Lesson 7: Prefixes & Suffixes - Building Word Parts
🎯 Learning Objectives
🎥 Media Anchor
Video: Structured Literacy and Phonics Foundations
- Which sound-symbol pattern from this clip matches today's phonics focus?
- How can repeated decoding practice build automaticity over time?
- Students understand that words have parts (root, prefix, suffix)
- Students can identify common prefixes (un-, re-, pre-) and their meanings
- Students can identify common suffixes (-ing, -ed, -er, -est) and their functions
- Students can build words by adding prefixes and suffixes to root words
- Students use morphological knowledge to decode unfamiliar words
📦 Materials Needed
Teacher Materials:
- Prefix and suffix cards (un-, re-, pre-, -ing, -ed, -er, -est)
- Root word cards (play, help, kind, jump)
- Word building mats
- Whiteboard and markers
- Morphology chart poster
Student Materials:
- Individual prefix/suffix cards
- Root word cards
- Word building worksheets
- Pencils and erasers
- Small whiteboards and markers
1. Warm-Up: Word Detective (7 mins)
Teacher Script: "Today we're going to be word detectives! We'll discover that many words are like puzzles - they have different pieces that fit together."
Discovery Activity:
Write these words on the board and ask students what they notice:
- play → playing → played → player
- help → helping → helped → helper
- kind → unkind → kinder → kindest
2. Teaching Common Prefixes (12 mins)
Systematic Introduction: Introduce prefixes one at a time with clear meaning and examples.
un- prefix:
- Meaning: "not" or "opposite"
- Examples: unhappy, unkind, unlock
- Memory: "Un- means NOT!"
re- prefix:
- Meaning: "again" or "back"
- Examples: replay, reread, return
- Memory: "Re- means AGAIN!"
pre- prefix:
- Meaning: "before"
- Examples: preview, preheat, preschool
- Memory: "Pre- means BEFORE!"
Teaching Process for Each Prefix:
- Show the prefix card and teach the meaning
- Demonstrate with a familiar root word
- Have students suggest other words with this prefix
- Practice identifying the prefix in different words
- Connect meaning to understanding the whole word
3. Teaching Common Suffixes (12 mins)
Systematic Introduction: Introduce suffixes and their functions in changing word meaning or form.
-ing suffix:
- Function: Shows action happening now
- Examples: running, jumping, reading
- Memory: "Doing it now!"
-ed suffix:
- Function: Shows action in the past
- Examples: jumped, played, helped
- Memory: "Already done!"
-er suffix:
- Function: "One who does" or "more"
- Examples: teacher, player, faster
- Memory: "Person who does it!"
-est suffix:
- Function: "Most" (superlative)
- Examples: fastest, kindest, biggest
- Memory: "The most!"
4. Word Building Practice (10 mins)
Hands-On Activity: Students build words using root words, prefixes, and suffixes.
Word Building Challenges:
Root Words to Use:
- play, help, kind, fast
- jump, read, clean, happy
Building Tasks:
- Make a word meaning "not happy"
- Make a word meaning "one who helps"
- Make a word meaning "most fast"
- Make a word meaning "read again"
5. Independent Practice & Exit Ticket (4 mins)
Exit Ticket Task
"Break these words into parts and write what each part means: unhappy, playing, teacher"
Success Criteria:
- Emerging: Identifies some prefixes and suffixes correctly
- Developing: Correctly identifies most parts and explains some meanings
- Secure: Accurately identifies all parts and explains their meanings clearly
📊 Assessment & Differentiation
Formative Assessment:
- Observe prefix and suffix identification
- Check understanding of morpheme meanings
- Monitor word building accuracy
- Assess application to new words
Support Strategies:
- Struggling: Focus on one prefix/suffix at a time, use visual aids
- Confident: Introduce more complex affixes (dis-, -ful, -ness)
- ELL Support: Connect to word parts in home language
Kaiako Planning Snapshot
English Literacy — Structured Literacy & Phonics Foundations — Years 7–8
Te Mataiaho | English — Oral language, reading, and writing (Years 7–8). Achievement Objective: Students will read and write with increasing accuracy using phonics knowledge.
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga — Learning Intentions
- Recognise and apply the focus grapheme–phoneme correspondence with accuracy
- Blend and segment phonemes fluently in supported reading and writing tasks
- Apply structured literacy strategies to decode and spell target words independently
Differentiation & Proximinal Guidance
Entry: pre-decodable word cards with visual supports and phoneme frames. On-level: target word list with blending practice. Extension: student-generated sentences using target pattern in context.
Cultural context: tikanga-based classroom protocols (karakia, mihimihi, manaakitanga) frame each session. Incorporate te reo Māori alongside structured literacy to honour hauora and whanaungatanga.