (4) _______________ to get a general idea
of the measure of the angle. “Not that limb,” said Tyrone. “I fell
from it last year and broke my leg. At the hospital I was hooked
up to cords and weights in (5) _________________ to pull the
bone straight so that it would heal well. Let’s put the new tree
house on the lower limb.”
Closure
• A root is –
• the part of the word that contains the basic
meaning.
• struct means –
• struct is a Latin root meaning “build”
• tract means –
• tract is a Latin root meaning “pull or drag”
Independent Practice
Match the bolded word with the best synonym:
1. to extract the tooth
a. pull
b. fill
c. drill
2. rapid construction
a. carpenters
b. destruction
c. building
3. retract a claim
a. review
b. take back
c. speak
4. destructive words
a. angry
b. long
c. excited
5. contraction of a muscle
a. loosening
b. shortening
c. firming
Extension
In the key word extract, the prefix ex- means “out.” To extract a splinter is to
pull it out.
Match each word that starts with the prefix ex- with its meaning.
b export
1. __
d exit
2. __
a
3. __
extend
c exhale
4. __
a.
b.
c.
d.
stretch out
ship out
breathe out
go out