If you’re planning out your vocabulary instruction for the year, chances are there are lots of spots in those plans for reviewing affixes and roots, and probably also for teaching some new ones.  So, I thought, a few new lesson ideas and free resources about prefixes, suffixes, and roots might be of use here.

Here’s a whole-class game that you might like to try if you’re planning a little review – and who isn’t, since affixes and roots are some of those topics that reappear year after year in English classes almost everywhere.  This one is an I  Have . . .Who Has . . .  card game about prefixes, suffixes, and roots  that you can download now.  Here you can see some of the cards.

I like this game because every kid participates.  It can be played as a cooperative game with no winners or losers, or – to add a little bit of competition – play more than once and try to beat your previous time (It’s a great way to add in a little extra review!)

This game has twenty-eight cards, plus a few blanks in case you want to add more.  And of course, game directions are included.

Now for two more fun ideas!  One is a color coding review of roots, and other is a brochure-style foldable about prefixes and suffixes.  You can download them both in one free resource from my TPT store.

Here’s the color coding activity.  In this one, the color code includes the clues, and the outline picture has either a root or a word with the root on each section.

Below you can see the four column foldable.  This style is compact but includes spaces for lots of details.  The finished product is great for keeping in students’ notebooks.

Here is a little more information from the listing:  In the prefix side of the foldable, students list sample words, identify the prefixes, define the prefixes, define the words, and write sample sentences. The suffix side is similar and also has a space for the part of speech for each word. Students are also asked to define the terms prefix and suffix and to come up with an icon to represent each.

I hope you and your kids enjoy these free resources, and if you’re looking for more in-depth classroom materials check out the vocabulary resources for sale in my TPT store – Classroom in the Middle!

The Resources