Thursday, October 18, 2012

Text Set Collection on Greek & Roman Roots

As I wrote in the syllabus:

We will learn about the role of different texts in teaching your content area throughout this course. Four times, you will be responsible for choosing a unit of study within your content area and building a Text Set collection for that unit or topic. The text set must include at least 15 items (a combination of websites, applications, programs, books, or other texts). Each title chosen must include grade/reading level of the text, a brief description of the text, and a brief rationale of why you chose each text. Organize the texts into blog post to be shared with the class. A model and rubric will be provided. The Topic for each collection is due to me on Monday of the week it is due (Please post it in the appropriate BlackBoard Discussion Board Forum).  


General Resources for  Greek and Roman Roots
Books

 


Vocabulary from Latin and Greek Roots: Book 1
Elizabeth Osborne (Author), Paul Moliken (Editor), Larry Knox
Ages: 12 and up

This book is a collection of lists arranged by root, along with illustrations, and typical vocabulary exercises. I am not too high on the exercises, but I like how the words are grouped and presented. This is a nice, usable resource for students.



 
Greek & Roman Roots: Keys to Building Vocabulary
Timothy Raskinski, Nancy Padak, Rick M. Newton, & Evangeline Newton
Ages: for Teachers

This book is a collection of information, strategies, and activities for teaching these roots to students. It would be a great resource for teachers in many subject areas.




Websites
 
  • Root Word Dictionary
http://www.macroevolution.net/root-word-dictionary.html
Ages: Grade 4 and up

A pretty comprehensive list of common roots, prefixes, and suffixes. Good for quick reference and study, and also easily searchable alphabetically.

  • Quizlet Greek and Roman Roots Flashcards
http://quizlet.com/9288114/greek-and-roman-roots-flash-cards/
Ages: Grades 4 and up

A simple way to study, memorize, and read roots, their definitions, and a few keywords. This is an easily manipulated, somewhat interactive activity.


  • The Dictionary of Greek and Latin Roots
http://english.glendale.cc.ca.us/roots.dict.html
Ages: Grades 8 and up

A bare-bones list of roots along with a sample word. This seems like an easy and quick reference for students and would make for a good handout. The sample word for bi- (bisexual) may produce giggles or troubles, so I would probably copy and tailor the list myself.

Roots in Mathematics
  • Math Root Words
http://www.curiousmath.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=14&theme=Printer
Ages:12 and up

This website includes a short list of the roots and origins of some common math words. I think it would be useful for sharing where some of the concepts and ideas came from.

  • The Etymology of Geometry Words
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/mathematics/a/061210EtymologyGeometryTerms.htm
Ages: 12 and up

This write-up includes a readable version of math etymology, links to other articles about Ancient Greek and Roman mathematics, and also is followed up by a brief quiz. A good, reliable source of information for students.

  • Rhythm, Rhyme, Results
http://www.educationalrap.com/music/math/
Ages: 12 and up

This website sells raps songs about mathematics vocabulary. Their songs about the metric system and geometry are particularly helpful. They provide short samples of each song online. Also, they have three versions of each song (fast, slow, and instrumental so students can perform themselves).

  • Vocabulary Strategies for the Analysis of Word Parts in Mathematics
http://www.teachercreatedmaterials.com/curriculum_files/free/activities/october2011/Root_Word_Tree.pdf
Ages: Teacher

A handout/article for teachers about using Root Word Trees activities with students. This activity gets students to dissect words and also identify related terms.

Roots in Science
  • Scientific Root Words, Prefixes, And Suffixes
http://www.jdenuno.com/PDFfiles/RootWords.pdf
Ages: 15 and up

A comprehensive list of common, technical scientific roots and affixes arranged to fit onto two pages that can be printed off and kept as a resource.

  • Flocabulary
http://flocabulary.com/subjects/science/
Ages: 12 and up

This website sells rap songs and books containing lyrics and exercises for student use. Songs touch on life science, earth science, chemistry, and physics and contain references to root words as well as clever word play. They provide samples, with videos, online.

  • 10 Long Science Words
http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/word-lists/10-long-science-words.html
Ages: 15 and up

A page defining 10 long scientific terms and the roots/affixes that are in them. I can see this page being turned into an interesting activity with students where they use the roots/affixes to define the words on their own.

