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ROOT IT OUT (based on Family Feud)
Overview
This activity involves groups of students collaborating to infer the meanings of words through knowledge of common prefixes, roots and suffixes. Students cannot understand the words in the activity solely through the roots and affixes on the guide sheet; rather, they must draw on their knowledge of additional word elements to determine the meanings of the activity words.
Procedures
The class is divided evenly into five teams. The competition has three rounds, with the words in each successive round being more difficult and carrying a higher point value. A championship round then follows which serves as a review of the words used in the activity.
1. Prior to the competition, the teacher gives each student a copy of the sheet containing the activity's roots and affixes.
2. To start each round, each team sends a representative to a desk at the head of the class. The contestants ready themselves, and then the teacher says a word selected from the "starter word" list that follows the set of activity procedures. (Note that we have provided Level I (easier) and Level II (harder) Starter words, depending on the knowledge of the students.) Any contestant who knows the meaning of the word may slap the desk. The first contestant to slap the desk has the opportunity to define the word, without any help from teammates. If the student correctly defines the word, his or her team wins the first opportunity to guess the meanings of the Round 1 words. If the student defines the word incorrectly, another "starter" word is issued, with the student who missed the word eliminated. This student's team is eliminated only from this "starter" round; they may participate in the round's "second-guessing" opportunity. The starter round continues this way until either someone guesses the starter word's meaning, or only one student is left.
3. The team whose representative correctly defines the starter word receives, one by one, five words that contain elements from the lists distributed before the activity. For example, in the first round, the list might have included, in the root category, "log," meaning "word." A word offered in this round might be "logology," meaning "the study of words." The students would have to use their knowledge of the formation of other words, such as biology, psychology, and astrology to know that the suffix "ology" means "the study of"; their task is to combine this with the given root to arrive at the meaning of the word. For each word given, the team collaborates to make a decision, with an official spokesperson rendering its definition. The teacher's discretion would determine whether or not an answer is acceptable. For instance, for a word such as "monophobia" (meaning "fear of being alone"), a teacher might accept, as a good guess, "fear of one thing." In this segment of the first round, the team receives ten points for each correct answer, and receives no penalty for incorrect answers.
4. The other teams have the option at the conclusion of the turn of guessing the words that the first team has missed, receiving the point value of the word for a correct guess and minus the point value of the word for an incorrect guess. As in "Root It Out," all teams should attempt to guess the meaning of each word in the competition because they will have an opportunity to get points for each word that the primary team misses.
Let's say, for instance, that Teams #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5 are playing one another. Each team sends to the front a representative. The teacher says a word from the Starter list, "endeavor." The student from Team #1 slaps the desk and incorrectly defines the word with "extremely hungry." Team #1 is then eliminated, and the four remaining team representatives compete again for a new word from the Starter list. The teacher says, "trifle." The students from Teams #2 and #4 slap the table, with #4 slapping first. Team #4's contestant defines the word as "really small." This is correct, so Team #4 gets to play.
Team #4 is given a word from the Round 1 word list, "pseudonym." They locate parts of the word on their list, and then discuss possible definitions for the word, based on definitions of other words they know. They have 1-3 minutes in which to make a decision, depending on the grade level and ability of the class. As they are preparing their answer, each of the other teams should also be discussing the word's definition in case Team #4 guesses incorrectly.
At the appropriate time, a representative of Team #4 announces their guess at the word's definition, and the teacher may make a judgment as to whether their attempt is acceptable or not. If the teacher accepts the definition as correct, they receive ten points; if their guess is deemed wrong, they receive no penalty. The teacher then repeats this process for four more words from the Round 1 list, and then tallies up Team #4's score. So, if they get three words correct and two words incorrect, they would get thirty points.
Then, because Team #4 got two words wrong, the other teams would have the opportunity, if they wish, to submit guesses at the definition of the two words. They may go for any number of the incorrectly defined words; if Team #4 had missed all five, and another team thinks it can define three of the words, then they may make an attempt at just those three. They write down the definitions of those words which they want to try for on a slip of paper with their Team number on it and turn it in to the teacher. For each word that the other teams get correct, they receive 10 points apiece; however, if they get any of them wrong, they are penalized 10 points. Thus, teams "second-guess" at a risk. At this juncture, Round 1 would end.
