Hands-on Activities on Prefixes for Students
No matter the grade level, learning to dissect words into prefixes and roots improves reading comprehension, spelling and vocabulary skills. Hands-on learning spices up typical worksheet or computer game fare, speeding learning and enhancing retention by involving the whole brain. With minimal preparation and common materials, these activities can be adapted for classroom, homeschool or tutoring situations. Begin with a list of grade-level words with prefixes, found on sites such as Education.com.
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Large Group Prefix Activities
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The game Word Partners gets the whole class moving. Write words with prefixes on file cards with enough for half of the class. Cut the prefix part from the base or root word, doubling your cards. Hand out the cards to the students and instruct them to "find a partner to make a new word." For high schoolers, add more rules, such as only partnering Greek prefixes with Latin roots.
Prefix Beach Ball toss is a circle game. Write roots and prefixes on a large beach ball with permanent marker. Make the written area about hand-size for students. Toss the ball, and where the left hand lands the student must add a root or prefix to make a word.
Small Group Prefix Games
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Groups of students can get active with prefixes by playing Prefix Twister. Use a regular Twister game mat or draw a mat on blacktop with chalk. Label the circles with roots and prefixes. On each turn the student must make a word by touching a prefix and a root with a hand and foot.
Kick and Tell is a circle game in which students must say a prefix or root and then kick a playground ball to another student. That student adds a root or prefix to make a complete word, then starts a new word with his kick.
In Prefix Improv, student groups receive 10 words with prefixes on cards and must quickly stage a scene using all the words.
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Prefix Art Creations
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Older students can cut words with prefixes from magazines and newspapers to make creative collage posters or bulletin board displays. Lapbooks or mini-books make lasting learning tools, using creative ways to show how prefixes and roots go together, their origins and meanings. Lapbooks are made from simple file folders with a variety of flaps to lift or tabs and folds to open to reveal information about prefixes. Mini-books are made by folding printer paper into fourths, adding information and pictures and separating the pages. They can be attached by their back covers to lapbooks.
Table Top Prefix Fun
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Elementary students enjoy using plastic math links to connect prefix and root word cards. Simply punch holes in the file cards used for other prefix activities.
With multiple sets of prefix and root word cards, students can play card games such as Crazy Prefix Uno. Write cards using three different colors so students can match colors or word sections that go together to form new words on each play. Include a few wild cards for fun, too. Once you begin using hands-on activities to teach prefixes you'll never need to bore anyone with worksheets again.
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References
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