The Vocabulary Vine: A Spiral Study of Latin & Greek Roots 3rd. Edition Nancy Paula Hasseler about 50 pages softcover, approx. 8.5" x 11" published by Elijah Co. (Double Portion) saddle stitched (2 staples), as many thin workbooks are non-consumable

cover of 1st ed.

Book Description:  Having been curious about The Vocabulary Vine, I decided to give it a whirl with my young teen.  After getting nearly half way through it, I think we've used it long enough to share an educated opinion.

Here's the Table of Contents: 

• Introduction (What is a root?  Why study roots?  What will I learn?  etc.)
• Program at a Glance (1 page)
• Instructions (4.5 pages describing how to make the cards)
• Learning Games (3 pages, 12 games)
• FAQ (explanations)
• Nonessential Information (essential information that should probably go in the FAQ or in the back of book)
• Main List (list of 108 roots with all the info necessary make the cards, almost 20 pages)
• Roots Glossary (alphabetical listing of roots and meanings, Main List Roots, Incidental Roots)
• Appendices (list of prefixes, English to Roots, handy 1-page glossary)

To quote the book, "If you study a new root three days each week, you will complete the program in 36 weeks.  If you cover five roots per week, you will finish in less than 22 weeks."  It's not exactly as simple sounding as that because you may "study" a "new root" on a certain day, but you will also be learning a little bit about other roots that interact with that "new root" even though the focus remains on that "new root."  There's more to it than just studying one "new root" on any one day.

Instructions for the games are also included.  These games are meant to facilitate review or to provide a little variety as the student progresses through the program.  I'm not sure that "games" is exactly the proper terminology.  The games are really just little ways to increase the probability that the roots and their meanings will be memorized; they're more like "learning activities."  They could be played right after learning a new root or saved for one of the off days in a 36-week schedule.

Our Experience:  We ended up adjusting the program a tiny bit; its integrity was maintained, though, I think.  About three times a week, we choose a "new root" (we are progressing through them in the order the book suggests) and then a card is made.  Depending on how many minutes this takes, another "new root" card might also be completed.  We then review about half of the stack of roots cards.  Our lessons have been limited to 30 minutes--no longer.

Our daily lessons went from 15 minutes, when we first started the book, to over 30 minutes within just a couple of weeks.  The length of time increased because our stack of root cards to review is continually increasing in height.  We usually do our review by going through the stack of cards both ways.  What I mean by that is that I take the stack of 4" x 6" cards and say the root.  My daughter responds by telling me the meaning of that root.  We go through the whole set that way.  Then we switch, and she quizzes me by giving me the meaning of the root.  I have to respond with the root.  She quizzes me because it's another way for her to work on memorizing the roots and their meanings.

Constant and consistent review has been necessary for her--and I would think that it would necessary for any learner.  We tested this theory by not doing any review for a couple of weeks.  For those few weeks, she just completed one or two new cards daily and didn't do any review.  This group of roots is still not memorized as well as the others that were reviewed frequently from the moment they were added to the stack.  For long term memory, with students like my daughter, review must be done most days.  The roots that she had consistently reviewed stuck with her through the summer (when we took a break from root study).  There are probably a few students that wouldn't need the frequent review, but it's likely that many will.  Review can be accomplished by playing one of the games instead of reviewing the cards, which can be perceived as dull.

On the topic of review, the work of Ebbinghaus is interesting.  His Curve of Forgetting (alternate link) does seem to be a plausible view of how people best lay up information in their memories.  (The links open up into new windows if you'd like to go and read the information now.  This review will remain in your browser.)

We didn't play any of the games.  We work much better with the same schedule and same activities each day; we get a lot more done.  So while it might be fun to try some of the games as the book suggests, it's just so much easier for us to just stick to the cards.  We personalized the program, as the author suggests, adjusting it a tad to meet our homeschooling style.

Special Features:  Any roots study is worthwhile.  And there are many other good programs that can teach your student this information (see box at bottom).  However, a few things set this program apart.  The author's goal of providing consistent, spiral review of the roots is a big plus with The Vocabulary Vine.  The program is set up so that you encounter many of the roots 3 times in the space of 2-10 days--at least that's what it looks like to me.  Quite a few of the roots are "spiraled in" more than that.  Spiral review, that's built right in, is an excellent feature!

Another feature that sets The Vocabulary Vine apart is that its objective does not include learning new vocabulary words.  This seems a little strange, I know.  How can a curriculum product called The Vocabulary Vine not include new vocabulary words?  Well, it's because the focus is on learning the meanings of the roots.  The expansion of the student's vocabulary will occur automatically as the roots are learned.  This may be a little disconcerting at first, but it actually frees the student from being distracted by learning large new words and allows the student to expend their energy and effort on memorizing the roots.  Once the roots are learned (memorized), knowing them will help the student to transfer what they know about root meanings to their more complex vocabulary studies.  It's a very ingenious way to introduce a student to root study.

