Illustration of frustrated runner at a race

Art by Lance Lekander

One Word, 3 Ways / Root Power!

Weird, Wild, and Wonderful Words

By Della Herden

From the September 2025 Issue

Featured Skill: Vocabulary and Grammar,

Standards

The Story
Resources

One Word, 3 Ways

Look how this sporty kid uses the word of the issue, grit.

Grit can mean:

very small pieces of sand or stone
to rub your teeth together, especially when making an effort
determination and courage

Grr! My shoe has grit in it.

I’ll just grit my teeth and keep going.

I have too much grit to give up now!

Wild Word Challenge!

The word grit appears in this issue’s fiction story. Can you find it and determine which meaning is used there?

Root Power!

Meet Lexie! She time traveled from the ancient world and landed in Storyworks. Lexie loves words—especially ones with Greek and Latin roots. Today she’s using words with the Latin root spect. That means to look or to see.

Can you figure out the meanings of the orange words below?

Lexie: I suspect this will be a great day for a fall walk in the woods.

Lexie: My favorite aspect of autumn? The colorful leaves.

Lexie: And this tree is spectacular!

Write to Win

What root should Lexie use next? Find three words that contain the same Greek or Latin root of your choice. Then write a sentence for each word (or create a comic that features your words). Entries must be submitted to “Root Power Contest” by a teacher, parent, or legal guardian.* Students whose entries are chosen for a future issue will receive a prize!Visit the Storyworks Contests page for more information.

Contest Deadline: November 1, 2025

_{*Entries must be written by a student in grades 2-8 and submitted by their teacher, parent, or legal guardian, who will be the entrant and must be a legal resident of the U.S. age 18 or older. See the Teacher’s Guide or visit storyworks.scholastic.com/contests for details.}