Teaching Tips for Prefixes and Suffixes

Now, children formally learn that prefixes come before base words, while suffixes come at the end of words.

• Write common prefixes and suffixes along with their meanings on word cards, a poster, or a bulletin board. Teach in whole-class/small group lessons, and include cards in a prefix-suffix center. These are some common prefixes used in the song:

mis: wrongly (Misspell means to spell wrongly.)
re: again (Retell means to tell again.)
un: 1. not 2. opposite of (Unprotected means not protected. Unscrew means opposite of screw.)
pre: before (Preschool means before school.)

These are some common suffixes from the song:

_ful: full of (Cheerful means full of cheer.)
_ly: characteristic of (Quickly means being quick.)
_y: characterized by (Cloudy means characterized by clouds.)
_est: comparative - the most (Nicest means the most nice.)
_less: without (Painless means without pain.)
_er: 1. comparative - more 2. one who (Taller means more tall. Teacher means one who
teaches.)

• List words containing prefixes and suffixes. Do the spellings of the base words change? Discuss and sort the changes in terms of rules we have already learned.

• Note that prefixes often modify the meaning of a base word. Suffixes do not usually change the meaning of the base word; they give variations on the same idea.