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READING GUIDE

English: Learning with Root Words

by Sarah Retter · Learn Latin and Greek roots to build your vocabulary

About the book

This guide accompanies 'Learning with Root Words' by Sarah Retter, a practical introduction to Latin and Greek roots that helps children build vocabulary. The book uses the city of Rome as a setting anchor, connecting the language of ancient Rome to the English words we use today. It is designed for parents and teachers to share with children aged 8–12.

Why kids love it

Learning roots gives children a powerful strategy for understanding unfamiliar words across subjects. By seeing how common roots combine, readers gain confidence in decoding new vocabulary and become more curious about word origins. This book makes that process accessible and engaging.

Step into the world of English: Learning with Root Words

The Forum Romanum

Ruins of marble and column spread out under the Roman sky, where Latin — the root of half of English — was once spoken in the streets. Scholars in robes scratch words onto wax tablets, and every fallen stone seems to be trying to spell something.

The Library of the Roots

Shelves of scrolls line a cool, quiet hall. A scribe works at a desk by the window, copying words that have travelled two thousand years to reach the page in front of you.

The Roman Street

Cobblestones worn smooth by centuries run between the old walls. Street vendors call out in a language that sounds almost familiar — because half of it lives on in English.

Sample questions

Here is the kind of thinking English: Learning with Root Words asks for — drawn from the actual quiz:

  1. The Latin root 'aqua' means water.

    Words such as aquarium and aquatic relate to water.

  2. The Greek root 'bio' means life.

    Biology is the study of life.

  3. What does the Greek root 'chron' mean?

    Chronology is the arrangement of events in time.

Words to know

root
The basic part of a word that carries its main meaning and can often be found in many other words.
prefix
A letter or group of letters added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning.
suffix
A letter or group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning or make a new word.
Latin
The language spoken in ancient Rome, which is the source of many English words.
Greek
The language of ancient Greece, which also gave English many words, especially in science and medicine.
vocabulary
All the words that a person knows and uses.
derive
To come from or be based on something else, like how many English words derive from Latin.

Talk about it

  1. Can you think of a word you know that comes from a Latin or Greek root? What does the root mean?

  2. Why do you think learning roots can help you figure out the meaning of a new word?

  3. How might knowing about roots help you in other subjects like science or history?

  4. If you could create a new word using a root, what would it be and what would it mean?

  5. What is one root you learned from this book that you will remember? Why?

Play the full quiz

Answer fast, earn coins, and follow your student journey through English: Learning with Root Words.

Play English: Learning with Root Words