This activity is a word game and helps build vocabulary while reviewing word origins. Choose an origin, such as Greek or Latin, and instruct students to choose a suffix with that origin. Greek and Latin words include suffixes such as -ness, -ward or -ence. After the word is chosen, students will conduct mock interviews with each other. The student conducting the interview must include a word with the chosen suffix in every question. The student answering questions must include a word with the chosen prefix in every answer.
Create a match activity to help students create modern words with ancient roots. Use index cards to write out prefixes and label the source of the prefix, such as Greek, Latin or other. Do the same for suffixes. Include a pile of base words, such as sail, sick or call. The students will match the cards together to make modern words which originated from older languages.
Play Sentence to challenge students who have been working on word origins. Give the students a long word, such as "definition," and challenge the students to write a sentence with each word starting with the letters of that word in order. When the sentence is finished, challenge the students to find words with Latin, Greek or other origins.
Assign students to take long words apart and find the prefix, suffix and base word. Each word part will be placed in categories in a chart form. The students will then identify the word origins of all three word parts in a separate category. This activity works well for an assessment tool after the students have completed other activities.