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Achievement First Morphology Unit
2009-2010
Grade 5
The following morphology unit was specifically designed for Achievement First students
in Grade 5. During this unit of study students will explicitly learn the meanings of the most
commonly used prefixes, suffixes in the English language and the most frequently used
Latin roots.
Rationale: Knowing what parts of a word mean can help students figure out what a
word means and can significantly increase vocabulary knowledge.
What the experts say:
The experts all seem to agree that children can understand the concept of morphology
as early as grade one with high frequency prefixes and suffixes. The study of Latin can
begin in earnest by late third grade or early fourth grade. Most experts advocate
teaching some Latin first, then Greek. Greek, the “language” of the sciences and social
studies, can be studied in depth in seventh and eighth grade and on into high school.
The study of Latin and Greek morphology can be interwoven after an introduction in
each. All of the experts suggest that content area text, particularly while teaching
Greek combining forms, could and should be used to determine the sequence of
morpheme instruction.
*See resource/ reference list at the back of this unit.
5 Guiding Principles for Morphology Instruction
1. Provide explicit instruction in how morphemic analysis works. Define the word
morpheme. Demonstrate the concept of a morpheme with very common
morphemes in very common words.
Examples: jumped -ed (happened in the past), unhappy -un (not)
2. Teach the most common, widely used and transparent Latin morphemes first.
Example: ject (to throw) versus loqu (to speak)
3. Examine relationships between words through “word families.”
Example: the “port” family (to carry) export, import, deport, report, transport
4. Provide structure so that students can use morphemic analysis independently.
Use a chart or wall posters, develop word study notebooks for use as references.
5. From DAY 1: Be clear that morphemic analysis does not always work. Some
words look as though they are made up of morphemes, but they are not.
Example: finger (-er does not carry meaning), intrigue (in does not mean “not”)
1
Progression of this Morphology Unit
Lesson 1 All must do
Definition of morphemes
Demonstration of morphemes through compound words
Lesson 2 All must do
Definition of prefixes
Lesson 3 All must do
Demonstration of affixes and non-affixes
Lessons 4-19 Prefixes
Page 7
The 16 most common prefixes
Lessons 20-32 Suffixes
Page 14
The 14 most common suffixes
Lessons 33-36
Page 24
The 4 most common Latin roots
2
5-10 Minute Daily Lesson Must Do Format
Teacher:
PRESENT the morpheme in writing on the board or a poster
SAY it
Students:
SEE it, HEAR it, SAY it
Teacher:
DEFINE the morpheme,
USE the morpheme in words
EXPLAIN how the morpheme carries meaning in 2-3 of the
Teacher:
Ask students to define the morpheme
Students:
_____ means _______
Students:
USE the morpheme in interactive task
words.
For example: pre means before
Teacher and Student: RECORD IT, POST IT
During the morphology unit and beyond:
ALL Staff and Students commit to an active “awareness” of morphemes in the context of
all their reading.
3
Lesson 1: Introduction to the concept of morphemes and morphology
Teacher: Smile and be enthusiastic!
Aim:
SWBAT define morphology
SWBAT define “prefix” and “suffix”
Teacher: “We are going to be studying vocabulary in a different way for the next 6
weeks. We will be looking at parts of words and how parts of words can have meaning.
Parts of words that have meaning are called morphemes. Say it: “mor-phemes.”
So studying parts of words is called “morphology.” Say it “mor-phol-o-gy.” Knowing
what parts of words mean can help us figure out the meaning of tons of words!
Continue: “We know that compound words are 2 smaller words that are put together to
make a new word. Many times each word keeps it own meaning and clearly tells us
exactly what the word means. For example, seafood is food we get from the sea,
moonlight is light from the moon, a playground is ground where we play, an eggshell is
the shell of an egg. Get it? Let’s try some together…”
Teacher /Student Task
Teacher: “Bedspread.”
Teacher and Students: “A spread on a bed.”
T: “Raindrop”
T & S: “A drop of rain”.
T: “Birthday”
T & S “The day of your birth”
T: “Doorknob”
T & S: “A knob for the door”
Teacher: “Here is a word of caution! Sometimes knowing word parts doesn’t work so
cleanly and neatly. For example, butterfly is a compound word. But a butterfly isn’t a
fly of butter. Understand is a compound word, but it doesn’t mean to stand under
something.” So we always need to be cautious when we study word parts or
morphemes. It is helpful most of the time, but not in every circumstance.