5. Round 2 is structured the same as the first round. Once again, the round is initiated by contestants from each team coming the front of the room and slapping the desk if they know the meaning of the given starter word. Each team should send a different contestant for each of the Starter segments, and for the Championship Round. After one of the contestants correctly defines a starter word, the teacher conducts the action according to the same structure as the first round. The words offered in this round, however, are more difficult to figure out, so the point values are higher: each correct answer is worth twenty points, and each incorrect answer for second-guessers is worth minus twenty points.
5. The third round is structured the same as the first two. Words offered in this round come from a list which is the hardest of the three (although the Starter words do not vary in difficulty), and each correct answer is worth thirty points, with each incorrect second-guess being worth minus thirty.
6. After the third round, the teams are ready for the Championship Round. For this competition, each team sends a representative to the front of the room, and they all line up as they had done when competing for the Starter words. The Championship Round serves as a review of the words in the activity. The contestants may not use their word element lists, and may receive no help from their teammates.
The teacher begins by giving the first word used in the activity. The first student to slap the desk has the opportunity to define this word. If he or she is correct, that team gets 5 points; if wrong, the team loses 5 points. If the contestant is incorrect, the teacher may issue the word again with the other students having an opportunity to define it. After a word is correctly defined and the teacher records the score, they go on to the next word. Following the defining of all 15 words used in the activity, the points are added up and the winning team is declared.
Condensed Procedures for Root It Out
1. Competition consists of three rounds of increasing difficulty, followed by a Championship Round.
2. The students form teams of 4-5, and receive copies of the Root It Out list of roots and affixes.
3. Each round starts with a team representative competing to guess the meaning of a "starter word." The teacher says the word, and the first representative to slap the desk may guess the word's meaning. If the student is right, his or her team is the primary team for the round. If the students is wrong, he or she sits down and the teacher issues a second word to the remaining representatives. This step continues until either one representative correctly guesses a starter word's meaning, or only one representative is left.
4. The teacher issues five words, one at a time. For Round 1 each word is worth 10 points. All teams try to figure out each word's meaning. The primary team has the first opportunity to win points for the words, receiving 10 points for each correct definition and no penalty for incorrect guesses.
5. When the primary team is finished, any other team may submit a definition for any number of the words incorrectly guessed by the primary team. For each correct definition, the "second guessing" team receives the point value of the word; for each incorrect guess, they receive minus the point value.
6. Round #2 repeats Steps #3, #4, and #5, with each word being worth 20 points, using a different representative for Step #3.
7. Round #3 repeats Steps #3, #4, and #5, with each word being worth 30 points, using a different representative for Step #3.
8. For the Championship Round, each team sends a new representative to the front. The teacher issues the fifteen words from the first three rounds one by one; the first representative to guess the meaning of each word earns five points for his or her team. The Championship Round points are added to the scores for the first three rounds to determine the winner.
METHOD #1: ROOT IT OUT (ROOTS AND AFFIXES)
PREFIXES
ab, a, abs: from, away, off
ante: before
bene: good, well
bi: two
con, co, col, cor: together, with
ex, exo: out, outside
fore: beforehand, front
hyper: overly, exaggerated
mal, male: bad, evil
mis: bad, wrong
miso: hate
pan: across
philo: love of, lover of
post: after
ROOTS
aut, auto: self
graph: having to do with writing or drawing
greg: gather, flock
gyn: woman or women
lith: pertaining to rock or stone
loc, loq: pertaining to speech
log: word
luc, lum: light
man, manu: hand
onym, onomata: name, word
ortho: straight
pan, panto: all, complete
pend, pens: hang
scrib, script: write
somn: sleep
taut: the same
SUFFIXES
-aceous: like, resembling, pertaining or belonging to...
-ine: like, resembling, pertaining to [usually a certain animal]
-mancy: fortune telling by means of...
-mania: insanity caused by...
-nosis: mania for...
-ous: having...
-phile, philia, philous: lover of...
-phobia: fear of...
