ELA 7: Around the World—Semester B

Sample Lesson - Introduction

Lesson 4.05: Get Back to Your Roots

You can also get back to your root vegetables. Mmmm—potatoes.
(Source)

The oldest living organism and the largest organism are one in the same, all thanks to having some really great roots. Pando, a forest made out of one tree, has been growing for over 80,000 years.

What's really great—and geeky—about Pando, though, is its name. In Latin, "pando" translates as "I spread" or "I extend out." For some reason, naming the forest "I spread out" in English just doesn't have the same ring to it as does "Pando."

Latin acts a little like a giant root system for many western languages today. These languages are considered to be Romance languages, and yes, they do sound lovely when whispered across a candlelit table. The most common Romance languages are Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese. With the exception of Italian, the other major Romance languages are all spoken somewhere in South America.

English, as you might've figured out, isn't a romance language. Although many words in English do have Latin roots, many English words also have roots in just about every other language spoken around the world. Here's a smattering of words with a variety of roots:

• Karaoke is Japanese
• Safari is Swahili
• Quinoa is Quechua (Ecuador, represent!)
• Jungle is Hindi
• Trophy is Greek
• Orange is French
• Wiki (like Wikipedia) is Hawaiian

We could go on—and on, and on—but you get the idea. English is a mutt of a language, and we've done a great job adopting words from every region of the world.

In this lesson, you'll explore common roots of English and Spanish words—mostly those from Greek or Latin ancestors. With a little bit of etymological practice, you, too could be a spelling champion. Oh, and in The Queen of Water, we'll follow Virginia as she gets to reconnect with her own roots—which can be very confusing when you haven't seen anyone in your family for over a decade.

Looks like words can be a lot more reliable than people, roots-wise.

Sample Lesson - Reading

Reading 4.4.05a: Pre-Reading Activity

Ever wonder where the weirdest and most wonderful words come from? Visit the Online Etymology Dictionary (OED) and look up a word that interest you. Seriously, choose any word—okay, not that word, but any word that won't get you into hot water with your teacher.

What's that? You love nachos? Shmoop does, too. Nacho is a great word.

Go for it and type in the word "nacho" into the OED's search tool.

It sounds silly, but the origin is great. The OED tells us that the word nacho—yes, as in what you might order a la Bell Grande at Taco Bell—comes from the name of a Mexican cook named Ignacio Anaya, who invented nachos in 1943. Boom.

You're now ready to venture out on your own. Choose a word—the sillier the better—and find out where it came from. Summarize what you learn about your word in two sentences on your Pre-Reading Sheet.

Sample Lesson - Reading

Reading 4.4.05b: The Queen of Water, Part II

Today's reading excerpts focus on the struggles Virginia faced as she tried to figure out her identity as an indigena or a mestiza. Does she get back to her roots or continue growing on her own path?

• Chapter 9 (58 – 67)
• Chapter 12 (89 – 97)
• Chapters 28 and 29 (231 – 246)

How has Virginia changed in this part of the book? Is her complacency something that comes with age and experience?

Sample Lesson - Activity

Activity 4.05a: The Roots of the Vocabulary and Pre-Reading Situation

It's that time, once again, Shmoop dudes and Shmoopettes. We've got to turn in all of the pre-reading and vocabulary work. Clean it up and drop it off here.

Upload your Pre-Reading and Vocabulary Sheets for Lessons 1 – 5 here.

Sample Lesson - Activity

Activity 4.05b: Latin Family Trees

In this activity, you'll construct a family tree for English and Spanish words based on roots in Latin.

How might we grow a family tree, you ask? Simple.

Step One

First, peruse the glossary from The Queen of Water. Find a few words that stand out to you. For this example, we like vivísima.

Step Two

Next, find its root. Yes, this is literally the root of your tree, and this one happens to be Latin.

In our example, the root viv-, from the Latin vivire, which means to live, is at the base of our tree. So we'd grow our tree from here with Spanish and English words that share the root viv-. We like this page for looking up English words in Spanish.

Step Three

Create an illustration, either by hand or on the computer, that shows your growing root tree.

Your tree should include:

• A word from The Queen of Water
• Its definition
• Its Latin or Greek root and meaning
• One related English word, with its definition
• One related Spanish word, and its translation
• One image

Once your tree's all set and blossoming like it's springtime, upload it below.

Sample Lesson - Activity