(2-8 minutes, remainder of the lesson)
Teacher: “Time to turn and talk with the students next to you. Each of you think of a
compound word where each part ‘s meaning definitely helps you know the compound
word’s meaning. Try to think of a compound word where knowing the 2 parts of the
word do not help you with its meaning.”
Students: Generate a list verbally (write down if time permits).
Wrap Up: Post some compound words.
Teacher FYI: Did you know that butterflies were so named because when studied it was
discovered that these gorgeous specimens’ “poop” was the color of butter? It’s true!
4
Lesson 2:
Prefixes
Aim: SWBAT explain what a prefix does.
SWBAT define the prefix -pre.
“Today we are going to begin studying the meanings of prefixes. Prefixes have meaning
even though they aren’t words all by themselves. A prefix is something we can tack
onto the front of a base word or later in our study to the front of Latin roots.”
“Here is an example.” (write on the board pre-)
“The prefix pre means before so:
-When we are talking about sports- preseason means before the season starts (write on
board)
-When we prepay for something it means we pay before the event occurs or before we
receive a product (write)
-Preschool is where little children go before “real” school begins
What do we do when we preheat an oven? (Student response) Right! We heat the
oven before we put food in it.”
*Ask students to be on the lookout for these prefixes while they are reading.
5
Lesson 3:
Examples versus Non-examples of Prefixes
Aim: SWBAT identify when words contain prefixes and when they do not.
T: “Yesterday, we learned about prefixes. You may remember that prefixes have
meaning even though they aren’t words all by themselves.
A prefix is something we can tack onto the front of a base word or later in our study to
the front of Latin roots.
Yesterday we learned about the prefix pre (write pre on the board) and we talked
about examples of words that have the prefix pre.
T: What does the prefix pre mean?
S: Pre means before.
T: When we put pre in front of a word, it means before.
What does preview mean? (Student response.) Right! Preview means you can see
something before (like a movie preview).
What is a pretest? (Student response.) Right! Pretest means you take a test before you
learn something
T: “Good! Now today I’m going to share a word of caution with you. Sometimes you
may think you are seeing a prefix in a word and you aren’t. That piece of the word is
just the word.
Here is how you can tell if you have a real prefix. Cover what you think is the prefix. See
if a real word is left.
For example: pretty (write on the board). Is –pre a prefix or just a piece of the base
word? Let’s cover up the –pre. What’s left? Right! Just the letters -tty. Is that a word? No!
Now, let’s look at the word precook. (Write press on the board.) What is left if I cover up
the –pre? (students respond.) Right! cook is left. Is cook a word by itself? (Students
respond.) Right! Cook is a word, so in precook the pre must be a prefix.
Now let’s try it with a few more examples.
Prepackage, Preach, Press, Pretest, Preview
*More sophisticated list, use same non-examples (preach, press) with the following list:
prehistoric, premature, prenuptial, preglacial, precaution
Wrap up
T: “Remember prefixes are very common and will help us with the meaning of words,
but be on the lookout for when a word looks like it has a prefix but doesn’t.”
Teacher FYI: There are tons of words that use pre- to mean “before.” I did not use them
for this lesson because they require some knowledge of Latin roots. We’ll get to it!
6
Lesson 4
Teacher: ☺ Have a blast! This is our language!
Aim:
SWBAT define the prefix “un”
Materials:
Prefixes Posters (or write on board) un-
Teacher: “Today we will continue our study of prefixes. Remember from yesterday that
a prefix is a letter or group of letters that we put on the front of a base word. It changes
the meaning of the word.
Hold up or write unT: This is the prefix un-. Say it with me… un“When we put un- in front of a word it means not or the opposite of…
…unable means you are not able to do something
…unbelievable means something you say is not believable
…if someone tells you to unlock a door you do the opposite of locking it”
…tell me what it means if someone is unfriendly
T: What does un- mean?
T & S: un- means not or the opposite of
*Ask students to be on the lookout for these prefixes while they are reading.
7
Lesson 5
Materials: Prefix posters
dis-
Teacher: “Today we will continue our study of prefixes. Every prefix has a meaning. The
prefixes we will study today are very common.”
*Follow the same format as yesterday’s script and procedure
Hold up or write disT: “This is the prefix dis- say it with me… disdis- also means not, or the opposite of
Listen to how dis- is used…
…if you are dishonest it means you are not honest
…if you are disorganized it means you are not organized
…what does it mean if you disobey the rules? Give me an example.