-scopy: the study of...
-thropy: insanity caused by...
ROOT IT OUT
Level I Starter Words
anguish - mental pain
blemish - defacement
client - regular customer
competent - capable
frigid - cold
illuminate - light
liberal - free
pauper - poor person
penetrate - go through
reimburse - pay back
revenue - money earned
squander - waste
timid - fearful
torment - inflict pain upon
vile - hateful
Level II Starter Words
endeavor - try
trifle - insignificant, behave frivolously
gesticulate - gesture wildly
malinger - to shirk duty
pious - dutiful, reverent
fabricate - make up
cajole - persuade with flattery
obliterate - erase or destroy
appellation - name
surname - last name
eloquent - expressing self with force and fluency
effusive - poured out freely
harangue - loud, ranting speech
oblige - put under obligation
ocular - pertaining to the eye
omnibus - including many things
oscillate - swing back and forth
vanquish - conquer
miscreant - evildoer
odious - distasteful
articulate - clearly and intelligently stated
juxtaposed - next to each other
cognition - thinking
perspective - viewpoint
ROUND 1
acousticophile: a-koos'-tik-o-fil - music lover
theophobia: the'o-fo'-bi-a - fear of God or religion
verbophobia: ver'bo-fo'-bi-a - fear of words
logophile: log'o-fil - word lover
exotic: ek-so'tik - outside that which is native or normal
multiloquent: mul-til'o-kwant - talkative
bilingual: bi-lin'-gwal - speaking two languages
panoptic: pan-op'tik - all seeing
monophobia: mon-o-fo'-bi-a - fear of being alone
panorama: pan-o-ra'-ma - complete view
misotheism: mis'-o-the-izm - hatred of gods
bienniel: bi-en'-e-al - living two years; happening every two years
bilateral: bi-lat'e-ral - having two sides
post graduate: post grad'yoo-at - after graduation
forerunner: for'run-ar - something that comes before
anteroom: an'te-room - room before another; waiting room
foregone: for-gon' - known beforehand
misdemeanor: mis'-da-men-ar - bad action
misbegotten: mis'-be-got'-an - born wrong
mishap: mis'hap - bad happening
antedate: an'te-dat - precede in time
foreboding: for-bod'-ing - felling of upcoming trouble
benefactor: ben'-a-fak-tar - one who does good things or makes a gift
forebear: for'bar - ancestor
anterior: an-te'-re-ar - located in front
abduct: ab-dukt' - carry away
antebellum: an-te-bel'am - before a war
autophobia: o'to-fo'bi-a - fear of oneself
gynarchy: gi'nar-ke - government run by women
luminary: loom'-an-er-e - source of light
translucent: trans-loo'sant - letting light through
manacle: man'a-kal - handcuff
appendix: a-pen'diks - something added on to the end
inscription: in-skrip'shan - something written on something
orthodox: or'tho-doks - generally accepted
pseudonym: soo'do-nim - false name
logology: log-ol'o-jee - the study of words
somnolent: som'no-lent - sleepy
loquacious: lo-kwa'shas - very talkative
gregarious: gra-gar'e-as - inclined to gather with others
ROUND 2
ornithophilous: or-ni-thof'il-as - bird loving
binaural: bi-nor'al - hearing with two ears
tautology: to-tol'a-je - needless repetition
graphospasm: graf'o-spaz-am - writer's cramp
aggregate: ag'ra-gat - gathered together
gyneolatry: gi-ne-ol'a-try - the worship of women
elucidate: e-loo'si-dat - throw light upon
impending: im-pend'-ing - overhanging
autonomous: o-ton'o-mus - self governing
autocrat: o'to-krat - ruler exercising self derived, absolute power
panacea: pan-a-se'a - cureall
logolept: log'o-lept - word maniac
somniloquacious: som'ni-lo-kwa'shas - talking in one's sleep
seopophobia: se'op-o-fo'bi-a - fear of being seen
