Grades 3–5 Reading Activities

The study of word history, etymology, can help us establish important connections among words. When we understand that a word's origin can affect its spelling or pronunciation, we gain a better understanding of why English is so varied and unpredictable. Also, knowing word parts can help us puzzle out other words.

	Crayons or markers

	Paper to make a chart

One way to spark interest in word history and root words is to ask your child to consider the history of her own name. Help her gather facts such as the original meaning of the name, a family story that inspired it, or a famous person who had the same name. You might find that going to the library and using the reference materials there are helpful. Also, the librarian might be able to show you where to find key information.

To introduce the idea of root words, have your child think about the history of nicknames. Is a nickname often a variation on a name, such as Michael/Mike or Lucille/Lu? What other words are variations of each other (such as exam/examination, child/children, or term/terminology)?

If your child is curious about words and follows up on her ideas about words and word parts, she will grow by leaps and bounds as a reader. You might extend this activity by using the dictionary for foreign words and phrases that English speakers have borrowed from other languages (such as déjà vu).

Show your child how to use the dictionary to explore the history of both familiar and new words. After reading dictionary entries about English words that have French, Spanish, or other origins, you might explore those languages further. Look in the library for books about other languages or cultures that your child has discovered in her search for the etymologies of English words.

Encourage your child to look at root words and think about the many different combinations she can build. For example, what prefixes, such as re-, dis-, or pre- does she know? What suffixes, such as -ing, -ed, or –ion, does she use? How does her knowledge of these word parts help her as a reader and a writer?

 Grades 3–5 Reading Activities