…tell me when you might disagree with a friend.
T: What does dis- mean?
T & S: dis- means not or the opposite of
If time permits/ supplemental: Give students these base words. Have them put one or
more of the prefixes in front of them to make real words: (don’t discuss, but allow them
to add suffixes)
continue
roll
like
trust
infect
broken
prove
fill
happy
wrap
pack
approve
Thought/ discussion:
What is the difference between the words unable and disabled?
Lesson 6
Materials: Prefix posters
re-
*Follow the same format as yesterday’s script and procedure
Hold up or write reT: “This is the prefix re- Say it with me… re“When we use the prefix re- it means again
…when we redo an unacceptable book report it means we do it again
…when we reheat last night’s left over dinner we heat it up again
…after a hurricane, cities have to rebuild. Tell me what that means.
…this is a bit harder, but tell me what happens if a company has to recall a product.
T: What does re- mean?
T & S: re- means again
Teachers/ Students Record or Post on Morph Board
8
Lesson 7
Materials: Prefix poster
mis-
Hold up or write mismis- means wrong, wrongly, badly
…misspell means you spelled a word the wrong way
…misjudge means you did not judge something in the right way…
…if the newspaper reporter misquotes someone it means they did not use the exact
words of the person they interviewed
…describe what mismatched socks would look like
(harder) …what does it mean to mislead someone
…describe misfortune
Teacher: “What does mis- mean?”
T & S: mis- means wrong or badly
*This is the last fully scripted lesson for the prefix and suffix section of the morphology
unit. Please follow this basic script and format for each lesson on prefixes and suffixes.
Word lists are provided for each lesson. You will notice that when I define words using
prefixes and suffixes I use the base word in my definition. I do this to establish a literal
translation of the morpheme not to define the base word, which I am hoping students
already know.
Lesson 8
Materials: Prefix posters:
non-
non- means not
Word List
nonfiction
nonsmoking
nonfat
nonstop
nondairy
nonstick
nonviolent
More sophisticated: Take off affixes so students can see the base word, then add affixes
back on.
nonjudgmental
nondescript
nonexistent
noncommittal
Lesson 9
*Some words will have less literal translations, but knowledge of the prefix’s meaning is
very helpful.
over – means too much, above, over
9
Word List
overdue
overfed, overfeed
overactive
overdo
overcharge
overload
overbook
If time/ supplemental activity:
Students Turn and Talk:
Students make up their own words using prefixes. They have to define their new word to
their group. Example: nag. I wish my mother was a nonnagger. When it comes to
reminding me about chores, my mother is an overnagger.
Teachers/ Students Record or Post new prefixes on Morph Board
Lesson 10
Materials: Prefix Posters
under-
under means beneath, below, too little
Word List
underground
underfed
underage
undercharged
underpaid
Teachers/ Students Record or Post new prefixes on Morph Board
Lesson 11
Materials: Prefix Posters
super-
super- means above or more than
Word List
superstar
superhuman
superpower
supernatural
Challenge: superfluous (“extra”, “overflow”, above and beyond what is needed)
Help students to see how knowledge of “super” helps to understand this sophisticated
word
10
Teachers/ Students Record or Post new prefixes on Morph Board
Lesson 12
Materials: Prefix Posters
inter-
inter- means between or among
Word List
international
interstate
intersection
interpersonal
Teachers/ Students Record or Post new prefixes on Morph Board
Lesson 13
Materials: Prefix Posters
sub-
sub- means under
Word List
subway
submarine
subtract
sublet
Teachers/ Students Record or Post new prefixes on Morph Board
Lesson 14
Materials: Prefix Posters
de-
*Some words will have less literal translations, but knowledge of the prefix’s meaning is
very helpful.