pteronophobia: ter-o-na-fo'bi-a - fear of feathers
philocubist: fil'o-ku'bist - lover of dice games
mythomania: mith-o-man'i-a - compulsive lying
bifurcate: bi'far-kat - split in two
philanthropy: fil-an'thra-pe - love of all people
misogamy: mis-o'ga-me - hatred of marriage
misogyny: mis-o'ja-ne - hatred of women
misnomer: mis'no-mar - wrong or inappropriate name
misconstrue: mis-kan-stroo' - interpret wrong
forestall: for-stol' - prevent by doing something beforehand
benevolence: ba-nev'a-lans - good will
pantophobia: pan-to-fo'bi-a - fear of everything
panpharmacon: pan-for'-ma-kon - all purpose medicine
concentric: kan-sen'-trik - having a common center
cogenital: kan-jen'-a-tal - born with
maladroit: mal-a-droit' - clumsy
concord: kon'-kord - harmony
panoply: pan'-a-ple - complete covering
post mortem: post mort'am - exam after death
coalesce: ko-a-les' - come together
averse: a-vers' - turned from, opposed
concurrent: kon-kur'-ant - happening at the same time
malevolent: ma-lev'a-lent - ill will
benediction: ben'a-dik'-shan - good words or blessing
misanthropist: mis-an'thra-pist - hater of people
logographer: lo-go'gra-fer - writer of history or speeches
ROUND 3
lithophagus: lith-of'a-ges - eating rocks
veriliquent: ver-il'a-kwent - speaking truthfully
suaviloquence: swov-il'o-kwans - smooth talk
tautoousious: tot-o-oo'si-as - being absolutely the same
rhapsodomancy: rap'so-do'man-se - fortune telling with poetry
phyllomancy: fil'o-man'se - fortune telling with leaves
philoprogeneity: fil'o-pro'jan-e'i-te - love of offspring
philematophobe: fil'-e-mat'o-fob - woman who has a fear of kissing
meteoromancy: me'te-or-o'man-se - fortune telling by the weather
nebulaphobia: neb'u-la-fo'bi-a - fear of fog
ophidiophobia: o-fid'-i-o-fo'bi-a - fear of snakes
exoculate: eks-ok'-u-lat - to put out someone's eyes
exogamy: eks-og'a-me - marrying outside one's group
misopedia: mi-so-pe'di-a - hatred of children
collude: ka-lud' - deceitful agreement
lithogenesis: lith'-o-jen'a-sis - study of the formation of rocks
tautochronous: tot-o'kran-as - happening at the same time
hyperbole: hi-per'ba-le - exaggerated speech
excerebrose: eks-er'i-bros - having no brains
misopolemiac: mi'so-po-lem'i-ak - hater of war
abdicate: ab'-di-kat - give up
abscond: ab-skond' - steal off and hide
absquatulate: ab-skwat'yoo-lat - steal away
bicameral: bi-kam'a-ral - having two chambers
collusion: ka-loo'zhan - conspiracy
coalesce: ko'a-les' - grow together
concomitant: kon-kom'a-tant - existing or happening at the same time
dulciloquy: dul-sil'-a-kwe - softness in speaking
orthography: or-thog'ra-fe - correct spelling
acronym: ak'ro-nim - name from the first letters of other words
loganamnosis: log'an-am-no'sis - mania for trying to recall forgotten words
somnambulism: som-nam'bu-lizm - walking in one's sleep
lythoglyph: lith'o-glif - engraving on a stone
lythodomous: lith-o'da-mas - burrowing in rock
rhinoscopy: rin-os'-ka-pe - study of the nasal passages
potamophilous: pot-a-mof'-il-as - loving rivers
lygophilia: li'go-fil'i-a - love of darkness
lycanthropy: li-kan'thro-pe - insanity where the patient believes she's a wolf
melissophobia: mel-is'o-fo'bi-a - fear of bees
metrophobia: met-ro-fo'-bi-a - fear of poetry
METHOD #2
Three chapters in VCBS are devoted to the study of word elements, making Root It Out an easily adaptable activity and one you can repeat with more than one chapter. As you would with Strategy, you will use the same basic procedures with Method #2 as you would with Method #1.
