This is our catalog of courses. We will occasionally adjust the course listing to reflect the addition of new courses and the retirement of others.
Join this powerful 12-week course that guides you through ultimate vocabulary and word mastery to gain smooth, upper-level reading, writing, and speaking! By taking a few moments each day and then participating in the weekly class, you’ll learn Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, homonyms, homophones, easily confused words (special word distinctions), sentence writing for comprehension, and more! It’s the fastest, easiest way to raise your word mastery, writing, and communication skills!
Total classes: 12
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 6th to 8th grade
Suggested credit: One (1) full semester’s credit of Critical Thinking & Vocabulary or English. For a full year’s credit, sign up for the Word Mastery Skill Building 2 for Middle School Students (MS WM-2)
Special notes: This course is part of a middle and high school Word Mastery series for critical thinking and vocabulary. For a full year’s credit, take this course with the second-semester companion course, Word Mastery Skill Building 2 for Middle School Students (MS WM-2). Also, this is a “flipped course,” meaning students will complete the work before class. Note that the class length maximum time is 40 minutes. The Word Mastery series will eventually include 10 one-semester courses, which could be taken individually or consecutively.
Description
An excellent vocabulary is critical to all communication – for school and life! What’s the fastest way to build your vocabulary and mastery of words? This course! It’s your ultimate vocabulary and word mastery experience to smooth, upper-level reading, writing, and speaking! Here, you’ll learn Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, homonyms, homophones, easily confused words (special word distinctions), sentence writing for comprehension, and more.
Through easy but significant “bite-sized” specialty learning and fast, powerful writing, you’ll complete a short “lesson” each day during the five days before class. Then you’ll come to class ready to share, to solidify your learning. This “flipped classroom” approach (where the work is completed before meeting in the LIVE course) is a proven way to understand, become proficient in, and conquer the skillful use of words.
The semester’s 12 weeks of mastery easily spread out learning the most important ideas you need to grasp in a way you’ll remember – in order to use it all for smooth, upper-level writing and speaking. For the specific word roots, prefixes, homonyms, homophones, and vocabulary covered in this course, read the Course Outline below!
The instructor will add Catholic quotes and vocabulary words to the assigned workbook to bring a faith element to the course.
Outline
This course covers 382 words! Please download the complete list of words in this course. See the PDF after the course fees at the bottom.
Class 1: Covers five “bi” prefix words; 10 homonyms and homophones; five root words using “anim” and “arbor”; five vocabulary words; the special word distinction, “a lot–a lot–allot”; and quotes by Aesop.
Class 2: Covers five “con” prefix words; 12 homonyms and homophones; five root words using “astro/aster” and “avi/avia”; five vocabulary words; the special word distinction, “allowed–aloud”; and quotes by Eleanor Roosevelt.
Class 3: Covers five “dis” prefix words; 12 homonyms and homophones; five root words using “bi” and “flor/flora/flour”; five vocabulary words; the special word distinction, “ancient/antique”; and quotes by Shel Silverstein.
Class 4: Covers five “extra/extro” prefix words; 11 homonyms and homophones; five root words using “fract/frag” and “mar/mari”; five vocabulary words; the special word distinction, “apart–apart”; and quotes by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Class 5: Covers five “mid” prefix words; 11 homonyms and homophones; five root words using “max” and “mega”; five vocabulary words; the special word distinction, “bazaar – bizarre”; and quotes by Dr. Seuss.
Class 6: Covers five “non” prefix words; 10 homonyms and homophones; five root words using “memor/memori” and “multi”; five vocabulary words; the special word distinction, “desert – dessert”; and quotes by Malala Yousafzai.
Class 7: Covers five “pre” prefix words; 11 homonyms and homophones; five root words using “oct/octa/octo” and “odor”; five vocabulary words; the special word distinction, “red – read”; and quotes by Henry Ford.
Class 8: Covers five “re” prefix words; 10 homonyms and homophones; five root words using “over” and “out”; five vocabulary words; the special word distinction, “formally – formerly”; and quotes by Mahatma Gandhi.
Class 9: Covers five “sub” prefix words; 10 homonyms and homophones; five root words using “ped/pedi/pede” and “quad/quadr/quadri”; five vocabulary words; the special word distinction, “latter – later”; and quotes by Albert Einstein.
Class 10: Covers five “super” prefix words; 10 homonyms and homophones; five root words using “quart” and “struct”; five vocabulary words; the special word distinction, “regret – sorrow”; and quotes by Helen Keller.
Class 11: Covers five “tri” prefix words; 11 homonyms and homophones; five root words using “terra/terri” and “ultra”; five vocabulary words; the special word distinction, “sensible – sensitive”; and proverbial phrases.
Class 12: Covers five “un” prefix words; 11 homonyms and homophones; five root words using “vid” and “vis”; five vocabulary words; the special word distinction, “their – there – they’re”; and proverbial phrases.
Materials and Homework
Materials: Word Mastery Skill Building, Book 1, by Erin Brown Conroy, is REQUIRED. Be sure to purchase the workbook to have in hand one full week before the course starts so that you can be ready with completed work during the first LIVE class. Buy the hard copy workbook here: https://amzn.to/49d1oqB
Homework: Students will complete pages in Word Mastery Skill Building, Book 1, where the homework is divided over five (5) days. Students define vocabulary words and learn homonyms and homophones, prefixes, root words, and special word distinctions. Students will also write (compose) unique sentences using words learned and have a chance to share their sentences in class. There will be a quiz each week covering the content learned.
Depending on the student’s ability, an estimated one-half hour (30 minutes) per day over five days (M-F), for 2 ½ hours of homework per week outside of class time.
Important Dates
Class dates: Tuesdays, September 10 to December 10, 2024. (No class Oct. 15 & Nov. 26)
Starting time: 10:00 AM Eastern (9:00 Central; 8:00 Mountain; 7:00 Pacific)
Duration: 30-40 minutes
