Tag Archives: building vocabulary/conceptual knowledge

Plutocracy (n)

Now seems to be the perfect moment, or as perfect as moments get for such things, to post this context clues worksheet on the noun plutocracy. Don’t forget that it morphs to plutocrat and plutocratic, a couple of other good words that nicely represent our zeitgeist.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

The Weekly Text, December 7, 2018: A Set of Worksheets on the Greek Word Roots Hyper, Hyp, and Hypo

This week’s Text is a worksheet on the Greek root hyper and another on the Greek roots hyp and hypo. You will perceive phonetically that these roots are two sides of a coin, and indeed they are: hyper means above, excessive, beyond, and over; conversely, hypo means under, below, and less. If you’ve dealt with thyroid issues in your life, you surely know what these roots mean. So aspiring health care professionals, nota bene!

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Abandon (n)

Hot off the press (it was Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day yesterday), here is a context clues worksheet on abandon. This isn’t the verb, but rather the abstract noun signifying, as Merriam-Webster’s has it, “a thorough yielding to natural impulses; esp: ENTHUSIASM, EXUBERANCE.”

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

The Godfather

If your students announce an interest in classic American cinema, as several of mine have in the past couple of days, then this reading on the The Godfather and its accompanying reading comprehension worksheet might be just the ticket for them. I’m developing a new series of readings, so there will me more to come on the cinema.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Rote (n/adj)

Here, on a busy, wet Monday morning, is a context clues worksheet the word rote, which is used both as a noun and an adjective. This is a word I teach students so that on those rare occasions when I need them to learn by rote, they understand what I’m talking about.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Joe Montana

Here is a relatively high-interest reading on quarterback Joe Montana and a reading comprehension worksheet to accompany it.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Rogue (n)

OK, here’s one more post on a grey and quiet Saturday morning in Springfield, Massachusetts, to wit a context clues worksheet on the noun rogue. Does anyone use this word anymore?

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Word Root Exercise: Itis

If you have students looking at careers in health care, than this worksheet on the Greek root itis is de rigueur. As you have probably gathered–especially if you suffer from arthritis—itis means inflammation. This is  a very productive root in English, needless to say.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Ritzy (adj)

Because it was Merriam-Webster’s word of the day yesterday, here is a context clues worksheet on the adjective ritzy today. While this is adjective is arguably vernacular, it is part of the grain of American English vernacular; ergo, I suppose, there is an argument to be made for teaching it as such, particularly to English Language Learners, for whom a teacher might want to make the connection to the Ritz Hotels.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

The Weekly Text, November 30, 2018: A Reading and Comprehension Worksheet on the Stock Market Crash of 1929

This week’s Text is a reading on the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the comprehension worksheet that accompanies it. This is an important moment in global and United States history. The reading opens a number of conceptual questions about capital and investment, fiscal policy, fiscal irresponsibility, and the wages and price of capitalism–and those element of this ideology the New Dealer Thurman Arnold called “The Folklore of Capitalism.”

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.