de- means opposite of
Word List
depart
deflate
compare with inflate
detour
decrease
defrost
delete
Teachers/ Students Record or Post new prefixes on Morph Board
11
Lesson 15
Materials: Prefix Posters
trans-
trans- means across
Word List
transplant
transfuse/ transfusion
transport (to carry across)
transmit (to send across)
translate (change “cross” from one language to another)
Teachers/ Students Record or Post new prefixes on Morph Board
Lesson 16
Materials: Prefix Posters
anti-
anti means against
Word List
antiwar
antifreeze
antigravity
antisocial
Teachers/ Students Record or Post new prefixes on Morph Board
Lesson 17
Materials: Prefix Posters
mid-
mid- means middle
Word List
midfield
midday
midnight
midpoint
midsummer
Teachers/ Students Record or Post new prefixes on Morph Board
12
Lesson 18
Materials: Prefix Poster
semi-
semi- means half or partially
Word List
semicircle
semisweet
semisolid
semiskilled
semester (half-year)
Teachers/ Students Record or Post new prefixes on Morph Board
Lesson 19
Materials: Prefix Poster
ex-
ex- means out
Word List
The first word is probably the most familiar of all the ex- words
exit…means the way out
When we exhale it means we breathe out
Export means “to carry out”. When we ship wheat overseas, we export it.
What happens when we eject a disk from a computer? It literally means “to throw out”.
Notice how we don’t say or write exject? e means out all by itself in that word.
T: “What does ex- mean?
T & S: ex- means out.”
End of Prefix Study (Phew!)
This is the end of the prefix study. Ideally the next session should allow for review,
practice and some sort of quick and easy assessment. One very quick review that
could be done individually or as a team would be to give the students a list of base
words and in a limited time have them add as many prefixes as possible to create real
words.
Assessment: Prefix Quiz
13
Suffix Study
Students will be learning the 14 most commonly used suffixes in the English language.
We will swiftly review the most common suffixes, give a quick definition of each and
supply several examples and flip over into student practice for each.
Note that the study of suffixes is different from the study of prefixes. In most cases, when
you add a prefix to a root word, the meaning of the word changes. When you add a
suffix to the root word, it’s the part of speech or verb tense that changes.
Note also that adding suffixes to the end of words can involve spelling changes to the
base word. For example, there is the doubling rule that is used when a one-syllable
word, with one vowel followed by one consonant adds a vowel suffix. The final
consonant is doubled and the ending is added: hop/ hopping. This “protects” the short
vowel sound. There are several other rules that apply when added suffixes. This study
will not delve into them. It will assume that the words can be read correctly. We will
save spelling for another time.
14
Lesson 20
Aim: SWBAT define morphology
SWBAT define “suffix”
Teacher: “As you know, we are learning about parts of words and how parts of words
can have meaning. You may remember that parts of words that have meaning are
called morphemes. Say it “mor-phemes.”
“For the past few weeks, we have learned about prefixes. What is a prefix again?
(Student response.) Right! A prefix is something that we can tack onto the beginning of
a word that will change its meaning.
Today we are going to begin studying the meanings of suffixes. Suffixes can help you
understand more about what a word means and how it is used. A suffix is something we
can tack onto the end of a base word to change the form of the word.”
“Here is an example.” (write on the board -ing)
“The suffix ing means something is happening right now.
T: What does ing mean?
S: Ing means something is happening right now.
T: Good! When we put ing at the end of a word, it means it’s happening right now.
What does swimming mean? (Student response.) Right! Swimming means someone is in
the pool swimming right now.
-Can you think of words that use the suffix -ing?
*Ask students to be on the lookout for these suffixes while they are reading.
15
Lesson 21
Examples versus Non-examples of Suffixes
T: “Yesterday, we learned about suffixes. You may remember that suffixes have
meaning even though they aren’t words all by themselves.
A suffix is something we can tack onto the end of a base word or Latin root.
Yesterday we learned about the suffix ing (write ing on the board) and we talked about
examples of words that have the suffix ing.
T: What does the prefix ing mean?
S: -ing means something is happening right now.
T: When we put ing at the end of a word, it means it’s happening now.
What does jumping mean? (Student response.) Right! Jumping means that someone is
jumping up and down right now.
T: “Good! Remember when we talked about prefixes, I had a word of caution. Today, I
have another word of caution. Sometimes you may think you are seeing a suffix in a
word and you aren’t; that piece of the word is just the word.
Here is how you can tell if you have a real suffix. Cover what you think is a suffix and see
if a real word is left.
For example: sing (write on the board). Is –ing a suffix or just a piece of the base word?
Let’s cover up the –ing. What’s left? Right! Just the letter s.
Now, let’s look at the word hanging. (Write hanging on the board.) What is left if I cover
up the –ing? (students respond.) Right! Hang is left. Is hang a word by itself? (Students
respond.) Right! Hang is a word, so in hanging the ing must be a suffix.
