Language Arts: Vocabulary
Roots and Fruits
Author: Jill Dixon, B.S.Ed., M.Ed.
Publisher: Diagnostic Prescriptive Services
For more information or to order: www.diagnosticprescriptive.com

If you're looking for an affordable program to teach vocabulary and the foundational roots and prefixes, the building blocks of English, Roots and Fruits may be for you!  This one, non-consumable resource can be used with all of your children, no matter what grade level.  Yes, even children as young as Kindergarten can, with parental help, begin to learn basic roots and their meanings. Since time is always a factor for homeschool families, lessons are designed to take about 15 minutes per day - making it easy to add vocabulary study to your routine.

As the subtitle states, Roots and Fruits is a comprehensive vocabulary curriculum.  Included are 673 Latin and Greek roots and prefixes with their meanings AND 1716 vocabulary words.  When most parents, including myself, think of learning vocabulary, it is usually in the context of preparing high school students for the SAT and/or ACT.  In her introduction the author reminds us that there are other advantages; most notable is her assertion that as students begin to learn definitions, they become better equipped to understand and excel in all areas of study.  That being said, Mrs. Dixon does note those vocabulary words that are commonly included on the SAT and ACT exams.  This allows an older student to concentrate on specific definitions when preparing to take these important tests.

Roots and Fruits does more than just teach vocabulary words.  By learning the Latin and Greek roots and prefixes along with their meanings, your children will be able to figure out the meaning of words they have never encountered before.  I personally appreciate that, rather than focusing on learning the Latin or Greek pronunciation, Mrs. Dixon has chosen to use the English pronunciation of the roots and prefixes.  Roots and Fruits includes an easy-to-follow, weekly lesson outline and many games and activities to help students learn AND retain word meanings.  Roots and prefixes are listed alphabetically - you are free to choose the order of study.  For each root or prefix, there are several vocabulary words for the student to look up in the dictionary.  The author recommends An American Dictionary of the English Language by Noah Webster or The Oxford Universal Dictionary.  These are not your typical "student" dictionaries, but they contain the important information students need to not only write vocabulary definitions, but note what language each word is derived from.  Of course, mom will need to be very involved in helping younger students to use the dictionary - you may even decide to do some of the work orally.  There are some hidden benefits to using the dictionary as prescribed in Roots and Fruits such as, strengthened research and spelling skills along with a firm understanding of how to use a dictionary efficiently. 

The lesson guide suggests that all of the research and writing of definitions be done on Monday; subsequent days utilize games and other activities.  There are a variety of hands-on suggestions for studying word meanings, helping this program appeal to different learning styles.  Older students may find some of the activities a bit childish, but they can choose other more traditional ways of studying that fit their own learning style.  Roots and Fruits is flexible, allowing you to choose how many roots/prefixes and vocabulary words to assign each week.  In addition, there are enough activity suggestions to allow for variety so you don't have to choose the same ones over and over.

Roots and Fruits is somewhat teacher intensive.  You will need to make charts and be involved in directing the games and/or activities.  Younger children will need assistance in making their vocabulary cards, which consist of 3 x 5 index cards with the root and corresponding vocabulary word on the front and the definitions/derivative on the back.  If you prefer to just hand your child a worksheet and have them fill in the blanks, this is not the program for you.  However, with its thorough listing of roots, prefixes and vocabulary words, Roots and Fruits is an excellent resource to have on hand, no matter what vocabulary program you use.

Roots and Fruits, is a thorough and affordable program.  It provides guidance and an exhaustive list of roots, prefixes and vocabulary words, while giving each child the freedom to learn at their own pace.

Making the grade: A
Cost: $29.00
Value for your homeschool dollar: 9
Reviewed by Cindy Prechtel, Editor