Word+Spines

Word Spines
Section 4.4, (Instructional Strategy 21)

Rationale: Word Spines reveal the connection between vocabulary that students will encounter in typical high school texts. By requiring students to assemble related words in a graphic organizer, the strategy aids learners in forming mental connections between related words.

Instructions: 1. Explain how the term "spine" in the activity's title relates to the nervous function of the body part of the same name. 2. Display a Word Spine for the students to see. Write a sample word root in the middle of the figure (with definition). Ask students for words that share this root and write these words on the "nerves" of the diagram. 3. Walk students through a second example. Provide students with reproducibles from the Reading and Learning Strategies website so they can follow along. 4. Ask students to fill out other Word Spines with roots and related words, either those assigned in class or those encountered by the student in their reading. 5. Remind students to keep these word spines and study them regularly.

Application to Language Arts: In a unit on Greek mythology, student will encounter the term "hydra." Explain that the origin of this monster's name is the Greek root "hydr," meaning "water." Draw the Word Spine, and show the root's relation to words such as "hydrant" and "dehydrated."