Now let’s try it with a few more examples.
Blinking
Thing
Nodding
Fling
Swing
Swinging
T: “Remember suffixes are very common and will help us with the meaning of words, but
be on the lookout for when a word looks like it has a prefix or suffix but doesn’t.”
16
Lesson 22
Materials: Suffix posters
–s,-es (-es is used after ch, sh, z, s, x)
Teacher: “Remember: Suffixes are: a letter or letters that get added to the end of
words.
Suffixes are morphemes, too, just like prefixes, because they each have meaning and
can change the meaning of base words. For the next few days we will be reviewing
some of the easier, more commons suffixes. We see, say, hear, read and write these all
the time!”
Hold up or write –s and –es.
T: “Here are the suffix –s /s/ and –es /es/, say them with me like we are reading them
/s/,/es/. When we add them to a word they mean “more than one.” What is the word
that means more than one? That right! Plural.
These suffixes make words plural. They can also describe action. Listen to these two
sentences:
She has two pink brushes in her purse.
She brushes her teeth every morning before school.
In the first sentence, the brushes is plural. In the second sentence, brushes is an action.”
Teacher/ Students record suffixes and posted on Morph Board
Lesson 23
Materials: Suffix posters
-ed
Hold up -ed
T: “-ed means “happened in the past”. It is a bit strange because it can make 3
different sounds at the end of words. That is because it is influenced by the final sound
in the base word. It still means “happened in the past.”
T: “I’m going to write some base words on the board. Then I’ll hold up a suffix card on
the back of it. Read the words quickly. Pay special attention to the different ways the
–ed is pronounced at the end of the words.”
Base words: jump, sail, fold, camp, sneeze (cover e on –ing and –ed), mope (cover e as
needed), box (use –es), rent
If time:
Students: Turn, Talk, Write words using all endings
17
Teacher FYI: Why does –ed make 3 different sounds? It goes back to the concept of
voiced and unvoiced sounds and what we are capable of articulating in a syllable or
word. If –ed follows an unvoiced sound it will make the unvoiced /t/ “hopped”, if it
follows a voiced sound it will make the voiced /d/ “snowed” (all vowel sounds are
voiced), and if it follows /t/ or /d/ it will make /id/ “planted”, “folded”. Pretty cool, isn’t
it?
*Please follow the same basic format that you have been using. Fly through these
suffixes. Most students should be very used to reading and using them.
Teacher/ Students record suffixes and post on Morph Board
Lesson 24
Materials: Prefix posters
-ful
-ful means “full of”
Word List
careful
peaceful
helpful
cheerful
useful
hopeful
Lesson 25
Materials: Prefix posters
-less
-less means without, lacking, forms adjectives
Word List
careless
useless
pointless
harmless
18
Lesson 26
Materials: Suffix posters
-ly
-y
The suffix -ly changes adjectives to adverbs
The suffix –y forms adjectives
Word List
Adjective
Slow
Quick
Light
Gentle
Eager
Adverb
slowly
quickly
lightly
gently
eagerly
Word List
dirty
slimy
windy
sneaky
Lesson 27
Materials: Suffix posters
-er
-est
T: “The suffix –er has 2 meanings. Sometimes it signals a person who is connected with
something. For example, a singer is a person who…sings!
“It can also help us compare so it is called a comparative suffix. Here are a few
examples: small, smaller/ young, younger/ clean, cleaner/ strong…stronger…
“The next suffix is –est. It is a comparative too. It means the ‘most of.’ So.. we can say
small. Say it with me… smaller…smallest. Young…younger…youngest.
Clean…cleaner…cleanest. Strong…”
Students Turn and Talk, Share out or Write down. Use the words that we already used in
the sentence to compare people or things.
Teacher/ Students record suffixes and post on Morph Board
19
Lesson 28
Materials: Suffix posters
-able
-ible
-able means can be done
Word List
useable
reusable (locate the base use- e is dropped, notice prefix and suffix this is
exciting stuff)
agreeable
affordable
rechargeable
avoidable
believable
adorable
-ible means can be done
Word List
edible
audible (aud “to hear”)
horrible (related to horror)
Teacher/ Students record suffixes and post on Morph Board
Lesson 29
Materials: Suffix posters
-ment
Follow standard lesson format.
