Fifth Grade Vocabulary Sheet: The Root Words "Foil" and "Manu"

Not every fifth grader knows the connection between aluminum foil and defoliant. But the children in Annie's fifth grade class in Fishers, Indiana were given a vocabulary sheet about the root word "foil," all the places it shows up in modern day usage, and how to deduce meaning from its context. All this for that little four letter root word, foil, meaning leaf.

Here are some of the "foil" words of the week, with commentary.

Did exfoliating your face (removing dead skin cells) originally mean taking leaves off your face?

Will finding a trefoil (3 leaved plant such as a shamrock) bring you good fortune?

Was a portfolio used to carry around leaves?

Will a defoliant chemical used to remove leaves and brush be dangerous to humans?

We don't usually refer to oak leaves as unifoils, but they are.

Does bifoliate, meaning having two leaves, describe two leaves growing out of one stem? It must; I've never seen a tree with only two leaves.

To foliate as a verb means to ornament with leaves, to hammer into thin plates of foil; as an adverb it just means relating to or possessing leaves.

Of course, foliage means a group of leaves, or all the leafage in a certain season, such as fall foliage.

Fun "foil" words not found on Annie's list:
angustifoliate, having narrow leaves (like lavender)
curvifoliate, having curved leaves.

More fun for fifth graders: "Manu" meaning "hand"

Now the fifth graders in Fishers also know the connection between manuscript and manufacture, manual and manicure. But how did "emancipate" get in there? Ahah! It's from manus, hand and capere, to take.

Some "manu" words and how they may relate to hand:

Emancipate, when Mom and Dad take hands off the kid

Manacle, not the most attractive bracelet for your hand

Manager, a very hands-on boss

Mandate, this one can be very high-handed

Maneuver, a hand-y variation from a straight path; to adjust and manipulate by hand (there's another one!)

Manicure, a beauty treatment for the nails on your hands

Manipulate, to arrange for your own sneaky purposes, artfully, maybe by hand

Manual, the handbook

Manufacture, to make by hand or mechanical means

Manuscript, originally the handwritten version of the book

Exercises for Fifth Graders to Do with Root Words

Synonym/Antonym chart

Each student makes a chart, and lists all the words made from the root down the side. The second column is headed "Synonyms" and the third column is headed "Antonyms." Next students pick half the words and write down synonyms for them. The other half of the words get antonyms.

Draw Those "Manu" Words

Annie had to draw a hand, give it a (drawn) manicure, add an emancipated caterpillar (a butterfly) illustrate a manacle, and have the hand hold a manual with a title, which turned out to be Mandy's Magic Manual.

Write a "Manu" Voice Mail Message

"This is Mann's Manufacturing calling to set up an appointment for you with our Manager to go over your manual, and manipulate some of the chapters before you send your manuscript to the publisher."

Man, oh man. I haven't had this much fun with words since I was emancipated from school!

Sources:
Fifth grade work sheets
Personal experience