This is an activity that I have students complete in class during the second week of the semester. The focus is on the importance of Latin and Greek root words in biology, as a way of helping students feel more comfortable with some of the daunting vocabulary they will encounter throughout the semester. After a brief introduction, I provide students with a list of root words that are commonly used in biology. Then they complete a worksheet that asks them to look at a various biology terms and try and “decipher” them using the root words reference. During the introduction, I point out that Spanish speakers have an advantage in using root words, since a lot of these Latin “root words” are words in Spanish with the same meaning. For example, the fact that “foca” is the Spanish word for seal, and the scientific name of the Harbor Seal is Phoca vitulina.
Below, I have included my introductory lecture slides, the worksheet, and the root word list.