English from the Roots Up (by Joegil Lundquist)
Ratings Summary:
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Category
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Average
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Count
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| Effectiveness |
4 |
2 |
| Usability |
4 |
2 |
| Price/Value |
4.5 |
2 |
| Overall Average |
4.17 |
2 |
This guidebook helps elementary aged students learn reading, writing, spelling, and even get prepared to take the SATs. By discovering the Greek and Latin roots, students are able to then decipher the spelling and meaning of English words.
http://www.cunepress.net
User Reviews
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| Reviewed by KristenS |
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Created at
4:07 PM EST on
November 10, 2008
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Category
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Score
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| Effectiveness |
4 |
| Usability |
3 |
| Price/Value |
4 |
| Overall Average |
3.67 |
When I was 11, I was introduced to Greek and Latin word roots. It changed my relationship with words forever and gave me the power to figure out meanings and spelling for words I didn’t know. Wanting to give our daughter the same advantage, we bought English from the Roots Up, Volume I. The information in the book can be customized into learning activities for all skill levels and if you need help thinking up what to do, there are teaching notes on each page of the book that can open up interesting dialogues during daily activities.
Volume I of English from the Roots Up has 100 roots in it. The format of the book is straightforward and consistent throughout. Latin roots have a red box around them and Greek have a green box. Underneath the root is a box that contains the root definition, words that use the root, and simple definitions for each word. Below that are teaching notes and sometimes, extra words that are a bit more complicated.
We also bought the flashcards that go with Volume I, which are about half the price of the book. You can make them yourself, but there is a lot of information on the cards and we felt they were worth buying. The flashcards follow the same color coding and layout without the teaching notes and extra words. We have made up lots of games with the flashcards. They are also great for root review and self testing.
Depending on what you are looking for, English from the Roots Up could have some drawbacks. Roots in the book are not arranged in alphabetical order, so if you want to look up a root you have to refer to the alphabetical index toward the front of the book to find a page number. The information is interesting, but is on the dry side. It is meant as a teaching guide, not an inspiring student text.
The spiral bound copy ranges in price from about $22-30 and is $10 less than the hardcover edition. Volume I of English from the Roots Up was a good place for us to start, but instead of getting Volume II, we will probably buy the second set of flashcards and a comprehensive word root dictionary.
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| Reviewed by dmquin |
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Created at
9:38 PM EDT on
July 1, 2008
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Category
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Score
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| Effectiveness |
4 |
| Usability |
5 |
| Price/Value |
5 |
| Overall Average |
4.67 |
My husband and I discussed whether we wanted to teach our girls Latin as a language. We decided not to have them learn Latin as a language but rather to learn Greek and Latin roots. So far, we are happy with this decision. I think we started learning the root words right around the time we watched Akeelah and the Bee (a great movie about a girl that wins the National Spelling Bee) and we watched the actual spelling bee on tv as well. The neat thing to watch is when the students ask for the language of origin. It is a neat tie-in to learning root words. And when you know what a root word means, you can figure out an unfamiliar word, or at least it helps.
I had heard people mention English From the Roots Up, so I decided to get the cards and just have the girls learn them. My girls are young, 6 and 8, but are learning a lot from using these roots. I only bought the cards for Vol. 1, not the book. I bought them used from someone online. They are color-coded with a green or red border on the front of each card, the color being different for Greek and Latin. It has the root word on the front of the card with the word "Latin" or "Greek" in the bottom corner. On the back of the card, at the top, is the matching English word. Then a list of words that contain that root word, and the definitions beside them. So far, I have only had them copy the roots and the definition on their own index cards and keep them in their own file box. I'm thinking that the act of copying them and saying them out loud to themselves will help them remember. At some point, I am going to play a memory matching game with their cards.
I really like that I was able to get a set of these cards used for a reasonable price, $10 for the deck. I see that the retail price is $18 for the deck. And some people also buy the book, which retails for $44.95. I have not looked at the book, but I don't think it is necessary to have the book, the deck of cards is sufficient.
I also like that these cards are plain. They are somewhat old-fashioned. It's not a video game or electronic book, no bells or whistles. Just index cards. They are sturdy and well-made.
I can't think of anything that I dislike about English From the Roots Up. It is doing what we wanted, giving our girls exposure to root words of common English words. I think I will plan to buy Vol 2 when we are done with Vol 1. My girls did about 50 of the words this past school year. They will probably finish them up this coming year, and then if they are still interested, I will buy the next deck to use the following year after that.
One thing I did was to buy the game Rummy Roots to go along with our use of English From the Roots Up. We have played it a few times and really had fun with it. Even my 6 yr old, emerging reader, was having fun playing it.
One tip that I can suggest is that when you see a root word on a billboard or in your readings that you have learned with the cards, make a point to talk about it. It makes the learning real to kids to see it actually used. The other day, as we were in line for a ride at an amusement park, we had a long discussion about phobias, one of the words the girls have learned. My girls are also learning some Spanish. Learning root words is fun, because so many Latin words are similar to Spanish.
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