Since the chapters in VCBS are already divided into roots and affixes, you can adapt a list of common word elements for your students from the one provided in the chapter. Once again, you organize the words according to degree of difficulty so that the simpler words are Starter Words and the words used in successive rounds are progressively more difficult. Because the text provides such a great number of words in each chapter, you will select a limited number for the activity, possibly saving the others for a future occasion.
The following is a list of word elements to distribute to the students at the start of the activity and a suggested grouping of words into Starter, Regular, and Championship Round categories based on Chapter 5, "Words Derived from Latin," of VCBS. Other chapters from VCBS that you can use with Root It Out are Chapter 4, "Words Derived from Greek," and Chapter 7, "Anglo-Saxon Vocabulary."
METHOD #2
Prefixes
a,ab: away, from
ad: to
ante: before
bi: two
circum: around
con (col, com, cor): together, with
contra: against
de: from, down
dis: apart, away
e, ex: out
extra: beyond
in (il, im, ir): in, into, on
inter: between
intra: within
ob: against
omni: all, every, everywhere
per: through, thoroughly
post: after
pre: before
preter: beyond
pro: forward
re: again, back
retro: backward
se: apart
semi: half
sub: under
super: above
trans: across, through
ultra: beyond, exceedingly
vice: in place of
Roots
corp: body
cred, credit: believe
cur, curr, curs: run
duc, duct: lead, conduct, draw
fid: faith, trust
flect, flex: bend
fract, frag: break
gress, grad: step, walk, go
grat: pleasant, thank, favor
ject: throw
locut, loqu: speak, talk
mand, mandat: order, command, commit
mis, miss, mit, mitt: send
mon, monit: warn
mor, mort: death
ped: foot
prehend, prehens: seize, grasp
rupt: break, burst
secut, sequ: follow
string, strict: bind, draw tight
tact, tang: touch
ten, tent, tin: hold, keep
tors, tort: twist
vers, vert: turn
vict, vinc: conquer, show conclusively
viv: live, alive
vor: eat greedily
Suffixes
-cide: killing, killer
-fer, ferous: bearing, producing, yielding
ROOT IT OUT
Level 1 Starter Words
avert - turn away, prevent
biped - two-footed animal
credentials - documents that inspire belief or trust
deflect - turn aside
evict - expel
immortality - eternal life, lasting fame
intact - kept of left whole
mortician - undertaker
perverse - turned away from what is right or good
recur - happen again
Level 2 Starter Words
admonish - warn of a fault
aqueduct - artificial channel for conducting water from a distance
concur - agree, happen together
concurrent - running together, occurring at the same time
corporal - bodily
corps - organized body of persons, branch of the military
credo - summary of principles believed in or adhered to
curriculum - specific course of study in a school or college
fratricide - act of killing one's own brother
inconsequential - unimportant
invincible - incapable of being conquered
mandatory - required by command
premonition - forewarning
regressive - disposed to move backward
remand - send back, recommit
ROUND ONE
bona fide: bo'-na'fid' - made or carried out in good faith, genuine
conducive: ken-dyu'-siv - tending to lead to, contributive, helpful
constrict: kon-strikt' - draw together, bind
countermand: kount'-er-mand' - issue a contrary order
genocide: jen'-e-sid' - deliberate extermination of a racial or cultural group
incredulity: in'-kri-dyu'-lut-e - disbelief
incur: in-ker' - meet with something undesirable; bring upon oneself
induce: in-dyus'- lead on, move by persuasion
inflection: in-flek'-shun - change in the pitch or tone of a person's voice
infraction: in-frak'-shun - act of breaking; breach; violation
mortification: mort'-e-fe-ka'-shen - shame, humiliation, embarrassment
mortuary: mor'-che-wer'-e - morgue
odoriferous: od'-e-rif'-e-res - yielding an odor, usually fragrant
precursor: pri-ker'-ser - forerunner, predecessor
retrogression: re'-tre-gresh'-en - act of going from a better to a worse state
tactful: takt'-fel - having or showing sensitive mental perception of what is appropriate on a given occasion
