It’s the first Monday of the month, so it’s time for a Vocabulary Building link party! Click here for an intro, or just read on and join in!

Our word parts of the week are “geo” and “terr” (earth)

To build background knowledge about the word meaning…

• Read up about geology: Read The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth, by Joanna Cole for an in depth look underground. Older kids can consult National Geographic online.
• Try some “earthy” experiments with Geology Rocks!: 50 Hands-On Activities to Explore the Earth, by Cindy Blobaum.
• Watch this funny and informative video from Bill Nye the Science Guy.
• Build a model of the earth like this one from Crafty Classroom.
• Brainstorm some words that contain the geo or terr word parts. Talk about their meaning. The goal is to focus on age-appropriate words. Pick words that will help kids stretch their ability to use interesting language in writing and speaking, and to understand what they read.
• Think about who might frequently use words with these word parts in everyday life. (geologists, surveyors, geocachers…)

Now it’s time to build! We brainstormed geo and terr words, (geography, geode, territory). We took our LEGO geologist outside to examine the terrain.

Ok, it’s your turn! Please join the fun!

1. Take a picture of your kids’/students’ representation of a geo or terr word, OR just link to ANY great idea you’ve blogged about related to building vocabulary!
2. Share it somewhere. (Blog, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest…) If you want to connect and help me spread the word, please provide a link back here in your post. You can use the image below. (Or just a text link is fine too.) If you’re posting in places where hashtags are cool, you can use these: #vocabularybuilding and #homeliteracyblueprint
   I’ll pick a few to share on my Pinterest boards, so make sure to add a clear image and a direct link.
3. Link up below.
4. Check out the other links and show them some love.

And…if you like to plan ahead and want to play along next time, here is the root word coming up on May 5: “memor” – remember.

Feel free to add your links anytime during the month!

This post contains affiliate links.