Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes Lesson Plan: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8

This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes, and supports the standard of using Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.

Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Display the word “unhappily.” Ask students:

  • What do you think this word means?
  • How can you figure out its meaning?

Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE

  • Read the description on the Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes topic page.
  • Play the Movie, pausing to check for understanding.
  • Have students read one of the following Related Reading articles: “Language” or “Etc.” Partner them with someone who read a different article to share what they learned with each other.

 

Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS 

Students take the Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes Quiz, applying essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.

Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND

Students express what they learned about roots, prefixes, and suffixes, while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs.

  • Make-a-Movie: Produce a movie answering this question: How can a suffix change a word from an adjective to a noun?
  • Make-a-Map: Identify and define as many words as you can make from the root word “move” by adding prefixes, suffixes, or both.  
  • Creative Coding: Code a sorting game where players determine whether a word has a prefix, a suffix, both, or neither.

More to Explore

Related BrainPOP Topics: Deepen understanding of vocabulary acquisition and use with these topics: Etymology and Context Clues. 

Teacher Support Resources:

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    Filed as:  3-5, 6-8, BrainPOP, Lesson Ideas, Lesson Plan, Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes