Derivative Tree Poster Contest

Kandice Kimmel

What is the importance of learning Latin roots?

Since about two thirds of English words are derived from Latin, studying Latin provides invaluable insights into English vocabulary, the structure and meaning of English words, especially the longer and more complicated ones.

Many times, words are not so simply figured out. By studying Latin roots that dominate the English language, it is likely a student could identify at least one part of a word to make an educated guess at its meaning.

Not only will this help our Latin students in school across the board (science and legal fields are known for their use of Latin terminology), but knowing Latin roots will also help our students on major standardized tests like the PSAT, ACT, SAT, and even the LSAT and GRE.

This past week all middle school Latin students were assigned a Latin root, and researched multiple derivatives and their definitions and created a derivative tree! The posters will be displayed in the commons and judged this week. Fifth graders took this challenge on with tenacity and I am extremely proud of their results! Winners will be announced on Friday.