Building words

Goals

• Identify prefixes, base words, and suffixes.
• Build words by combining prefixes, base words, and suffixes.
• Demonstrate an understanding of word classes by identifying the word class of the newly derived words.
• Demonstrate an understanding of derivational morphology by using newly derived words in sentences.

Lesson Plan

The Activity page appears in the menu entitled 'This Unit' in the upper right. On the Activity page, you will find slides that can be displayed using a projector or smart board. Each slide presents some prefixes, root words, and suffixes.They will appear on cards. With the cards on the screen, students will then need to do the following:

• take a root word card (a word which you are going to use as a starting point);
• add prefix and suffix cards to create a new word out of the parts you have got;
• think about the possible meaning of your new word;
• think too about the word class you have created;
• show how you might use the new word in a sentence.

The students' task will be to use the cards to generate as many words as possible. It’s not just about creating words: it’s about explaining what they mean too and showing that you can use them in a real sentence.