WordStudy 4 25 - Amazon S3 · They’re written by people called ghost writers: professional writers percent of all nonfiction books are actually ghost-written by anonymous writers

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Word Study & Vocabulary 4: Unit 25: Greek and Latin roots gen, mort, bio ©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

3 3

3 3

3 3

3 3

3 3

3 3

3 3

3 3

biodegradable

biofeedback

biome

biopsy

biosphere

degenerate

engender

general

generous

genre

immortal

microbiology

mortgage

mortician

mortified

progenitor

Word Cards (BLM 3)


Name ___________________________________ Date ____________________________________

Sorting Words with Greek and Latin Roots gen, mort, bio

Parent Directions: Have your child read each word and then write it under the correct category in the chart, depending on whether it contains the Greek or Latin root gen, mort, or bio.

Word Bank

degenerate immortality amphibious biology mortician

biography generation mortality genealogy biosphere

mortified gender biodegradable mortuary genetic

indigenous rigor mortis progeny

gen mort bio

Take-Home Activity (BLM 6)


Name ___________________________________ Date ____________________________________

Greek and Latin Elements gen, mort, bio

Complete the WordDirections: Have students read each definition and fill in the correct Greek or Latin root—mort, gen, or bio—to complete the word.

1. ____________erate: to bring into being; give birth

2. im____________al: living or lasting forever

3. amphi____________us: able to live on land and in water

4. ____________uary: a place where dead bodies are kept before burial

5. ____________graphy: the story of a person’s life

6. en____________der: to bring into being; to create

Choose the WordDirections: Have students read each sentence and choose the word from the word bank that makes sense in the sentence. Then have them write the correct word in the space provided.

Word Bank

indigenous genealogy generation mortified

mortality symbiotic microbiology

7. The __________________ plants are being pushed out by plants that are not native

to our area.

8. The __________________ chart shows the history of Abraham Lincoln’s family.

9. People in my grandmother’s __________________ seem to like gardening.

10. Because they help each other live, flowers and bees are said to have a

__________________ relationship.

Classroom Activity (BLM 7)


Name ___________________________________ Date ____________________________________

Ghosts . . . in Writing!

Did you know that many books aren’t actually written by the author named

on the cover? They’re written by people called ghost writers: professional writers

who sell their services to would-be authors. It is estimated, in fact, that up to 50

percent of all nonfiction books are actually ghost-written by anonymous writers.

Why do prospective authors use ghost writers? The main reason is that

while an author may be great at generating ideas, he or she may not be able

to translate those ideas smoothly into words. The author may have a general

outline of a plot, its characters, setting, and so forth, but not have much skill

putting it down on paper, a skill that comes naturally to ghost writers. Some

authors also use ghost writers due to visual or motor impairments that make the

physical task of writing difficult for them.

One genre that ghost writers commonly write in is autobiography. Celebrities

or sports stars may wish to capture a piece of immortality by telling their story in

print. But someone who excels at singing or playing basketball may not be the

greatest writer in the world, or may simply be too busy to write a book—hence,

the need for a ghost writer.

Once hired, a ghost writer usually records interviews with the subject of the

book, taking extensive notes on his or her life. The ghost writer then organizes

the information and writes it in a way that will be enjoyable for readers,

preserving the story for generations to come. While some people believe the

practice of ghost writing is deceptive, it nonetheless has its place in the literary

world. Without ghost writers, we would never hear the stories of many people

we have come to love and admire.

Reading Passage (BLM 9)

uNIT 25

Kit 4_Unit 25_BLM.indd 1 6/8/10 5:55:52 PM

Word Study & Vocabulary 4: Unit 25: Greek and Latin roots gen, mort, bio ©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLCAnchor Chart (BLM 1)

Greek and Latin Roots gen, mort, bio

Element Meaning Example Words

gen birth, family generation, gene

mort death mortal, immortality

bio life biology, amphibious

The root may be at the beginning of a word: mortal

The root may be in the middle of a word: autobiography

The root may be at the end of a word: progeny

Use the root to help figure out a word’s meaning. For example:

mortal: literally “death like”; human who must eventually die

autobiography: literally, “self life written”; the story of one’s own life, written down

progeny: literally “forward birth or family”; children or descendants


Word Study & Vocabulary 4: Unit 25: Greek and Latin roots gen, mort, bio ©2010 Benchmark Education Company, LLCCategory Cards (BLM 2)

gen mort

bio One Syllable

Two Syllables Three Syllables

Four or More Syllables

Ends in -y

Ends in -ic/-is Ends in -ous



3 3

3 3

3 3

3 3

3 3

3 3

3 3

3 3

biodegradable

biofeedback

biome

biopsy

biosphere

degenerate

engender

general

generous

genre

immortal

microbiology

mortgage

mortician

mortified

progenitor

Word Cards (BLM 3)



4 4

4 4

4 4

4 4

4 4

4 4

4 4

4 4

autobiography

biological

biotic

gender

gene

generate

generation

generator

hydrogen

immortality

macrobiotic

mortality

oxygen

regenerate

Word Cards (BLM 4)



5 5

5 5

5 5

5 5

5 5

5 5

5 5

5 5

amphibious

antibiotic

biochemistry

biogenesis

biography

biology

biopsy

genealogy

generic

genesis

genetic

indigenous

mortuary

progeny

rigor mortis

symbiotic

Word Cards (BLM 5)



Name ___________________________________ Date ____________________________________

Sorting Words with Greek and Latin Roots gen, mort, bio

Parent Directions: Have your child read each word and then write it under the correct category in the chart, depending on whether it contains the Greek or Latin root gen, mort, or bio.

