Branches
and Roots:
Career
Etymology

Transition Planning 9-12 - Ms. Beatty

What will I learn? Why will I learn it?

• I will learn how to explore the meanings of career-related terms by applying structural analysis, researching and defining the root words in the term.

• I will learn this so I can make connections between the morphology of career terms to real-world job expectations.

How will I learn it?

• Direct instruction: Take notes on common root word suffixes in career-related terms.

• Partner work:

• Structural Analysis: Given a career of choice, research its etymology and roots using etymonline.com

• Justify the connection between the career name etymology and the skills associated with that job.

How will I know I learned it?

• I write a sentence for a cover letter that shows how my strengths align with a future career.

• I justify my writing based on research findings from the name etymology of the career or field.

• I add to a class "root" tree with a "branch" for my future career aspiration and cover letter.

Etymology is the history of a word and its parts.

​In English, many words have roots that trace back to Greek and Latin languages.

Root words are like building blocks for words that convey meaning.

​

Etymology:
Root Words

Structural analysis is the process of breaking down words into their most basic building blocks.

By knowing the meaning of root words, we can define any word that contains those roots, including unknown vocabulary words.

Why
Root Words?

We can also use root words to better understand a word by learning its meaning, its history and the different contexts it is used in.

Why
Etymology?

bio is a root word that means "life"

log comes from logy, which means the "study of"

-ist is a suffix that means "one who makes or does"

​

Let's break down "biologist"

​bio + log + ist = ...

bio is a root word that means "life"

log comes from logy, which means the "study of"

-ist is a suffix that means "one who makes or does"

​

Let's break down "biologist"

​biologist = one who does the study of life!

-logy: study of

"a speaking, discourse, treatise, doctrine, theory, science"

from Medieval Latin -logia, French -logie, and directly from Greek -logia

Examples:

• Biology = Bio (life) + logy = the study of life

• Geology = Geo (earth) + logy = the study of the Earth

• Zoology = Zoo (animal) + logy = the study of animals

https://www.etymonline.com/word/-logy

-ion: act of (-tion, -sion)

"word-forming element attached to verbs, making nouns of state, condition, or action"

from French -ion or from Latin -ionem

Examples:

• Action = ac (to do) + tion = the act of doing

• Education = educate (raise, teach) + tion = the act of teaching

• Construction = con (together) + struct (build) + tion = the act of building together

https://www.etymonline.com/word/-ion

-ist: one who does or makes

"one who does or makes"

from French -iste and directly from Latin -ista

Examples:

• Activist = active (a doing) + ist = one who makes action happen

• Dentist = dent (tooth) + ist = one who does teeth

• Machinist = machine (apparatus, appliance) + ist = one who makes appliances

https://www.etymonline.com/word/-ist

-er / -or: one who has to do with

"man who has to do with"

From Old English -ere

Examples:

• Teacher = teach (demonstrate) + er = one who demonstrates

• Lawyer = law (rule) + er = one who has to do with law

• Prisoner = pris (captive, taken) + er = one who is taken captive

https://www.etymonline.com/word/-er

Today, we will research the etymology of the field we are interested in.

This will help us write cover letters that align with the goals and expectations for the job we want.


We will use a website called etymonline.com

My strengths include studying the processes and structures of life and living things.

​

I am interested in the position of biologist.

Use guided notes or take your own notes as you explore the etymology of you and your partner's chosen careers.

Once finished, use the sentence frame to write part of a cover letter for your career.

Write strengths that can be justified by the etymology you researched.

In 15 minutes, we will share out our partner's findings about the etymology and knowledge/skills of their chosen career or field.

Share out your partner's findings about the etymology and knowledge/skills of their chosen career or field.

​On your leaf, write the root words and meanings that you found for your career aspiration. Decorate as you wish, then use tape to add it to our class word root tree. :)