Building Vocabulary with Greek and Latin Roots: A Professional Guide to Word Knowledge and Vocabulary Development

Book excerpt: Did you know that Greek and Latin roots make up 90% of English words of two or more syllables? Having an extensive vocabulary is key to students’ reading comprehension. By adopting the strategies in this book, teachers will help their students read more effectively, setting a foundation for lifelong learning and reading success. This teacher-friendly resource written by Timothy Rasinski, Nancy Padak, Rick M. Newton, and Evangeline Newton provides the latest research on how to teach Greek and Latin roots. It includes anecdotes from teachers who have adopted these strategies and how they play out in today’s classrooms. With a research-based rationale for addressing vocabulary in the classroom, this K-12 resource is full of strategies for increasing reading comprehension, instructional planning, and building a word-rich learning environment to support all students including English language learners.