ROOT IT OUT (based on Family Feud)

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.

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