Science Morphemes
📋 What it is
Science words are built from steady morphemes: photo = light, therm = heat, hydro = water, bio = life, geo = earth, -sphere = ball/layer.
🗣️ Coach says
Science stops being scary the moment you read its parts. "photo + synthesis" = putting-together WITH light. "hydro + electric" = water-made electricity. The word tells you the science.
🧠 Memory hook
photo = light · therm = heat · hydro = water · geo = earth · -sphere = layer.
😂 Giggle
What do you call a suffix that makes you a person who does something?
An "-er" achiever!
😲 Whoa!
"Photosynthesis" literally means "putting together with light" (photo + syn + thesis) — the definition is baked into the name.
✅ Quick check: "Therm" means heat. What does a "thermometer" do? (-meter = measure)
Say your answer out loud first — then reveal.
It measures heat (temperature).
Two science morphemes (therm + meter) fully explain the instrument.
🧪 Try it! (2 minutes)
Decode "hydroelectric", "geothermal", and "atmosphere" using the morphemes above.