Courseversity

Lesson

Prefixes and suffixes

Primary EducationGrade 5English & Language ArtsCV-PRI-G05-ELA-U02-L0345–60 min

You will learn

  • Identify prefixes.
  • Identify suffixes.
  • Change meaning with a prefix.
  • Change word class with a suffix.

Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.

Student lesson

The lesson in 60 seconds

  1. Find the base word.
  2. Look at the prefix.
  3. Look at the suffix.
  4. Work out the new meaning.

Words to know

prefix
letters added to the start of a word
suffix
letters added to the end of a word
base word
the word before anything is added
antonym
a word with the opposite meaning

1. Discover: Building words

Lola builds words from happy: unhappy (prefix un- = not), happiness (suffix -ness makes a noun), happily (suffix -ly makes an adverb). She tries re- with write: rewrite, to write again.

Think: What does each added part change?

2. Understand: Adding parts, changing words

Idea 1: Prefixes

A prefix goes before the base word and changes meaning: un- (not), re- (again), dis- (not), pre- (before).

Idea 2: Suffixes

A suffix goes after the base word. -ness and -ment make nouns, -ly makes adverbs, -ful and -less make adjectives.

Idea 3: Opposites

Some prefixes build an antonym: happy and unhappy.

Remember: Prefixes change meaning and suffixes often change word class; both help you decode and build words.

3. Worked examples

Example 1 (I show you): Prefix

What does re- mean?

  1. Again.

Answer: again

Example 2 (We do it together): Suffix

What does -ness make?

  1. A noun.

Answer: a noun

Example 3 (You try): Antonym

What is the antonym of happy built with un-?

Show the steps and answer
  1. Add un.

Answer: unhappy

Did you know?

English speakers can create new words by adding prefixes and suffixes, such as unfriend.

Why this matters

Knowing affixes helps you read, spell and understand many words.

4. Explore: Word builder

Build word families.

  1. Choose base word kind.
  2. Add three prefixes or suffixes.
  3. Write meanings.
  4. Use each in a sentence.
Think about it: what did you notice?

You can use affixes.

5. Practise

Say it in a sentence

Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.

  • The base word is ___.
  • The prefix means ___.
  • The suffix makes it a ___.
  • The new word means ___.

Guided practice

Question 1. Letters added at the start of a word are a ___.

prefix

Question 2. Letters added at the end are a ___.

suffix

Question 3. The word before additions is the ___ word.

base

Independent practice

Level 1: Start

  1. Letters added at the start of a word are a ___.
  2. Letters added at the end are a ___.
  3. The word before additions is the ___ word.
  4. A word with opposite meaning is an ___.
  5. Re- means ___.

Level 2: Grow

  1. What does un- mean?
  2. What does -ly make?
  3. What does -ful make?

Level 3: Stretch

  1. Does a prefix go before the word?
  2. Does a suffix go at the end?
  3. Can a suffix change word class?

Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.

6. Apply: English in everyday life

Make four new words using prefixes or suffixes and write their meanings.

Show a sample answer

new words

Another one. Find three words with prefixes or suffixes at home and explain them.

Show a sample answer

a completed task

7. Common mistakes

Mistake: Rushing without checking.
Fix: Slow down and check your work.
Another mistake: Skipping the worked example.
Fix: Study the example first, then try.

8. Lesson summary and revision card

I can…

  • I can identify prefixes.
  • I can identify suffixes.
  • I can change meaning with a prefix.
  • I can change word class with a suffix.

9. Check and master

Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.

1. A prefix goes at the ___ of a word.

2. A suffix goes at the ___.

3. A base word is the word ___ additions.

4. An antonym has the ___ meaning.

5. re- means ___.

6. un- means ___.

7. pre- means ___.

8. -ness makes a ___.

9. -ly often makes an ___.

10. What does rewrite mean?

11. What is the antonym of happy built with un-?

12. Which word has a suffix?

Challenge 1. Which means not kind?

Challenge 2. Which word is an adjective made with a suffix?

Your result appears here after you answer every question.

10. Key takeaways

  • Find the base word.
  • Look at the prefix.
  • Look at the suffix.
  • Work out the new meaning.

