Building a School-wide Root Foundation

Susan Burkett, Brooke Point High SchoolKristen Flath, Stafford High SchoolPam Smith, North Stafford High School

Then and Now

1950? 25,000 words

Late 1990s? 10,000 words

Printed Text Scientific article abstracts Newspapers Popular magazines Adult books Comic books Children’s books Preschool books

Rank ofMedian Word

4,3891,6901,3991,058 867 627 578

Rare WordsPer 1000

128.0 68.3 65.7 52.7 53.5 30.9 16.3

Television Texts Popular prime-time adult shows Popular prime-time children’s shows Cartoon shows Mr. Rogers & Sesame Street

490 543 598 413

22.7 20.2 30.8 2.0

Adult Speech Expert witness testimony College graduates to friends, spouses

1,008 496

28.417.3

Hayes and Ahrens, 1988.

Virginia SOL Grades 4-12 Reading Strand Vocabulary Standards

• Vocabulary standards appear as the first standard in the Reading Strand in grades 4-12

• Instruction should emphasize common Greek and Latin roots and affixes

• Instruction should include word study in authentic texts and differentiation between denotation and connotation

• SOL assessments will test vocabulary in passages and stand-alone items

Tracy Fair Robertson, English Coordinator

JOIN US ON OUR JOURNEY

YEAR ONE - January-June

Getting the “Squeaks” Out…

AND “refining” our program

Word Root (base)

Meaning

ven, vent comeform form,

shapetrop turn chron timespect, spic watch,

look atmort dead,

deathtort, torque twist, turncapit, cipit headmorph form,

shapecours, cur(r), curs

run, go

vers, vert turnsed, sid, sess sit, settleannu, enni year

Brooke Point Blackhawks Building Vocabulary from Word Roots 2012-13

Stafford Indians Building Vocabulary from Word Roots 2012-13

     North Stafford Wolverines Building Vocabulary from Word Roots 2012-13

Word Root (base)

Meaning

ven, vent comeform form,

shapetrop turn chron timespect, spic watch,

look atmort dead,

deathtort, torque twist, turncapit, cipit headmorph form,

shapecours, cur(r), curs

run, go

vers, vert turnsed, sid, sess sit, settleannu, enni year

Word Root (base)

Meaning

ven, vent comeform form,

shapetrop turn chron timespect, spic watch,

look atmort dead,

deathtort, torque twist, turncapit, cipit headmorph form,

shapecours, cur(r), curs

run, go

vers, vert turnsed, sid, sess sit, settleannu, enni year

Specialized Root Lists Don’t forget about the

Most Common SAT Roots

Word Root What It Means Examples From My Reading

ante

anti

auto

bene

chron

circum

co/con

contra/counter

cred

JUST HAVE SOME FUN!

Games, Games, Games and MORE!

• $25,000 Pyramid

• Vocabulary Relay

• Battleship

• Bingo

• Chocolate Game

• Root of the Week Voice

• School Pamphlet

• Easy Poster Protector