Connect with Vocabulary

Do you know what any of these word parts mean?

  • Try to form complete words with any of the parts.

Trans

Consider

Able

Un

Beat

Re

Action

Port

Ation

Grand

De

The Parts of a Word

Completed Word

transportable (can be transported or moved)

Prefix

trans

Root Word

port

Suffix

able

Completed Word

unbeatable (cannot beat or defeat)

Prefix

un

Root Word

beat

suffix

able

Complete Word

reconsideration (state of considering or thinking about again)

Prefix

re

Root Word

consider

Suffix

ation

Complete Word

degradation (state of degrading or making worse)

Prefix

de

Root Word

grad

Suffix

ation

 

Root Words

A root word is the main part of a word that contains its core meaning. A root word contains a prefix placed before the stem of a word , a suffix placed after the stem of a word , or both. Sometimes the word can stand alone like beat in the word unbeatable. However, other times the root cannot stand alone like loc in relocation.

How many words can you create with the root word form?

How many words can you create with the root word port?

How many words can you create with the root word rupt?

How many words can you create witht he root word scribe?

Prefix

A prefix is the word part with a specific meaning at the beginning of a word. Just remember, you can't spell prefix without a prefix. Prefixes are added to the beginning of root words. They change the meaning of the word. For example:

  • inform, perform, disrupt, describe, prescribe

Can you figure out what some of the prefixes mean? Drag the prefix to its meaning below. Some prefixes may share the same meaning.

  • re: again
  • un: not or opposite of
  • dis: not or opposite of
  • in: not
  • trans: across, beyond, change
  • pre: before

A suffix is a word part with a specific meaning at the end of a word. Suffixes are added to the end of a root word. They change the meaning of that word. For example:

  • portable, formula, eruption, indescribable, scribble

Can you figure out what some of the suffixes mean?

  • ly: in a certain way
  • ful: full of
  • ion: condition or action
  • ize: cause
  • sist: stand
  • ward: in a direction or manner

How to use root words

The longest word in any of the English language dictionaries is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.

If you don't know what this word means, try to find something in the word that you do know. Are there prefixes, roots, or suffixes you can identify?

pneumo- lungs

ultra- extremely, beyond

micro- small

scopic- looking, seeing

silico- like sand

volcano

con- dust

osis- condition or disease

In this lesson you will be reading a short story called "The Cat Who Thought She Was a Dog and the Dog Who Thought He Was a Cat" by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Let's look at some of the vocabulary words that are in the short story.

Complete Words

peasant (a person who is not educated and has low social status)

peddler (a person who travels and sells things)

enthralled (to fascinate or charm)

protruded (to stick out or extend)

console (to comfort or make less sad)

afflicted (to bring or cause pain or suffering)

vanity (too much pride in one's appearance)

perplexed (filled with uncertainty)

anguish (great suffering or agony)

 

Connecting

Let's get a little more familiar with these words before reading the story. Effective readers look for meaning and a connection to unfamiliar words. This is essential for success in reading comprehension. It is hard to understand what you are reading without understanding what most of the words mean. You may have trouble with more words that are on this list, but you will have the tools to help you find the meaning even if you don't have a dictionary around to help.

Use the visualization strategy

For each word below, think of an image that will help you connect the meaning to the word.

  • Peasant
  • Peddler
  • Enthralled
  • Protruded
  • Console
  • Afflicted
  • Vanity
  • Perplexed
  • Anguish

Practice spelling by listening

Go to the Spelling City to review the vocabulary words.

  1. Enter the nine words on the site
  2. Select Spelling Test.
  3. Type in the correctly spelled vocabulary word after the computer says the words and reads the word in a sentence.
  4. Select Check Me.
  5. Select Teach Me for any words that you missed.

How to use root words

Remember, a root is part of a word that has a meaning of its own. Many of the root words you know derived from Latin and Greek words. If you don't know a word, you can look to the roots for help. Some words do not contain a prefix or a suffix. However, if you are looking for a certain prefix or suffix, go to Learn that Word for additional help.

