English lesson plan · 6th grade (Year 7 in England) · 45 minutes
What prefixes mean: pre-, sub-, inter-, trans- and more
Vocabulary
CCSS L.6.4.BEngland: KS3 English (vocabulary)England: 11+ English
Objective and success criteria
Students will: What prefixes mean: pre-, sub-, inter-, trans- and more.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Prefixes and suffixes
Leads to: Making opposites with un-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, dis- and non-; Advanced prefixes: ante-, hyper-, hypo-, pseudo-, retro-…
Materials: Word cards, A thesaurus or dictionary, A short text with the target words, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 5 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Prefixes and suffixes). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Which prefix makes a real word from "correct", meaning "not" or "wrongly"? (uncorrect / incorrect / imcorrect / discorrect) → incorrectPrompt: un-, dis-, mis-, in-, im-, il- and ir- can all mean 'not'.
- What does this prefix mean? auto- (as in autograph, autopilot) (water / sound / far away / self) → selfPrompt: Look at the example words. What do they have in common?
- What does this suffix mean? -ness (as in kindness, sadness) (the state of being / a person who / in a way / full of) → the state of beingPrompt: Look at the example words.
Hook · 5 min
- Show an interesting word in a sentence and ask what it might mean from the clues around it.
- Share the objective: What prefixes mean: pre-, sub-, inter-, trans- and more. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 10 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: What does the prefix "semi" mean? (as in semifinal, semicolon, semicircle)
- Step 1: Knowing what a prefix means helps you work out unfamiliar words that contain it.
- Step 2: semi means "half", as in semicircle, semifinal, semicolon.
- Step 3: So the answer is: half
- Answer: half
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 10 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- What does the prefix "ex" mean? (as in exit, exhale, exclude) (together / out / wrongly / half) → outPrompt: What do the example words have in common?
- Which word contains a prefix that means "before"? (antiseptic / coexist / defrost / prehistoric) → prehistoricPrompt: Split each word into parts. Which part could mean "before"?
You do: independent practice · 10 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 5 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- Which word contains a prefix that means "wrongly"? (misunderstand / rebuild / intercept / prehistoric) → misunderstandPrompt: Split each word into parts. Which part could mean "wrongly"?
- What does the prefix "pre" mean? (as in prehistoric, preview, precaution) (before / after / wrongly / half) → beforePrompt: What do the example words have in common?
Watch out for
- Picking a "bigger" synonym that doesn't fit the meaning.
- Ignoring the clues in the rest of the sentence.
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Prefixes and suffixes.
- Use concrete materials: word cards.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Move on to: Making opposites with un-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, dis- and non-; Advanced prefixes: ante-, hyper-, hypo-, pseudo-, retro-….
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-6.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder