Vocabulary Study Sheet

Name Date

Word/Part of Speech ______________________________________

Original Context __________________________________________

Definition _________________________________________________

Dictionary Example __________________________________________

Synonyms/Anonyms __________________________________________

My Own Sentence ___________________________________________

This is a model. For each word you are studying you can follow the format.

The “Original Context” would be the sentence where you originally found the word. If it a word from the vocabulary list, you will not have this sentence.

Anglo- Saxon Prefixes

Prefix Meaning Sample Words

a	on, in, in a state of	aboard, adrift, aloof, amiss
with	against, back	withdraw, withhold, withstand
be	all around, thoroughly	besiege, begrudge, belabor
fore	beforehand, front	forecast, foresight, foreshadow
mis	bad, badly, wrongly	misdeed, misfire, misgiving, mislead
out	beyond, out, more, than	outgrow, outlandish, outspoken, outwit
over	too, beyond, over	overbearing, overdose, overestimate
un	not, lack of, opposite of	unabridged, unbiased, unscramble
under	beneath, lower	underdeveloped, underprivileged
up	up, upward	upcoming, update, upheaval, upright
with	against, back, away	withdraw, withhold, withstand

Latin Prefixes

Prefix Meaning Sample Words

a, ab	away, from	avoid, abduct, abnormal
bi	two	bicycle, bipartisan
con (col, com, cor)	together, with	conspire, compose

Latin Prefixes

Prefix Meaning Sample Words

contra	against	contradict, contraband
de	from, down	deduce, dismiss
dis	apart, away	disrupt, dismiss, disgust
e, ex	out	exit, expel
extra	beyond	extraordinary, extravagant
in (il, im, ir)	not	insecure, illegal, immoral, irregular
in (il, im, ir)	in, into, on	inject, illuminate, import, irrigate
inter	between	interrupt, intervene, interstate
intra	within	intravenous, intramural
ob, op	against	obstacle, opposite, oppressive
per	thorough	perennial, permeate
post	after	postwar, post-test
pre	before	preview, premonition
pro	forward	progressive, proceed
re	again, back	retrieve, revive, respond
retro	backward	retrogress, retroactive
se	apart	secede, secluded
semi	half	semicircle, semisweet
sub, sup	under	subway, submerge, support
super	above	supernatural, superficial
trans	across, through	transcontinental, transmit
ultra	beyond	ultraconservative, ultrasonic

Latin Suffixes

Noun Suffix Sample Words

-ance	abundance, appearance, endurance
-ancy	infancy, occupancy, vacancy
-ence	independence, inference
-ion	confusion, expression, vacation
-ity	creativity, acidity, brevity
-ment	commitment, requirement
-ness	kindness, thankfulness
-ure	departure, pleasure

Verb Suffix Sample Words

-ify	simplify, testify, verify
-ize	categorize, criticize, plagiarize

Adverb Suffix Sample Words

-ly	carefully, reluctantly, slowly
-ward	forward, homeward

Adjective Suffix Sample Words

-able	comfortable, lovable
-ful	doubtful, regretful
-ible	legible, reversible
-ical	comical, musical
-ious	conscious, prestigious
-ive	exhaustive, repetitive
-y	rainy, thrifty

Steps in Determining a Word’s Meaning Using Contextual Clues

1. Read to the end of the sentence

2. Identify the part of speech of the unfamiliar word, for example, a noun, verb, adjective or adverb.

3. Pronounce the word and see if it reminds you of another word you already know.

4. Look at the parts of the word. See if there are prefixes or roots that you know. See if suffixes and inflections (e.g., past tense, plurals) help you out.

5. Examine the sentence to see if there are any signal words that indicate an important example is following: e.g., such as, like, for instance, including.

6. Check to see if there is a useful example, synonym or antonym.

7. Examine the sentence to see if there are any important punctuation clues; a colon (:), for example, would indicate that a list of related examples is following.

8. Substitute another word you know that would seem to fit logically.

Main Idea Graphic Organizer

Main Idea 3:

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Main Idea 4:

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Main Idea 2:

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The PRO Reading Process

P= Prepare to Read

Ø Purpose (Why am I reading this selection?)

Ø Preview

Ø Prior Knowledge (What do I know about the subject?)

Ø Predict (What will I learn from this reading?)

R= Read Actively

Ø Assess (check) your understanding and involvement

Ø Connect new information to prior knowledge

Ø Think critically about the new information

O= Organize What You’ve Read

Ø Select the information you need

Ø Use the information you’ve selected

Ø Recite the information

Ø Examine yourself periodically

Prepare to Read

Purpose

The few minutes you spend before reading difficult material can save you a lot of time in the long run toward understanding and remembering what you read. Just like looking at a road map before you start driving somewhere new, preparing to read gives you a sense of what lies ahead and how it is arranged. Once you get a first impression of the reading, you can estimate how long you’ll need to read and thus use your time more efficiently to complete your assignments.

Procedure

1. Purpose: Why are you reading this material at this time? Are you supposed to be looking for general concepts and/or specific information? Is there a particular reading strategy you’re supposed to practice? Knowing your purpose can also help motivate you to read-your ability to understand is related to your desire to understand.

2. Preview: Depending on the type of reading, you may look at some or all of the following elements:

Ø Title

Ø Headings and Subheadings

Ø Charts, drawings, and/or photographs (and their captions)

Ø Italics, bold print, numbers, and/or symbols

Ø Author background

Ø Publication source of the article.

Ø Introduction (or the first paragraph, if not clearly marked)

Ø The first sentence under each heading or subheading

Ø Conclusion or summary

Ø Comprehension or discussion questions

3. Prior Knowledge: What do you already know about this topic?

4. Predict: Make educated guesses about what the author wants to communicate, based on the information you previewed. Then ask questions you hope to have answer as you read.

Read Actively

Purpose

Staying active during the reading process is essential for comprehension. How many times have you felt yourself “drifting off” while trying to read challenging material? You can help yourself stay focused by staying involved. If you think of reading as an act of communication with a writer, you can’t remain passive because your participation is necessary for making meaning out of written information.

Procedure

1. Assess your understanding and involvement: When you first begin reading, try to determine the author’s ideas not each individual word: What are the main points? Do the details make sense? Are your prereading questions getting answered? You can circle new vocabulary words and try to predict their meanings, but do not let them interrupt the flow of your reading.

2. Connect new information to prior knowledge: How does this new information fit in with what you already know about the topic? How does it relate to previous readings, and class discussions?

3. Think critically about the new information: What parts do you agree with? What parts do you disagree with? Why?

Organizing What You’ve Read

Purpose

Simply reading an article, essay or textbook chapter one time through is not sufficient to learning the material. Organizing information after you read it will help you both understand it and remember it, whether for class discussion, for a test, or for a job requirement. With practice, you will learn to organize what you read in ways that best suit your own learning style and the materials you are reading.

Procedure

1. Select the information you need

Ø Topic, main idea, supporting details

Ø Patterns of organization

Ø Inferences

Ø Fact vs. Opinion

2. Use the information you selected

Ø Mark the text

Ø Answer the questions

Ø Record new vocabulary

Ø Map, outline or make a chart graph, timeline, or other illustration

Ø Summarize

Ø Respond

Ø Discuss

3. Recite the information

Ø Say the information aloud to yourself

Ø Say the information aloud to a study partner

Ø Participate in class discussion

4. Review: Regular self-testing is necessary to remember what you have learned. Reviewing will help you prepare for class, write a paper, and pass a test. Here are some suggestions:

Ø Read over your markings, class notes, and homework

Ø Recite, recite, recite!

Ø Make flash cards

Ø Form a study group

Article Pre Reading Guide

1. Source of the article:

2. Author’s name and biographical information, if included:

3. Title of the article:

Based on the title, make two predictions about what the article will cover.

4. What does the introduction tell you about what the article will mainly cover?

5. Copy the sentence from the introductory paragraphs that best conveys the thesis statement of this article, what the author mainly intends to focus upon.

6. Read the subheading and topic sentences of the paragraphs after the introduction. Describe how the article is organized. For example, do the subheadings and topic sentences suggest that you will read a cause/effect, a comparison? What does the author discuss in the beginning, middle, end?

7. Look over any visuals (if included) in the article. Describe one visual (e.g., photograph, chart) and discuss its relevance to the topic.

8. Read the two final paragraphs. Describe how the author concludes this article, then explain anything new or important you learn about the topic.

9. Identify two unfamiliar words that you noticed during your pre reading, and determine from the context what you think each new word means.

Word________________ Part of Speech ___________________

Predicted meaning ________________________________________

Word _________________ Part of Speech___________________

Predicted meaning ________________________________________

10. Write three guide questions that will focus your analytical reading of this article. That is, develop questions that will help you identify the important message, perspectives, evidence, and results presented by the author.

Question #1 _______________________________________________________

Question #2

Question #3

11. Rate the level of difficulty on this article based on your pre reading

Very difficult ___ Somewhat difficult ___ Not very difficult ___

12. Write a two-sentence summary of what this article is mainly discussing.