  • 190 Biology Root Words Quiz
http://download.cnet.com/190-Biology-Root-Words-Quiz-Android/3000-2054_4-75362453.html
Ages: 13 and up

An app for Android that gives students a chance to practice flashcards, take quizzes, and refer to a dictionary. A nice, portable resource.

Roots in Other Languages

  • Spell It! Words from German
http://www.myspellit.com/lang_german.html
Ages: 12 and up

This page has a list of English words derived from German. When you click on each word, you get to see its definition and roots.  This could be a great way to start comparing word knowledge.


  • Spanish-English Cognates in the ELL Classroom: Friend or Foe
http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/lessons/spanish-english-cognates-in-the-ell-classroom-friends-or-foes/
Ages: Teachers

A lesson plan for teaching about roots and cognates in Spanish and Latin. This plan includes activities of comparing common Latin roots as well as identifying false cognates that can create confusion.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Brain Pop!


Brain Pop was founded in 1999, originally "conceived by Avraham Kadar, M.D., an immunologist and pediatrician, as a creative way to explain difficult concepts to his young patients," according to their website.  Today, they claim to be used in about 20% of U.S. schools, with a growing international audience. It is full of games, movies, and tutorials that touch on many content areas. Mostly the videos deal with topics in the big four content areas, Math, Science, English, and Social Studies, but they branch off into Technology and the Arts as well. There is a Spanish version of this site, too, which might be great for second language learners.

Brain Pop is a website that requires you to pay for full access, though it does offer freebies. It is for all age students, though I think the cartoons do tend to skew a bit young. I do not know how much high school students would like to be seen watching these videos or playing these games, though I certainly do think that they are informative for students at many grade levels. (Hey, I like them myself, but I am not worried about what a bunch of teenagers think of me.) I certainly see this site being used by a teacher for the videos (such as a short refresher or info blast) or by the students, perhaps in a small work station they can rotate to and from.

The site is not very commercial (I saw no pop-up ads or banners trying to get me to buy products). Occasionally they partner with other publications, like National Geographic, but this site seems relatively free from external advertisement.

The pros are that this site can be one-stop shopping for some teachers and students, with plenty of videos, games, and even practice materials and short quizzes. The games are frequently linked to the videos and information pages that are relevant to the topic being covered, which can facilitate connection-making. There is a decent amount of free material available, too. A trial version that gives you more access to everything is also available for folks who are interested in the site.

The cons are that some of the practice materials are very basic and not very challenging, versions of online worksheets. Also, like I said above, I am not sure where the ceiling for students who would want to be seen navigating this site by their peers would be, though I would wager they could look over things at home for review without censure.

With all these pros and cons, I still think there are many worthwhile attributes to Brain Pop. I invite you to go check it out for yourself.

This is their main site: http://www.brainpop.com/

Here are some representative videos:

Cesar Chavez (in commemoration of Labor Day)

Mars (Astronomy) 

Angles (Geometry)

Fotografía (en Español)


Here are some representative games:

Refraction (fraction practice)

Pavlov's Dog (behaviorism)

Coaster Creator (physics)

ESL Games 

Web Resource Review Guidelines

All reviews should be at least 300 words long and be about a unique website for your content area.

Some things you might mention in your review:
  • What age level student should use it?
  • Is this a site that could be used in school? If so, how?
  • Are there any content area connections?
  • How interactive is the site?
  • How commercial is the site?
  • Pros about the website?
  • Cons about the website?
  • Does it require you to sign up?
  • Is adult supervision required?
 Happy reviewing!

Friday, August 24, 2012

The 2 Simplest Blog Options

 Hi all! I thought I would post the two quickest, easiest ways to establish a blog (in case you don't have one set up. Either of these two links will work just fine.

http://www.blogger.com/ (requires a gmail address)

http://wordpress.com/ (you can use any email address to register)

Please let me know if you encounter any difficulties!

Hello and welcome!

This will be the homepage for REED 461.

In the upcoming days and weeks, I will post links to all your blogs, examples of assignments, readings of interest, and other items.

Please feel free to comment!