Love is in the air right now, so this week’s word is all about the heart…

Our root word of the week is “cardi.” (heart)

To build background knowledge about the word meaning…

• Gather some background knowledge: This online resource from kidshealth.org is a great place to start. We also like The Heart: Our Circulatory System, by Seymour Simon.
• Brainstorm some words that contain the cardi word part. Talk about their meaning. The goal is to focus on age-appropriate words. (Many of the cardi words are long medical terms, so we just focused on the few they are most likely to hear or read.) The idea is to teach words that will help kids stretch their ability to use interesting language in writing and speaking, and to understand the words they read.
• Think about who might frequently use words with this word part in everyday life. (doctors, trainers…)
• If you have time and want more heart-y fun, check out this awesome inflatable heart model from Kid’s Activities Blog!

Now it’s time to build! We brainstormed cardi words, (cardiovascular, cardiac arrest, cardiopulmonary resuscitation!). As you can see, cardiac was the word we chose to build. You could take the scientific approach and build a realistic model of the heart, or go with the heart shape like we did. -Or build any other cardi-related thing like the “cardio” room at the gym or the cardiologist’s office.

Ok, it’s your turn! Try it at home and share your ideas here!

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