New Hampshire Foundations of Reading Practice Test

What classroom activity can help students understand Latin and Greek roots?

1. Reading comprehension tests

2. Creating word webs

3. Memorizing lists of roots

4. Writing essays

The correct answer is: Creating word webs

Creating word webs is an effective classroom activity for helping students understand Latin and Greek roots because it encourages them to visually map out the relationships among words and their root meanings. This method allows students to explore how different words are connected through common prefixes, suffixes, and roots, thereby deepening their understanding of vocabulary and enhancing their ability to decode unfamiliar words. Word webs foster critical thinking as students engage in categorizing and linking terms, which helps to solidify their understanding of etymology and the evolution of language. Additionally, this activity promotes collaboration and discussion among students, allowing them to share insights, making connections, and reinforcing their learning through peer interaction. In contrast, while memorizing lists of roots might provide some foundational knowledge, it does not engage students’ critical thinking skills to the same degree as creating word webs. Likewise, reading comprehension tests and writing essays focus more on skills of reading and composition, rather than specifically exploring the roots of words. These activities do not provide the same interactive and visual learning experience that word webs offer.