Adding -ment to a word changes a verb into a noun
Word List
Verb
To ship
To payment
To move
To state
To place
Noun
shipment
payment
movement
statement
placement
Student Task: Set a timer for 2 minutes. Have students generate as many words as the
can using the suffixes they’ve learned so far. Share out if time allows.
20
Review suffix meanings.
Lesson 30
PLEASE read through before presenting. In the long run spending a bit more time on this
lesson and lesson 16 will pay off big time because if students feel comfortable reading
these huge words and can get a clue as to what they mean they will in fact become
more fluent.
Materials: Chart paper or board, markers
Suffix posters
-tion
Teachers: ☺Your students are going to love this! Huge words make all of us feel really
smart! I can’t script the entire lesson for you because you’ll need to tweak it for your
own students.
-ion turns a verb into a noun.
“Look at these words.”
Write on board:
Verb
Noun
To collect
collection
To invent
invention
To elect
election
“Repeat these word pairs after me as I say them”.
Point out how we can collect (verb) something and then we have a collection (noun).
Continue as needed.
Monster-sized words for a challenge:
Write on board and challenge students to read (easy once you know the code):
electrification
disqualification
hospitalization
intellectualization
Student task:
Set timer for two minutes—students search their texts for –tion words. Share-out.
21
Lesson 31
These endings look very scary, but honestly they aren’t once you know the code. Read
through before presenting. Plan to spend a bit more time on this lesson. It will most
definitely pay off in the long run. There is no need for “fix-up” strategies if we can read
these words swiftly, accurately and with understanding the first time through.
Materials: Chart paper, board, markers
Suffix poster:
-ous
T: Post all of these suffix cards. “All of these suffixes means the same thing. They all mean
“full of” or “having the quality of “something. They look scary until we understand how
to pronounce them. Luckily these suffixes always sound the same no matter what words
they show up in.”
T: Point to -ous. This simply says /us/. Say it with me /us/. Again-/us/. That’s it.
I will read these words. You repeat after me.”
Write on the board and read:
humor
joy
danger
fame
courage
advantage
humorous
joyous
dangerous
famous
courageous
advantageous
T: “If something is humorous it is full of …(expect response—humor)
“If something is joyous it is full of… (response from the enthusiastic crowd—joy)
Continue as needed.
Throw in the word delicious for added fun. We haven’t really gotten there yet because
we have gotten started on “roots.” Ask students to take –cious off the word delicious.
What is left? deli- “full of deli.” As it turns out deli has in its distance family heritage
origins “delight.” So one could say that delicious means “full of delight.” Now think
about your favorite deli. Isn’t it delightful and aren’t you expecting everything in there
to be delicious? Obscure, but it makes sense.
Student task: Reread word lists to a partner for speed
Teachers and Students record, post suffixes on morph board.
Lesson 32
Materials: Suffix poster
-cian
Follow usual lesson format.
22
T: This is another suffix that looks a bit strange. But we already know from –cious (point
to it on morph board) that ci sound like /sh/. So this suffix says /shin/. Say it with me
/shin/. Again /shin/. When we tack it onto the end of a word it signals a person who
does something.
Write on board, read, students repeat:
(Choose your words)
music
magic
electric
politics
electric
mortal
optic (eye)
statistics
musician
magician
electrician
politician
electrician
mortician
optician
statistician
Bit of a challenge: pediatrics/ pediatrician, physician (root?), technical/ technician
For added fun or challenge—ballistics/ ballistician. A ballistician is a person who figures
out the path and distance of missiles and rockets (probably other weapons as well).
Totally and completely optional, but relevant for your students:
-ian also means “a person who.” The i will make the long e sound. Some of these are
very common words: guardian, custodian, librarian, historian,
Student task: Reread for speed and fluency. Make up a word to describe something a
person does for a “job”. “I am a choritician. /chor i ti shin/. My job is to do chores.”
Teachers and Students record, post suffixes on morph board.
END of Suffix Section
Review/ Assess
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The 4 Most Common Latin Roots
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Latin roots are exceedingly easy to read
A few shift to open syllables (long vowel sound) when suffixes are added
some have r-controlled vowels
The lesson format is basically the same as in the prefix and suffix sections. Students need
to see it, hear it, say it, use it, write it and acknowledge it in connected text.
Teachers and students should be given time to work with the roots in words; in writing, in
oral language experiences, in reading in connected text (phrases, sentences,
paragraphs).
