Unlocking Unknown Words
Aligned to L.6.4 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
Figure out a new word with three tools: context clues in the sentence, Greek and Latin roots and affixes, and a dictionary to confirm. Roots like 'port' (carry) or 'tele' (far) unlock whole families of words.
Worked example
'Transport' = 'trans' (across) + 'port' (carry) = carry across. Meet 'portable' later and the same root tells you it means able to be carried. One root, many words — then confirm with a dictionary.
Practice questions
- Use context clues to guess a hard word's meaning, then check a dictionary.
- Break a word into its root and affixes and give each part's meaning.
- Find another word that shares one of those roots and define it.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Descifrar Palabras Desconocidas
Descifra una palabra nueva con tres herramientas: las pistas de contexto en la oracion, las raices y los afijos griegos y latinos, y un diccionario para confirmar. Raices como 'port' (llevar) o 'tele' (lejos) abren familias enteras de palabras.
Ejemplo: 'Transportar' = 'trans' (a traves) + 'portar' (llevar) = llevar a traves. Cuando veas 'portatil', la misma raiz te dice que significa que se puede llevar. Una raiz, muchas palabras — luego confirma con el diccionario.
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