Scott Foresman Reading Street

Vocabulary Strategy

Use word structure to determine word meaning.

INTRODUCE

Remind students of strategies they can use when they encounter unknown words.

Look for word parts, such as Greek or Latin roots.
Think about the meaning of the root as it is used in more familiar words.
Try the meaning in the sentence.

TEACH

Discuss the steps on p. 584 for using word structure.
Have students read "The Hunger to Know," paying attention to how vocabulary is used.
Model using knowledge of roots to determine the meaning of convergence.

MODEL The context of the last paragraph tells me that a convergence has to do with "two needs." I know that con- is often a prefix that means "with" or "together," such as in connect. c I have heard people say they are "on the verge of" doing something, so the root verge could mean "the edge or point." Convergence may mean "a point where two things meet."

then… use Tested Vocabulary Cards.

If… students need more practice with the lesson vocabulary,

Word Structure

PRACTICE AND ASSESS

Have students determine the meanings of the remaining words and explain the strategy they used.
Point out that the meanings of prefixes and suffixes can be found in a dictionary. These word parts are often listed as separate entries, alphabetized with entry words.
If you began a word rating chart (p. 584b), have students reassess their ratings.
Have students complete Practice Book p. 235.

WRITE Writing should include

several vocabulary words as well as words related to the Antarctic setting.

Practice Book p. 235

with | without Answers

Antarctic Journal: Four Months at the Bottom of the World

As you read “The Hunger
to Know,” look for words
with Latin or Greek
parts to help you figure
out the meanings of
the words.

Try the meaning in the sentence.
Does it make sense?

What is the meaning of the Greek or Latin
prefix? How does it affect the meaning of the
unknown word?

Look at the unknown word. Does it have a Latin
or Greek prefix that you know?

Word Structure Many English words have Latin
or Greek parts. For example, the Latin prefix
com- (or con-) means “with” or “together.” It
appears in words such as companion and
connect. You can think, “What will go with
something or be together?” The Latin prefix de- means “away from” and appears in words
such as defrost. You can often think, “What is
going away from something or is the opposite
of something?” You can often use these prefixes
to help you figure out the meaning of an unknown word.

Vocabulary Strategy
for Greek and Latin Roots

Try the strategy.
Then, if you need
more help, use
your glossary or
a dictionary.

convergence

icebergs

heaves

depart

anticipation

continent

forbidding

Today men and women
still wonder, plan, and go. They
travel to the ocean floor. There
they see fantastic forms of life.
They view wild mountains and
canyons formed when the stuff
of Earth heaves and twists. They
sail through fields of icebergs to
the frozen poles. They blast into
space, leaving the only home
humans have ever known.
What drives people so? It may
be the convergence of two needs:
the hunger to know and the desire
to be the first. Whatever makes it
so, we gain from it. As long as we
keep seeking and learning, our
world keeps growing.

     There is something in us
that yearns to explore new
places. Often these places
are dangerous, even forbidding.
That doesn’t stop us from going there, though. In fact, risk may
be part of what calls to us.
     Five hundred years ago, the
continent of North America lay
waiting. Explorers from Europe
sailed the Atlantic. Filled with
anticipation, they couldn’t wait
to depart. These adventurers
had no idea whether they
would find treasure or be killed
            by monsters. They were
                  ready for the new,
                      the strange, the                        unexpected.

Imagine you are going to explore the South Pole. Describe your journey. Use as many words from the Words to Know list as you can.



	Close
	Access Content Use ELL Poster 24 to preteach vocabulary. Choose from the following to meet language proficiency levels. Beginning Use the Multilingual Lesson Vocabulary list that begins on p. 272 of the ELL Teaching Guide, as well as other home-language resources, to provide translations of the tested words. Intermediate Have pairs write words and definitions on two sets of cards. Have them use the cards to play a matching game. Advanced Teach the lesson on pp. 584–585. Have students report on home-language terms for some of the vocabulary words. Resources for home-language words may include parents, bilingual staff members, bilingual dictionaries, or online translation sources. Word Structure Display words with the Latin root pend ("hang"): suspend, pendant, pendulum. Have students underline the shared root and discuss word meanings.