Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Elementary School Spelling/vocabulary words

While I do see a benefit to learning the prefixes, roots, etc, I think the best part of the lesson is teaching the kids that they can figure out any word if they work at it/break it down. It reminds me of dd's Montessori math, and how they learned to carry almost immediately with 4 and 5 digit numbers. They never had any fear of "big numbers".

Ok, having dealt with medical charts, complicated diagnoses, and trying to have copacetic conversations with doctors, I personally love that this teacher is giving a very bright child the option of breaking down complicated medical jargon into bite-size pieces that they can understand by learning the roots that make up the words.

I second the praise, having seen success with similar word lists in my vocab classes for gifted kids.

They couldn't get enough of the posters I put up illustrating the oft-repeated statistic about the percentage of English vocab in the sciences that is derived from Greek and Latin (90). I eventually had a rotating pool of over two dozen, about everything from astronomy to particle physics, cell structure, evolution, viruses, the Constitution, and the budget of the U.S. government.

Not only does this teacher's approach give kids the tools to break down seemingly unfamiliar words; it stimulates interest in a wide range of scientific fields.

I think its awesome! The kids learn about breaking words down into their parts, they learn to not be afraid of big words, and they also learn to be literate in biological sciences. As a nurse I find my job is much easier if the patient that I'm trying to talk to/teach is somewhat familiar with the human body and its parts. These kids don't have to file away and remember each of these particular terms now but down the line it will put them in a position of being able to have more information at a time when it may well be critical.