11. Next lesson

Next lesson: Academic vocabulary. Keep going with the next idea in this course.

Exam practice

These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.

  1. What is a prefix? [1 mark]
  2. What is a suffix? [1 mark]
  3. Give the meanings of un- and re-. [2 marks]
  4. Give two suffixes and what they make. [2 marks]
  5. Explain how to work out a word with a prefix and suffix. [3 marks]

Total: 9 marks.

Marking guide and model answers
  1. letters added to the start of a word [1]
  2. letters added to the end of a word [1]
  3. un- means not [1]; re- means again [1]
  4. -ness makes a noun [1]; -ly makes an adverb [1]
  5. find the base word [1]; find the meaning of prefix and suffix [1]; combine to get the new meaning [1]

Score guide: 8 to 9 = secure. 6 to 7 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 6 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.

Printable worksheet

  1. Letters added at the start of a word are a ___.
  2. Letters added at the end are a ___.
  3. The word before additions is the ___ word.
  4. A word with opposite meaning is an ___.
  5. Re- means ___.
  6. What does un- mean?
  7. What does -ly make?
  8. What does -ful make?
  9. Does a prefix go before the word?
  10. Does a suffix go at the end?

Homework

Find three words with prefixes or suffixes at home and explain them.

Answer key and marking scheme

Question Expected response Marks
1. Letters added at the start of a word are a ___. prefix 1
2. Letters added at the end are a ___. suffix 1
3. The word before additions is the ___ word. base 1
4. A word with opposite meaning is an ___. antonym 1
5. Re- means ___. again 1
6. What does un- mean? not 1
7. What does -ly make? an adverb 1
8. What does -ful make? an adjective 1
9. Does a prefix go before the word? yes 1
10. Does a suffix go at the end? yes 1
Total 10

Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 prefix; 2 suffix; 3 base; 4 antonym; 5 again. Level 2: 1 not; 2 an adverb; 3 an adjective. Level 3: 1 yes; 2 yes; 3 yes.

Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.

Mastery and remediation

Objective Bronze (Developing) Silver (Proficient) Gold (Advanced)
O1 Identify prefixes Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O2 Identify suffixes Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O3 Change meaning with a prefix Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O4 Change word class with a suffix Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation

Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.

If a learner struggles

  1. Find the misconception: Rushing without checking. Slow down and check your work.
  2. Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
  3. Show a simpler example: Re-read the examples slowly and use the sentence frames.
  4. Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
  5. Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
  6. Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.

For parents and guardians

In this lesson your child practises a key Grade 3 English skill with clear examples and a quiz. You do not need to be an expert to help.

  • Listen while your child explains the idea.
  • Ask for one new example.
  • Praise effort and careful work.
  • Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
  • Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
  • Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.

Teacher package

1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration

Lesson objectives. Learners will: identify prefixes; identify suffixes; change meaning with a prefix; change word class with a suffix.

Prerequisite knowledge. Greek and Latin roots.

Materials. Chart paper or board, pencils, picture or word cards, a reading book if available. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.

Preparation. Write the key words and examples on the board or on cards before the lesson.

Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.

6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities

Introduction (5 min). Introduce the idea with the opening example.

Explanation (10 min). Teach the key words.

Guided activity (10 min). Practise together.

Independent activity (10 min). Check understanding with the quiz.

Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.

Key questions. What is the key idea? Can I give my own example?

Teacher explanation notes. Move from the spoken word to pictures and then to print. Read aloud often, point to the words, and let learners hear and say before they read and write.

10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions

Support. Use the sentence frames and work with a partner. Extension. Create a harder example of your own.

Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.

Misconceptions. Rushing without checking. Slow down and check your work.

13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme

Use the quiz, the 9-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.

16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection

Remediation. Re-read the examples slowly and use the sentence frames. Enrichment. Make up your own example and teach it to someone at home. Homework. See above.

Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.

Sources and standards

This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Cambridge Primary and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.

Official standards for this topic area. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (official site): Grade 5 » Reading: Foundational Skills. These pages list the standards that cover this topic area; read them alongside the lesson.

Research used to shape this lesson. Common Core L.5.4b and RF.5.3a (use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology); Cambridge Primary English Stage 5 (affixes). These sources informed the lesson.

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