Make this your own project. You may not wholeheartedly agree with the way I used
some of words or my interpretation of them. Please feel free to put your spin on them;
just maintain the integrity of the meaning of the roots.
Have fun! This is an exploration of words that we use everyday. Hopefully, there will be
many “Ah- ha!” moments during these lessons as both teachers and students discover
not only the meaning of words, but also how so many of our words are related by
sharing similar features. Your students will quickly notice the prefixes, suffixes and roots in
combination with words parts we haven’t explicitly studied. PLEASE encourage them to
use what they do know about word parts to come up with clues to the meanings of
those words.
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Lesson 33
Prerequisite: Fluent knowledge of the meaning of the prefixes and suffixes
SWBAT define the root ject
Materials:
Root posters
Morph board with prefixes and suffixes
ject
T: (tweak for your group) “Today we are going to begin our study of Latin roots. Latin is
one of the languages that the English language is made up of. When we were studying
prefixes and suffixes, I talked a lot about adding prefixes and suffixes to base words. The
base words could stand alone without a prefix or a suffix attached to it. When we talk
about Latin roots, the roots often cannot stand alone as a word. They must have a
prefix or suffix attached to it. If we know the meaning of the prefixes and the suffixes—
which we do—and we know the meaning of a root, then we can get a pretty good
idea of the meaning of the word. You can build your vocabulary quickly by learning
common Latin roots. SO—let’s get started!”
T: Hold up ject. “This is the Latin root ject. Say it /ject/. Again /ject/. It means to throw.”
Do whatever works for you:
Write ject in the middle of a board. Or use the morph board if word parts are
moveable. The point you must get across explicitly is that many words can be built and
we can understand the meaning of them IF we know the meaning of the parts.
Word List
Read, students read, explicitly state the meaning, question
T: “eject” Say it: eject. e means out, ject means “ to throw”. eject means to throw out.
out “ “Did your umpire eject anyone from the game? Yes— he ejected (name a ball
player). Look what I did. I added –ed to eject. What does the ending –ed do to a
word?” Student response: “It happened in the past.”
Continue: “reject” (to throw back) Go through the same drill. “What does re- mean?
What does ject mean? reject means to throw something back. The teacher will reject
your paper if you don’t put your name on it.
More words:
inject (to throw in) injected injecting injection (the act of throwing in)
dejected (to throw down or away) dejectedly More obscure, lending itself to a feeling
of being “down” “thrown away from—in a social situation)
interject (to throw between) If I interject a comment during a discussion it means I threw
my comment “between” other comments being made.
Mix and match prefixes and suffixes as time allows.
Lesson 34
Materials: Root posters
-port
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Follow the same procedure for port.
port means to carry
Word List
export (to carry out)
import (to carry in)
transport (to carry across)
deport (to carry down/ away from) Used in the negative sense, a carrying out by force.
“He was deported and sent back to …”
report (to carry back) A scholar studies a topic and turns in a report to the teacher.
“carries it back” to the class
portable (able to be carried)
porter (a person who carries)
support (chameleon prefix for sub-) (to carry under). To carry from under. Iron beams
support a building. A good friend will support you in times of trouble. “carry” you from
under or unseen
Student task: Turn, talk, share out. How many prefix and suffixes can you add to one of
these roots? Generate a list. Spelling shouldn’t be an issue if you use the Morph Board.
Lesson 35
Materials: Root poster
rupt
Follow same lesson format. Mix and match prefixes and suffixes. Explicitly state what the
word parts mean. Use in an easy to understand sentence.
rupt means to break
Word List
disrupt (to break apart)
interrupt (to break between)
erupt (to break out)
For fun: bankrupt (a break in one’s finances) There is a long story behind this word!
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Lesson 36
Materials: Root poster
-tract
tract means to pull, to drag, or to draw
Word List
subtract (to pull under or away from)
extract (to pull out) “Yes, we must extract that tooth,” said the dentist.
distract (to pull apart, to pull away from) “If you tap on your notebook it is a distraction
from my work at the board.”
detract (to pull or draw away in a negative sense) “Wearing your fuzzy, black crocs with
that black party dress detracts from the look of elegance you are trying to create,”
commented my friend. “Perhaps you should wear your black high-heels instead.”
retract (to draw back) A politician is often asked to retract a statement he has made,
particularly if the comment was insulting to someone.
Teachers and students record and post roots.
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