Read the short story "The Cat Who Thought She Was a Dog and the Dog Who Thought He Was a Cat" by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Then, learn how to make connections with the meaning of the text. You will use this text in the task section of the lesson.

"The Cat Who Thought She Was a Dog and the Dog Who Thought He Was a Cat" by Isaac Bashevis Singer

Connect With the Text

Describe the setting. What kind of house do Jan Skiba, his wife, three daughters, cat, and dog live in?

What are some of the trinkets, or knickknacks, the peddler has to sell? Why did peddlers usually avoid selling to Skiba house?

What is the main purpose of this story?

  • To explain an event
  • To describe personal belongings
  • To relay a moral
  • To describe peasant life

As it is used in the passage, what does the bolded word most nearly mean?

After a while, Jan Skiba's wife, Marianna, made a proposition to the peddler. She would pay him five groshen a month for the mirror. The peddler hesitated a moment. Themirror took up too much space in his sack and there was always the danger it might break. He, therefore, decided to go along, took the first payment of five groshen from Marianna, and left the mirror with the family.

  • plan
  • rejection
  • refusal
  • joke

As it is presented in the passage, why does the father question, "Why look at yourself, when you can see and admire the sky, the sun, the moon, the stars, and the earth, with all its forests, meadows, rivers, and plants?" Click to view the passage for more information.

  • The father studied astrology, so he wanted his family to observe the night sky.
  • The father believed his family was happier when they did not look at themselves in the mirror and obsess with their physical flaws.
  • The father wanted quiet time; therefore, he made the family meditate each day and night.
  • The father thought the peddler was a thief.

How does Kot, the cat, feel about Burek, the dog, being tied up outside?

  • Kot feels safer when Burek is tied up.
  • Kot is distressed that Burek has to be tied up.
  • Kot howls all day because she is so unhappy.
  • Kot is relieved that Burek is no longer able to eat her food.

Order the following events so that they are listed in the order in which they occurred chronologically.

  • The dog became wild with rage and shock at his appearance.
  • Jan bought handkerchiefs and slippers for the women.
  • A peddler sold Marianna a mirror.
  • Jan realized he had big lips and buck teeth.

The short story states that "the human members of the household were not the only ones affected. The dog and the cat also grew disturbed by the mirror." Explain how the pets were affected by the mirror. Use two details from the passage to support your answer.

Topic Sentences

A paragraph is a group of related sentences about a single topic. The first sentence in your paragraph is called a topic sentence. The topic sentence introduces the main idea of the paragraph. You are summarizing what you are writing in one sentence.

Supporting Details

Just like tables need legs to stand, paragraphs need details to support it. The next sentences in your paragraph will be the supporting details. Supporting details come right after the topic, and they make up the body of the paragraph. These sentences provide specific details to help develop the main idea of your paragraph. The details can be facts, examples, and information to support the writing. The details in the example are geared toward the topic sentence and provide additional information about what children do to form their own identity.

Textual Evidence

Since you are required to include textual evidence in your writing, let's talk about what that really means. When you provide textual evidence, that means that you are inserting a passage directly from the text that you read into your own writing to support the topic in your paragraph. Even though you are adding in information directly from the text, you don't want to begin with the quote without providing some kind of information to let the readers know what you are doing. Look at some of the sentence starters to help you begin.

Usually the titles of stories aren't as long as the short story in this lesson, but if you haven't introduced the title and author of the work you are providing as evidence, you must do so in the sentence starter. The evidence will provide an example of what your topic is addressing.

Commentary

After you provide the textual evidence, you will want to give your own commentary, or interpretation, to explain what the quote means. It will help to answer the question, "Why is this quote important?" or "How does this evidence support my topic?" You are explaining how the textual evidence you used supports the idea of your topic. Don't forget to use a sentence starter for this part as well. The commentary provides clarification of the quote and connects it with the topic.

Conclusion

Your last sentence is your conclusion. The conclusion should refocus the reader on the topic by tying the evidence and the commentary back to the topic sentence. The conclusion wraps up and closes the paragraph. The concluding sentence reinforces what the topic of the paragraph contains. It needs to show the reader that the paragraph is finished and nothing new is being addressed.

Connect With the Text

Describe the setting. What kind of house do Jan Skiba, his wife, three daughters, cat, and dog live in?

What are some of the trinkets, or knickknacks, the peddler has to sell? Why did peddlers usually avoid selling to Skiba house?

What is the main purpose of this story?

  • To explain an event
  • To describe personal belongings
  • To relay a moral
  • To describe peasant life

As it is used in the passage, what does the bolded word most nearly mean?

After a while, Jan Skiba's wife, Marianna, made a proposition to the peddler. She would pay him five groshen a month for the mirror. The peddler hesitated a moment. Themirror took up too much space in his sack and there was always the danger it might break. He, therefore, decided to go along, took the first payment of five groshen from Marianna, and left the mirror with the family.

  • plan
  • rejection
  • refusal
  • joke

As it is presented in the passage, why does the father question, "Why look at yourself, when you can see and admire the sky, the sun, the moon, the stars, and the earth, with all its forests, meadows, rivers, and plants?" Click to view the passage for more information.

  • The father studied astrology, so he wanted his family to observe the night sky.
  • The father believed his family was happier when they did not look at themselves in the mirror and obsess with their physical flaws.
  • The father wanted quiet time; therefore, he made the family meditate each day and night.
  • The father thought the peddler was a thief.

How does Kot, the cat, feel about Burek, the dog, being tied up outside?

  • Kot feels safer when Burek is tied up.
  • Kot is distressed that Burek has to be tied up.
  • Kot howls all day because she is so unhappy.
  • Kot is relieved that Burek is no longer able to eat her food.

Order the following events so that they are listed in the order in which they occurred chronologically.

  • The dog became wild with rage and shock at his appearance.
  • Jan bought handkerchiefs and slippers for the women.
  • A peddler sold Marianna a mirror.
  • Jan realized he had big lips and buck teeth.

The short story states that "the human members of the household were not the only ones affected. The dog and the cat also grew disturbed by the mirror." Explain how the pets were affected by the mirror. Use two details from the passage to support your answer.

Topic Sentences

A paragraph is a group of related sentences about a single topic. The first sentence in your paragraph is called a topic sentence. The topic sentence introduces the main idea of the paragraph. You are summarizing what you are writing in one sentence.

Supporting Details

Just like tables need legs to stand, paragraphs need details to support it. The next sentences in your paragraph will be the supporting details. Supporting details come right after the topic, and they make up the body of the paragraph. These sentences provide specific details to help develop the main idea of your paragraph. The details can be facts, examples, and information to support the writing. The details in the example are geared toward the topic sentence and provide additional information about what children do to form their own identity.

Textual Evidence

Since you are required to include textual evidence in your writing, let's talk about what that really means. When you provide textual evidence, that means that you are inserting a passage directly from the text that you read into your own writing to support the topic in your paragraph. Even though you are adding in information directly from the text, you don't want to begin with the quote without providing some kind of information to let the readers know what you are doing. Look at some of the sentence starters to help you begin.

Usually the titles of stories aren't as long as the short story in this lesson, but if you haven't introduced the title and author of the work you are providing as evidence, you must do so in the sentence starter. The evidence will provide an example of what your topic is addressing.

Commentary

After you provide the textual evidence, you will want to give your own commentary, or interpretation, to explain what the quote means. It will help to answer the question, "Why is this quote important?" or "How does this evidence support my topic?" You are explaining how the textual evidence you used supports the idea of your topic. Don't forget to use a sentence starter for this part as well. The commentary provides clarification of the quote and connects it with the topic.

Conclusion

Your last sentence is your conclusion. The conclusion should refocus the reader on the topic by tying the evidence and the commentary back to the topic sentence. The conclusion wraps up and closes the paragraph. The concluding sentence reinforces what the topic of the paragraph contains. It needs to show the reader that the paragraph is finished and nothing new is being addressed.