We’re thrilled to introduce this week’s Feature Spotlight: the Vocab Module! Understanding the building blocks of English words - roots, base words, prefixes, and suffixes - empowers students to decode unfamiliar vocabulary and boosts their confidence in language comprehension.
Here’s how the Vocab Module works:
Discover Word Foundations
The English language is full of closely related words, and with a few simple adjustments using prefixes (like pre-, anti- or de-) and suffixes (like -tion, -ness and -ment), students can learn to unlock multiple words from a single base or root. By focusing on the middle of the word—the base or root—students gain insight into the core meaning of each word:
- Root words: Drawn from Latin or Greek, root words (e.g., cyc, civ, aud) can’t stand alone but form the core meaning.
- Base words: Standalone English words (e.g., cycle, civil, audio) that transform with the addition of affixes.
Weekly Base or Root Focus
Each week, we dive into a specific root or base word. Students complete two worksheets per week, reinforcing the core word and its variations through linked activities. As they build familiarity with Greek and Latin roots, they’ll recognize these elements in everyday language, giving them valuable context clues to decode new words independently.
Help your students build a solid vocabulary foundation with the Vocab Module! Learning the essentials of word-building is a key skill for reading comprehension and lifelong language mastery.
The Readable English Team