Word Bank

degenerate immortality amphibious biology mortician

biography generation mortality genealogy biosphere

mortified gender biodegradable mortuary genetic

indigenous rigor mortis progeny

gen mort bio




Name ___________________________________ Date ____________________________________

Greek and Latin Elements gen, mort, bio

Complete the WordDirections: Have students read each definition and fill in the correct Greek or Latin root—mort, gen, or bio—to complete the word.

1. ____________erate: to bring into being; give birth

2. im____________al: living or lasting forever

3. amphi____________us: able to live on land and in water

4. ____________uary: a place where dead bodies are kept before burial

5. ____________graphy: the story of a person’s life

6. en____________der: to bring into being; to create

Choose the WordDirections: Have students read each sentence and choose the word from the word bank that makes sense in the sentence. Then have them write the correct word in the space provided.

Word Bank

indigenous genealogy generation mortified

mortality symbiotic microbiology

7. The __________________ plants are being pushed out by plants that are not native

to our area.

8. The __________________ chart shows the history of Abraham Lincoln’s family.

9. People in my grandmother’s __________________ seem to like gardening.

10. Because they help each other live, flowers and bees are said to have a

__________________ relationship.

Classroom Activity (BLM 7)



Name ___________________________________ Date ____________________________________

Greek and Latin Elements gen, mort, bioComplete the WordParent Directions: Have your child read each definition and fill in the correct Greek or Latin root—mort, gen, or bio—to complete the word.

1. ____________ified: felt shame; humiliated

2. anti____________tic: a drug that kills bacteria and is used to cure diseases

3. ____________ician: a person who prepares the dead for their burial

4. ____________etic: pertaining to a living thing’s origins

5. ____________tic: of life or living things

6. re____________erate: renewed; to begin again

Choose the WordParent Directions: Have your child read each sentence and choose the word from the word bank that makes sense in the sentence. Then have him or her write the correct word in the space provided.

Word Bank

general biography biologist generic

mortuary genre genesis immortal

7. The detective went to the __________________ to view the victim’s body.

8. The critic found the music __________________, and wrote in her review that it

could have been composed by anyone.

9. At the meeting, the __________________ agreement was to wait until next summer

for the camping trip.

10. The __________________ gave a lecture about the plants and animals that live in

our region.




Name ___________________________________ Date ____________________________________

Ghosts . . . in Writing!

Did you know that many books aren’t actually written by the author named

on the cover? They’re written by people called ghost writers: professional writers

who sell their services to would-be authors. It is estimated, in fact, that up to 50

percent of all nonfiction books are actually ghost-written by anonymous writers.

Why do prospective authors use ghost writers? The main reason is that

while an author may be great at generating ideas, he or she may not be able

to translate those ideas smoothly into words. The author may have a general

outline of a plot, its characters, setting, and so forth, but not have much skill

putting it down on paper, a skill that comes naturally to ghost writers. Some

authors also use ghost writers due to visual or motor impairments that make the

physical task of writing difficult for them.

One genre that ghost writers commonly write in is autobiography. Celebrities

or sports stars may wish to capture a piece of immortality by telling their story in

print. But someone who excels at singing or playing basketball may not be the

greatest writer in the world, or may simply be too busy to write a book—hence,

the need for a ghost writer.

Once hired, a ghost writer usually records interviews with the subject of the

book, taking extensive notes on his or her life. The ghost writer then organizes

the information and writes it in a way that will be enjoyable for readers,

preserving the story for generations to come. While some people believe the

practice of ghost writing is deceptive, it nonetheless has its place in the literary

world. Without ghost writers, we would never hear the stories of many people

we have come to love and admire.

Reading Passage (BLM 9)



Name ___________________________________ Date ____________________________________

Spelling Dictation

Review Words

1.

2.

3.

New Words

1.

2.

3.

Sentence

Spelling Dictation (BLM 10)



Name ___________________________________ Date ____________________________________

Spelling Peer CheckDirections: Work with a partner. Follow the directions from your teacher to use this BLM to write your spelling words.

Second Try (if needed)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Correct Spelling

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

First Try

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Spelling Peer Check (BLM 11)


Documents

WordStudy 4 25 - Amazon S3 · They’re written by people called ghost writers: professional writers percent of all nonfiction books are actually ghost-written by anonymous writers