Last month I spent a lot of time talking about prefix, suffixes and root words. This is one strategy I use to improve vocabulary. As I was updating my popular, Wordmaking Toolkit last fall, I realized that I wanted more visuals to to help solidify these concepts for my clients.
When approaching vocabulary and affix instruction, there were a few things that I found challenging.
- Knowing what order and how many prefix, suffixes and root words to teach I wasn’t sure when to start teaching roots/prefixes OR when students were expected to know the vocabulary.
- Knowing how to TEACH the skill vs. just consistently drill the activity. There is a memorization piece to understanding roots but I didn’t want to spend our therapy sessions just drilling affixes and their meanings. BORING.
- Tying the meaning of the root, prefix or suffix to the definition of the targeted vocabulary word. Some words are easy to tie in: aquatic means about water, but corporation? It’s hard to think of how to tie that word to the root, “corp” when you are sitting in a group of four middle schoolers.
These were all questions I tried to answer in this packet:
Prefixes, Suffixes, Root Words Megapacket
Pictured stimuli for both the root, prefixes and suffixes AND pictured vocabulary cards of words containing that affix. I used Smarty Symbols in the packet as I feel like it makes it more versatile to be used across age groups.
Anchor charts can be used to demonstrate how the words change meaning when a prefix or suffix is added. I also included a set of black and white sheets with the prefixes, suffixes and root words separated by category. This is one approach I have taken to teaching affixes. I might start by teaching number prefixes and then move into prefixes that talk about time (pre, post-, re-) etc.
I also provided suggested grade levels for included prefix, suffix and root words as well as links to the most common affixes.
This is what took months. Each of the 182 pictured vocabulary words comes with a definition that uses the meaning of the prefix, suffix or root word. I found this really helps my students understand how affixes impact meaning and now I don’t need to try to think of these definitions on the fly.
For example:
- Unicorn: A horse with one horn
- Biography: A book written about another person’s life
Flip books are pretty motivating for my clients. You can pick up notebooks on sale at the beginning of the school year, and teach a few root/prefix/affixes per week. At the end of the year, your students will have a whole book of prefix, suffixes and root words.
Send these worksheets home as homework, set up worksheet stations when you need to get progress notes done or use them in therapy to check for comprehension. Each worksheet has an answer key included so you can spend your time cuing your students vs. trying to think of the answers or definitions.
I’m so grateful for my FB followers-many of you have already purchased this packet. I’m excited to hear your thoughts on it, I think it is really going to save a lot of time and make therapy planning a little easier. Interested in learning more about prefixes and suffixes? Check out:
Tips for Teaching Prefixes, Suffixes and Root Words
Prefix, Suffix and Root Words Resources
Pinterest Prefix, Suffix and Root Word Page
I’m giving away one packet for free to a reader. Enter below to win your free copy.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
For your next megapacket, I think pronouns would be great.
pronouns
Pronouns!
My current caseload needs pronouns!
I’m thinking pronouns would be great.
A megapacket about pronouns! 🙂
I am enjoying your blog so much! I am a SLPA student and am getting ready to do some big projects and I wil bel incorporating some of you ideas!
Good luck in your studies! I hope your projects go well!
All of your products are fantastic. If I don’t win, I will be buying it!!!
Definitely would be interested in seeing plurals!
i have more of my children needing help with pronouns, so that gets my vote. Thanks for such an exciting giveaway, so very practical!
Pronouns gets my vote, especially differentiation between us and them, we and they, etc.
I have more of a need for plurals especially used in sentences. Thanks for this giveaway- you are so talented & practical with your resources!!!!
I have more of a need for plurals and how they are used in sentences. Thanks for your giveaway, products & freebies!!!
Plurals especially used in sentences would be great for my roster. Thanks for all your hard work!!!!!
Pronouns
Definitely PRONOUNS!!
Pronouns, please!!
Pronouns! I think I have a record number of students working on pronouns this year.
I vote for pronouns —and thanks for the chance to win your great materials!
Pronouns for sure.
I say both! :o)
It looks like I’m in the minority so far, but my vote is for plurals. 🙂
Thanks for the wonderful affix/root pack. It’s going on my wish list so I can make sure it get it even if I don’t win!
It’s tough to choose between plurals and pronouns! Both are challenging for many of my students. But, I think plurals would be great because there are so many rules not to mention irregular plurals which really throw kids for a loop!
Congratulations to Holly! She is the winner of the prefix packet. Pronouns was the winner in the comments-so I am going to start on that-but will probably take on plurals after that! Thanks to everyone for entering!