| Becky Williams coordinates the GT elementary program at her school in the North East Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas. When I reached out to her, I didn’t know that she works literally down the road in my old school district! Becky shared this in one of our Share-and-Tell conversations in our Facebook group, and it’s the perfect example of how reimagining an assignment can lead to much higher-level thinking and products! Thank you for sharing, Becky! |
by Becky Williams
One of my favorite resources for teaching Greek and Latin roots was the book Words on the Vine (still available in thrift bookstores online). The book’s format includes an introduction to Greek and Latin roots through the presentation of words related to these roots.
It also includes practice pages that reinforce the meaning and usage of the related words. Here is where I’d “flip” the worksheet and challenge my students to create something similar from scratch.
For example, one practice page was focused on words deriving from the Greek root “GEN” and directed students to fill in the blanks in a rude birthday party invitation. Instead of assigning this practice, I’d have the students create their own birthday party invitations using the “GEN” words. Students could write from the perspective of any character, with hints of that character’s likes, dislikes, tone, and demeanor. The original and highly creative mini-products that resulted not only enhanced the learning but also the fun!
This example is one of my favorites in response to that birthday party invitation prompt.
The student created an invitation to Draco Malfoy’s birthday party. She completely captured the tone, and of course, she did a great job using the “gen” words.
By “flipping the worksheet” from a “fill in the blanks” exercise to creating their own, students had the opportunity to synthesize the meanings and apply the new vocabulary. And they had a blast sharing their responses.
“Flipping the worksheet” in this way is easy to do with many different kinds of resources. Below are a few other examples from Words on the Vine practice pages.
The first photo shows a student’s original HELP WANTED ADS using words deriving from the root “PED” (foot). The middle photo is a list of original HINK PINKS created by students for the root “MIN” (small, less, least), and on the far right you can see an example of NEWS REPORTER INTERVIEWS based on the events in “Little Red Riding Hood” and words derived from “PORT.”
The students tried to outdo one another by adding humor (“It would be best if you’re not clumsy…”) and wordplay (“Are the bugs in your house bugging you?”)!
Even if you use another resource for teaching vocabulary with Greek and Latin roots, or any other practice pages, you might be surprised with the results of flipping a worksheet and turning it into a creative writing challenge! Comment below if you try it!
Related Resources:
A Greek Root is Worth 1,000 Words – a puzzle to introduce the benefit of learning roots!
Big Words for Little Scholars – a vocabulary enrichment program