Body Language: Vocabulary Rooted in Latin Anatomy. Author: Visual Thesaurus

This lesson uses the Visual Thesaurus to help students make connections between current words and their Latin origins whose roots are anatomical. This lesson shows how words change over time and show explicit connections to their Latin roots. This lesson, which can be modified to meet any student level, can be used when teaching actual Latin roots or during a vocabulary lessons in which the teacher emphasizes the importance of Latin roots in the English language. This lesson uses the Visual Thesaurus, which provides connections between words and may prove helpful to visual learners.

Weblink address (URL):

Standards & Objectives

Learning objectives:

Students will:

learn the Latin words for some basic body parts
use the Visual Thesaurus to define groups of English words with Latin roots
plan and present groups of words with common origins in Latin anatomical terms

Essential and guiding questions:

How can students use Latin anatomy terms to help them understand the roots and meanings of some contemporary English vocabulary words?

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level:

Understanding

Extension suggestions:

Extending the Lesson:

Have students investigate the Latin words for other body parts (e.g., auris, dentis, nasus, etc.) and how those roots have spawned other groups of English words.

Helpful Hints

Materials:

student notebooks
white board
computers with Internet access
"Body Language: Words Rooted in Latin Anatomy" sheets (one per student) [click here to download]

References

Contributors:

Julie Lewis

Originator:

Ayers Institute for Learning & Innovation