Do you want to help build your child’s vocabulary and improve their reading comprehension? Learning root words is a great place to start because they serve as the foundation for many other words.
This guide will explain exactly what root words are and when your child will learn them. It will also provide lots of examples of these important vocabulary building blocks.
Key Takeaways
- Root words are the most basic form of a word, establishing its primary meaning. These words do not contain prefixes or suffixes and are not always words that can function on their own.
- Examples of root words include dia, which means “across”; grad, which means “step”; and graph, which means “write.”
- Root words help kids build their vocabulary without memorizing large numbers of words. They also help to boost kids’ reading comprehension because, by knowing the root, kids can decipher unfamiliar words.
- Kids get early awareness of root words in kindergarten. Then throughout elementary school, they learn about roots, affixes, and word parts. They start learning about root words, specifically, in 3rd grade. By fifth grade, they bring these learnings together to determine the meaning of a new word.
Table Of Contents
- What Are Root Words?
- Examples of Root Words
- Why Does Knowing Root Words Matter for Kids?
- When Do Kids Learn Root Words?
What Are Root Words?
To grasp the concept of root words, it might help to picture a plant. Just like roots form the base of a plant, anchoring it to the ground, root words form the base of a word, anchoring it to the primary meaning of the word.
The root word, which doesn’t include any prefixes or suffixes, serves as the foundation for building other words. No matter what else is attached to the root word, you can count on the root to point to the word’s meaning.
Prefixes, Suffixes, and Affixes
When talking about root words, it’s also important to know a few more terms: affix, prefix, and suffix.
Affixes are words or word parts that are added to a root word. They change the meaning or grammatical properties of that word. An affix is small, usually only one or two syllables or sounds. Prefixes and suffixes are types of affixes.
A prefix is a word part that’s added to the beginning of a root word to change its meaning. Examples include un– as in unhappy, or dis– as in disadvantage.
A suffix, on the other hand, is a word part that’s added to the end of a root word. These might include –ful, like in helpful, or –ing, like in helping.
Root Words vs. Base Words
Although they may seem similar, root words are different from base words. Base words are words that stand alone, not needing prefixes or suffixes. Some examples include call and act.
Root words, on the other hand, are derived from Greek or Latin and do not always stand alone. One example is aud-, which means to hear. Although aud– is not a word by itself, by adding affixes, you can make words like audible and audience.
By knowing root words like aud-, even if your child doesn’t recognize the word audible, they’ll know the word has something to do with hearing and can better use context clues to decipher the meaning.
Examples of Root Words
Let’s review some examples of root words that are helpful for your child to know.
Why Does Knowing Root Words Matter for Kids?
If you’re wondering what the big deal is about root words, the answer is simple. Root words allow your child to supersize their vocabulary without memorizing a large stack of flashcards.
With root words, knowing one word unlocks a host of new words. For instance, if your child knows that graph means “write,” they’ll be better equipped to decipher words like calligraphy and autograph.
In addition to this, knowing root words improves spelling, gives your child added confidence, and supports their overall academic learning.
When Do Kids Learn Root Words?
Your child will become aware of root words in kindergarten and then build upon their knowledge through fifth grade. Let’s take a look.
Grades K-2 (Ages 5-8): Early Awareness
From kindergarten to second grade, children aren’t getting formal root word instruction just yet. Instead, the focus is on word awareness, such as patterns in words, basic word recognition, compound words, and simple word parts.
For example, children will be taught how familiar words such as sun and flower combine to make the word sunflower, and how suffixes like –ing, –ed, and –s/es, change the meaning of a word (for example, cook can change to cooked and mean something slightly different).
Pointing out words and how they work gives your child the building blocks they’ll need as they learn to read.
Grade 3 (Age 8-9): Introduction to Roots and Affixes
By third grade, your child will be ready to dive into the root words themselves. Using a range of strategies, they’ll learn a host of simple root words and their meanings.
In third grade, kids will also begin to explore prefixes (like un-, re-, and pre-) and suffixes (like –ful, –less, and –er). For example, the root word act, means “to do,” and by adding prefixes like re- and suffixes such as –ion and –or, you get the related words react, action, and actor.
Grade 4 (Age 9-10): Building Awareness of Word Parts
In fourth grade, the focus is on building awareness of word parts. Children will start to identify and define roots and affixes, using them to decode unfamiliar words. Here are some examples:
- Port (carry) is the root of transport, import, and export
- Graph (write) is the root of autograph and photograph
- Struct (build) is the root of construct and structure
- Pre (before) is the root of preview and preheat
Grade 5 (Age 10-11): Applying Knowledge of Roots
In fifth grade, all that your child has learned so far about root words starts to come together. They’ll become true word detectives, putting their root, prefix, and suffix knowledge to work.
Some roots they might focus on in fifth grade include:
- Tele (far) and related words like television and telephone
- Aud (hear) and related words like audience and audible
- Dict (speak) and related words like dictate and dictionary
- Bio (life) and related words like biology and biography
Fifth graders will also work with words that have multiple affixes (such as unfriendly reconstruction, or unfriendliness), increasing the challenge.
Learning with Begin
HOMER by Begin is a great way to introduce your two- to six-year-old child to root words to build their vocabulary and reading skills. They can apply what they’ve learned through fun games, videos, classes, songs, and stories.
If hands-on learning is more their speed, they can practice their root word skills through activities and games with HOMER’s Early Learning Kits.
Begin supports your child’s academic journey and inspires a love of learning that will last a lifetime!
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I practice root words with my child at home?
Reading together gives many opportunities to practice root words with your child at home. You could also draw a root tree detailing root words and related words, make word lists, and quiz your child weekly to bolster their learning.
How do root words connect to other subjects, like science or history?
Root words are used extensively in subjects like science and history, and knowing them will give your child a head start in understanding complex terms within these disciplines.
In science and medicine, Greek and Latin roots have been used to create standardized terminology. For instance, cardiology stems from the Greek root cardi-, which means “heart,” and the suffix –ology, which means “the study of.”
Many words related to history are also rooted in Latin. For example, revolution, from the Latin word revolvere, meaning “to turn” or “roll back.”
Do all words have a root word?
No. Whereas many words do derive from Greek or Latin roots, some words simply stand alone and are both the root and full word.
Onomatopoeic words, which sound like what they describe, such as buzz and meow, are also rootless words. Additionally, words borrowed from other languages often don’t have roots.
