by Donna | Jun 30, 2011
More root word learning for this week’s Wordy Wednesday. But before that, I have to ask if you are using what you already know? Are you examining unknown words and asking yourself if there is anything about that word that you already know—a root, prefix, or suffix?
Today’s root: SUPER, SUR, SUM
Meaning: ABOVE
What do you already know about this ABOVE root:
- surpass—to go above and beyond
- summit—above; the high mountain or peak
- supersede—to be above in authority, etc.
- superstition—a belief that is ABOVE the normal
- super star—a star above others
by Donna | Jun 24, 2011
Do you remember how I talked earlier about how we (and our students if we are teachers) know much more than we think we do! There is no place that this is more apparent than vocabulary learning!
Root words, and sometimes even syllables, have meaning. And we often already know meanings of bits and pieces that we can put together to gain more knowledge. (If you know a foreign language, you will have even more success unlocking unknown words or parts of words since much of our language is taken from other languages.)
How can you use this concept to help you or your students? When you come to an unfamiliar word, don’t assume that you do not know it. Look more closely at the word. (And help your kids to do the same—question them all the time: “What do you know about the ‘aqua’ part of aquamarine?” [Or even, “What do you know about the ‘marine’ part?”)
Today’s root is SPEC, SPIC, or SPIT
It means LOOK or SEE
What do you already know about these “spec,” “spic,” and “spit” words?
- Perspective—seeing a point of view
- Aspect—one part or one thing you can see
- Spectator—one who sees
- Spectacle—a sight to see
- Suspect—a person you see that might be guilty
- Others???
Keep reading. Keep asking yourself what you already know!
by Donna | Mar 25, 2011
Another confusing word pair–cavalry and calvary. And yes, we will see them written incorrectly over the next few weeks as Easter approaches! How can you differentiate between the two in this Wacky Word pair?
As a Christian, I have a unique way of remembering calvary and cavalry–see it helps you!
1. Cavalry–
a. A group of miliary people
b. We often say, “Send in the cavalry” to indicate help is needed
c. I remember this by remembering that the V comes before the L—Victory comes first if the cavalry comes caValry.
2. Calvary–
a. The hill on which Jesus was crucified
b. I remember this by remembering that the L comes before the V–Calvary denotes Love–CaLvary
by Donna | Mar 10, 2011
Want to share a super source for those helping kids with homework, reading a difficult book, teaching…well, really, anybody. It is Merrriam Webster’s Online Dictionary.
Some of the features we like:
1. Type in any word–it finishes them for you (for those who say, “I can’t use a dictionary if I don’t know how to spell the word to begin with”!)
2. Type in any word and get the definition
3. Type in any word and click “thesaurus” to get synonyms and even some antonyms
4. Click on the speaker and listen to someone say the word–we do this every week before we give spelling tests to ensure that we are pronouncing harder words correctly for our students
5. Links at the bottom of the dictionary page for each word with more sites, etymologies, and much more!
Trust me…you will love Merriam Webster Online!
https://www.merriam-webster.com/