tactile: tak'-tel - pertaining to the sense of touch; tangible
tenure: ten'-yer - period for which an office or position is held
transgress: trans-gres' - step beyond the limits, go beyond, break a law
vivify: viv'-i-fi' - enliven, make vivid
ROUND TWO
coniferous: ko-nif'-e-res - bearing cones, as the pine tree
contingent: ken-tin'-jent - dependent on something else; accidental
corpulent: kor'-pye-lent - bulky, obese, very fat
credence: kred'-ens - belief
credulous: krej'-e-les - too ready to believe, easily deceived
cursory: kers'-e-re - running over hastily; superficially done
egress: e'-gres - a going out, or a way out; an exit
expedite: ek'-spe-dit' - facilitate; accelerate or speed up
flexor: flek'-ser - muscle that serves to bend a limb
fractious: frak'-shes - apt to break out into a passion; cross, irritable
homocide: hom'-o-cid' - killing of one human by another
impertinent: im-pert'-en-ent - not having to do with the matter at hand, inappropriate; rude
missive: mis'-iv - written message sent, a letter
omnivore: om'-ni-vor' - eating everything, both plant and animal substances; avidly taking in everything
refract: ri-frakt'- bend a ray of light, a heat or sound wave, etc., from a straight course
reprehensible: rep'-ri-hen'-se-bel - deserving of censure; culpable
retentive: ri-tent-'iv - tenacious, able to retain or remember
tenacity: te-nas'-et-e - firmness in holding fast, persistence
tenet: ten'-et - principle, belief, or doctrine generally held to be true
vertigo: vert'-i-go - condition in which one feels that one's surroundings are turning about; dizziness
ROUND THREE
circumlocution: ser'-kem-lo-kyu'-shen - roundabout way of speaking
contiguous: ken-tig'-ye-wes - touching or meeting, association,
connection
diffident: dif'-ed-ent - lacking faith in oneself, timid, shy
esprit de corps: es-pred'-e-kor'- spirit of a body or persons, group spirit
evince: e-vins' - show clearly; disclose
gradient: grad'-e-ent - rate at which a road, railroad track, etc., rises; slope
gratuitous: gre-tyu'-et-es - given freely, gratis; unwarranted
incorruptible: in'-ko-rup'-te-bel - inflexibly honest, incapable of being corrupted or bribed
infidel: in'-fed-el - one who does not accept a particular faith, unbeliever
interlocutor: int'-er-lok'-yet-er - questioner; one who participates in a conversation
obverse: ob'-vers' - side turned toward the observer; the
front of a coin, medal, etc.
omnibus: om'-ni-bus - covering many things at once; bus; book containing a variety of works by one author
omniverous: om-niv'-e-res - eating everything, both plant and animal substances; avidly taking in everything
somniferous: som-nif'-e-res - bearing or inducing sleep
stricture: strik'cher - adverse criticism, censure
stringent: strin'-jent - strict, rigid, severe
tortuous: torch'-e-wes - full of twists or curves, winding; tricky, crooked
traduce: tre-dyus' - slander, vilify, calumniate
untenable: un'-ten'-e-bel - incapable of being held or defended
vociferous: vo-sif'-e-res - producing a loud outcry, clamorous, noisy
CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
colloquy: kol'-o-kwe - a talking together, conference
conversation
corpus delicti: kor'-pes-di-lik'-ti - facts proving a crime has been committed
fiduciary: fe-dyu'-she-er'-e - held in trust, confidential
genuflect: jen'-ye-flekt' - bend the knee; touch the right knee to the ground, as in worship
grandiloquent: gran-dil'-e-kwent - using lofty or pompous words
moribund: mor'-e-bend - dying, near death
omnifarious: om'-ni-far'-e-es - of all varieties, forms, or kinds
obloquy: ob'-le-kwe - a speaking against, censure; public reproach
perfidious: per-fid'-e-es - false to a trust, faithless
pertinacious: pert'-en-a'-shes - adhering firmly to a purpose or
opinion, very persistent
prehensile: pre-hen'-sel - adapted for seizing, as a prehensile claw
retinue: ret'-en-yu' - group of followers accompanying a distinguished person
velocipede: ve-los'-a-ped - child's tricycle; early form of
bicycle
vivisection: viv'-e-sek'-shen - operation on a living animal
writ of mandamus: rituvman'-da'-mus - written order from a court