Preparation:  The instructions call for 3x5 cards, a card file box, a pack of alphabetizing tabs, and a college dictionary (recommended only).  All good advice.  Since there are 108 roots, plus an additional 80 or so "incidental roots," you will likely need to get two or three packages of 100.  We already had 4x6 cards and a file box, so that's the size of cards we used.  We were impatient to get started, so we ended up making our own alphabetizing tabs by turning our cards vertical and cutting them 4" tall with a little tab jutting up higher with the letter on it.  It worked just fine.  Check any dictionary you buy to make sure the etymology information is good.  So, if you're wanting to start the program as soon as the book arrives, you now know what you'll need to start.  :-)  And yes, you really do need the alphabetizing cards.

Observations and misc. info.:  Some of the directions can be confusing at times.  I think it has to do with the new terminology (Main List, Root Glossary, Study Root, etc.)  However, with a little thought, you'll be able to figure out what the author is trying to convey.  The first few times that we had "roots class," I had to go step by step through the instructions.  So, it's not extremely easy to implement, but after that, we got the system down and could do it fairly easily.  I usually sit alongside my young teen daughter as she works through The Vocabulary Vine.  She likes the company, and it gives me a chance to evaluate her progress and the program's effectiveness.  Having a study partner (the parent) is definitely a good thing, however, some students will prefer to work on their own.

As for age range, I think that the student would need to be at least 10 to work on their own and that most children of 12 years could do it on their own.  Of course, motivation will also be a factor.  The author states on her site that 2nd and 3rd graders can use it with a little help, but I think that root study can wait until a little later.  I think that often curriculum providers try to stretch the curriculum to fit every grade that they possibly can; this may lead to more sales.  However, I think it's a disservice to both the consumer and producer.  I would suggest that this product is good for about grades 5-8 and that's about it.  For younger students, it's too much effort for too little return, and older students will usually be working on more difficult and complex root study programs, with an eye toward a more extensive vocabulary.

Yes, memorization is required.  I know there are some circles of educational thought that believe that memorizing will harm students' psyches.  If you believe this, then please don't use any roots curricula.  Memorization is necessary because the meanings of the roots should be instantaneously available to the student at all times.  When a student comes across a new word in his reading, having the roots right on hand in his brain makes being able to decipher the meaning of the new word a quick and efficient matter--allowing the student to smoothly continue on reading with comprehension.  Sure, a dictionary may be handy, but it's much better if the roots are stashed away in the brain ready for lightning-fast implementation.  Actually memorizing Latin and Greek roots makes this possible.

Some will balk at having to write all the info onto the cards, but this is critical.  Doing the work of filling out the cards is how the learning occurs.  Ready-made cards would totally defeat the purpose.  I know it might seem like it would be easier to just have the cards ready made, but the actual work with the roots, writing their meanings, breaking words into parts, etc., is undoubtedly the best way to get the meanings of the roots into the student's memory.

I bought Words on the Vine and use it for minimal reinforcement of the roots as my daughter progresses through The Vocabulary Vine.  I guess we sort of use the worksheets found in Words on the Vine as a substitute for the games/learning activities that are offered in The Vocabulary Vine.  The two books don't cover exactly the same roots, but there is plenty of overlap, making Words on the Vine a helpful complement to The Vocabulary Vine.  (Words on the Vine confers copying rights to single classrooms.)  Just so you know, though, if I had to choose between these two books, I would choose The Vocabulary Vine since its system is much more effective.

The Vocabulary Vine's price (around $10) is not out of line even though the book seems unsubstantial.  It's just a few instructions and some lists.  It's easy to be unimpressed at first glance.  Even after starting, you may think that the exercises that the student performs with the cards are too simplistic.  Don't feel cheated; your student will learn quite a bit about the etymology of many English words if time is spent consistently working on the program as laid out in the book. Hasseler's system, when implemented properly, is definitely a good product.

Conclusion:  I do recommend this book.  A couple of things to keep in mind, though, are that it's probably best for students right around ages 10 - 13.  A parent or older sibling will need to be available to make sure the program gets off to a good start for the first couple of weeks and then be available for the game playing/review.  The time required will be at least 3 or 4 days a week for 20-30 minutes a session (card work and review) if you plan to finish it in a school year.  A lot, though, depends on your homeschooling style, the student's learning style, etc.

Hasseler has provided the homeschooling community with a valuable resource for Latin and Greek roots.  I think, though, that many people won't realize this since it hasn't been aggressively marketed.  With The Vocabulary Vine, a student learns the roots, can identify them in studies of other school subjects and everyday life, and the student's vocabulary is expanded exponentially.  It's not extremely simple to implement, but once you get the system figured out, it goes smoothly.  Best of all, it produces good results.
 

Buy The Vocabulary Vine online!

cover of 1st ed.

TIP for users:  It will save time if an X is put in front of each root as each card is started.  Then when the card has been fully filled out, a check can be put in front of the root.  The check will act as a bookmark, showing where the student where to start up the next day.  The X will let the student know if they've already got a card started in the box or not.  This will save the student time because he won't have to dig through the cardfile.