Kyle Krestan

RDG 323
Professor Trombley
November 6, 2020
Vocabulary Activity
I chose to create a graphic organizer as the vocabulary activity in order to assist students
in understanding the difference between the latin roots intra- and inter-. This distinction is very
important in chemistry because they are used to describe activities happening inside of one thing
or the interaction between two things. The specific problem that usually accompanies these roots
is when it is applied to intermolecular and intramolecular forces. I personally had a lot of
struggles when it came to this concept in chemistry so the overall plan is to teach them the roots
in other contexts before trying to apply it to chemistry.
The beginning of this activity will be with the introduction of the importance of latin
roots in general. This will occur by asking students what they currently understand about latin
roots and any examples they can think of, if they struggle to create examples I plan to provide
ones such as hydroflask or automobile in order to stimulate their brains. Once the general
importance or usefulness of latin roots has been introduced I will provide them with materials
like colored paper, pencils, markers, and electronics so they can create a provided template in a
format that they feel is the most applicable. The template will first have a section for the students
to write out which root they are going to work on first, then they will put a word that they know
that utilizes the latin root. The purpose of this is to begin the association process with the latin
root to a known definition or object. The next step will be to put a word that is often used in
chemistry, for this example they will be inter and intramolecular forces. Students may work
together to determine the meaning of the words by using their previous knowledge of English
and roots. Finally, students will research a word that interests them that uses the root in order to
promote deeper thinking once class is over. Students will either make a quick drawing, pattern,
outline, google image, etc. that represents the words in each block. The final aspect of this
activity is for students to share the new word that they found fun with their peers and explain the
portions of the word that accumulate to the final meaning, such as the prefix and suffix. This will
help solidify the new vocab word they chose in their mind so it can also be used as a known
reference point when the latin root appears in future situations. The overall product should be
something that the students can reference in the future for assessments, if necessary.