Mega-update to my mnemonic unit on Greek and Latin roots, and an in-depth look at morphology in the Common Core

California Common Core Standards - State Additions for Kinder, Second, and Fourth Grade Finished!

At my school and across parts of California, Seattle and New York, there's a movement afoot to delay teach the standards before students are tested on them. I won't weigh in on the issue at the moment, but I'll say that it seems reasonable. At my school, we are implementing the standards next year, but we're still considering whether the testing will take place or not. Among other things, there's concern that the technological requirements of the CCS assessments can't be met. Apparently, the tests will be computer-based. Although we have a pretty well-equipped school technologically (fast internet, several computer labs), the prospect of high stakes testing dependent on ALL the labs up and running when and where they are needed is a bit daunting.
testing students based on the Common Core standards. Teachers want more time to

Meanwhile, our state Secretary of Education Tom Torlakson just yesterday gave his two cents worth on the Common Core and state testing in California. His take: resist the urge to delay the tests.

In other, less serious, more colorful, and just plain fun California Common Core developments, I finished making posters for the California additions to the Common Core Standards for kindergarten, second grade, and fourth grade. These additions supplement my illustrated CCS posters.

Kindergarten -  11 additonal posters - 8 Language Arts and 3 Math
Second Grade - 8 additional posters - 5 Language Arts and 3 Math
Fourth Grade - 9 additional posters - 6 Language Arts and 2 Math

As always, if you need additional posters for your state's Common Core, don't hesitate to contact me. You can leave a comment here on the blog, contact me through my store, or email me at toboldlyteach@gmail.com.

Steven

Greek Roots Visual Flash Cards - Print Version

These flash cards are unique and fun because they are full of  high-quality images and to help your students build meaningful and lasting mental connections. Instead of showing a root and asking students for the meaning, you show an image or animation, and students associate that image or animation with a Greek stem.

For example, you show a card with an image of a rainbow. Students look at the rainbow and think, "Rainbow, colors...chrom!" They associate the rainbow with the Greek root chrom. A lasting mental connection is made.

The flash cards can be used as word walls or for a variety of matching activities. You can keep the answer and the image on separate pieces of card stock, and have students match a root to the image.

Another alternative is to pass out images to half the class, and roots to the other half. Then tell students to get go around the room and find the person who has the image that matches their root. Or hang them on the walls as a colorful display to inspire and educate.

Part one is free. Download it and give it a try.

This is a two part series. 

Greek Roots Visual Flash Cards - Part 1 - ANTI-COSM-FREE 

Greek Roots Visual Flash Cards - Part 2 - CRACY-ZOO

The two parts cover these Greek stems.

1. anti-against, opposite
2. aristo-best
3. astro-star
4. auto-self
5. bi-two
6. bio-life
7. chrom-color
8. chron-time
9. cine/kine-motion
10. cosm-universe, world, order
11. cracy-type of government
12. crat-member of a type of government
13. cycl-circle, wheel
14. dem-people
15. derm/derma-skin
16. inside-power
17. endo-inside
18. epi-on top of, over
19. ethno-race, nationality
20. exo-outside
21. gen/geno-birth, race, produce
22. geo-earth
23. gon-angle
24. graph/gram-picture
25. gyn-woman
26. hemi/semi-half
27. hydro-water
28. hyper-over, too much, a lot
29. hypo-under, not enough
30. legis-law, legal
31. litho-stone
32. mania-madness
33. mech-machine
34. mega-big
35. met/meta-above, over, higher, beyond
36. meter-measure of
37. micro-small
38. mon/mono-one
39. morph-shape, form
40. necro-dead, death, corpse
41. neo-new, young
42. octo-eight
43. ologist/ology-one who studies/the study of
44. pan-all, every
45. path-suffering, disease
46. penta-five
47. phil-love
48. phobia-fear
49. phon/phono-sound
50. photo-light
51. phyll-green, leaf
52. phys-body/nature
53. pod/ped-foot
54. polis-city/civilization
55. poly-many
56. proto-first
57. pseudo-fake
58. psych-mind
59. pyro-fire
60. scope-watch, see
61. soph-wisdom
62. spher/sphero-sphere, ball, layer of gas
63. tech/techni-skill, craft
64. tele-distance
65. tetra-four
66. theo-god, religion
67. therm-heat
68. thesis-position
69. tri-three
70. zo/zoo-animal

In these sets of flash cards, you will find three or more images provided for every root, which allows you to use the cards again and again, practicing the same roots over and over, without boring the kids with the same images they have already seen before. There are enough choices that you will never show the exact same combination of images twice unless you want to. Another reason I provide more than one image per root is that some roots, like cosm or phys, have more than one meaning, so it is important to reinforce all the meanings. Also, having three or more images allows you to tailor the PowerPoint to your students' maturity and schema.

Ponyboy and the Gang Get a New Look!

It's been 52 years since they were teenagers banging around the streets of Tulsa!

I updated the PowerPoint with some cool new illustrations and backgrounds. Have a look! Thanks to MMG for the superb illustration of the Outsiders!