In my school the Language Arts department teaches Latin and Greek stems to their students. The students are given about 10 new words a week and tested weekly on their cumulative stems.

As their beginning level 1 Spanish teacher, I have been trying to have the students make connections with their stems and their Spanish vocabulary. It is extremely awesome to hear a student say “Oh, I know that word. That comes from the stem ______.” If students can make these connections, it will help them in both their classes.

I have created a chart of stems that they have learned, their meaning, and a related Spanish word. As we get to new Spanish vocabulary, I add new stems to the list.