Vocabulary Builder is a free course that teaches middle school students how English words are built, so they can work out the meaning of thousands of unfamiliar words. Instead of memorising long word lists, learners master the building blocks: prefixes, suffixes and Greek and Latin roots, along with context clues and shades of meaning.
A large share of the academic words students meet in science, maths and social studies come from Greek and Latin. Once you know that bio means life, graph means write and -logy means the study of, words like biography and biology stop being mysterious. This course gives students a toolkit they can use in every subject, on tests and in their own writing.
What you will learn
- Break words into prefixes, roots, base words and suffixes
- Use common prefixes to change and predict word meanings
- Use suffixes to identify parts of speech and spell new words correctly
- Recognise 30 high-value Greek and Latin roots
- Use five types of context clues to work out unfamiliar words
- Choose precise words by understanding synonyms, antonyms and connotation
Who this course is for
This course is for students in Grades 6 to 8 (about ages 11 to 14), and for older students or English learners who want to strengthen their academic vocabulary. Learners should be able to read grade-level texts independently.
A note for parents and teachers
Word study works best little and often. Encourage students to keep a vocabulary journal and to notice word parts in their other subjects, such as photosynthesis in science or perimeter in maths. A good dictionary, print or online, is a useful companion; many dictionaries list a word’s origin, which lets students check their predictions. Note that word parts are a strong clue, not a guarantee: English has borrowed from many languages, and some words look like they contain a prefix when they do not.
How the course works
There are ten lessons of about fifteen minutes each. Every lesson includes worked examples, key takeaways and a practice exercise with answers. The final lesson helps students build a personal word toolkit.