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English lesson plan · 6th grade (Year 7 in England) · 60 minutes

Making opposites with un-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, dis- and non-

Vocabulary

CCSS L.6.4.BCCSS L.6.2.BEngland: KS3 English (vocabulary and spelling)England: Y5/6 Spelling (prefixes)

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Making opposites with un-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, dis- and non-.

  • 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: What prefixes mean: pre-, sub-, inter-, trans- and more

Leads to: the next skill in this area.

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 · 6 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (What prefixes mean: pre-, sub-, inter-, trans- and more). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. What does the prefix "anti" mean? (as in antifreeze, antivirus, antiseptic) (against / above, beyond / half / after) → againstPrompt: What do the example words have in common?
  2. Which word contains a prefix that means "between"? (superhuman / rebuild / exit / international) → internationalPrompt: Split each word into parts. Which part could mean "between"?
  3. These words share a prefix that means "wrongly". Type it. mislead, misplace, misspell → misPrompt: Look for the letters that appear in every word.

Hook · 6 min

  • Show an interesting word in a sentence and ask what it might mean from the clues around it.
  • Share the objective: Making opposites with un-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, dis- and non-. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 12 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: Which word means "not obey" (or the opposite of "obey")?
  • Step 1: dis- often reverses an action or quality: agree → disagree.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: disobey
  • Answer: disobey
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 12 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. Which word means "not mobile" (or the opposite of "mobile")? (unmobile / dismobile / immobile / irmobile) → immobilePrompt: Look at the first letter of the word. Does it begin with l, m, p or r?
  2. Add a prefix to make the opposite of "reversible". Type the new word. → irreversiblePrompt: Look at the first letter of the word. Does it begin with l, m, p or r?

You do: independent practice · 17 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 · 7 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Which word means "not reversible" (or the opposite of "reversible")? (ilreversible / inreversible / irreversible / imreversible) → irreversiblePrompt: Look at the first letter of the word. Does it begin with l, m, p or r?
  2. Add a prefix to make the opposite of "legal". Type the new word. → illegalPrompt: Look at the first letter of the word. Does it begin with l, m, p or r?

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: What prefixes mean: pre-, sub-, inter-, trans- and more.
  • 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

  • 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

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Making opposites with un-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, dis- and non-

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    Which word means "not capable" (or the opposite of "capable")?

    • A. ilcapable
    • B. imcapable
    • C. ircapable
    • D. incapable

  2. Question 2

    Add a prefix to make the opposite of "legal". Type the new word.

    Answer

  3. Question 3

    Which word means "not patient" (or the opposite of "patient")?

    • A. ilpatient
    • B. impatient
    • C. irpatient
    • D. unpatient

  4. Question 4

    Add a prefix to make the opposite of "complete". Type the new word.

    Answer

  5. Question 5

    Which word means "not usual" (or the opposite of "usual")?

    • A. irusual
    • B. inusual
    • C. imusual
    • D. unusual

  6. Question 6

    Add a prefix to make the opposite of "capable". Type the new word.

    Answer

  7. Question 7

    Which word means "not legible" (or the opposite of "legible")?

    • A. illegible
    • B. dislegible
    • C. irlegible
    • D. unlegible

  8. Question 8

    Add a prefix to make the opposite of "fiction". Type the new word.

    Answer

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Answer key: Making opposites with un-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, dis- and non-

  1. 1. D. incapable

  2. 2. illegal

  3. 3. B. impatient

  4. 4. incomplete

  5. 5. D. unusual

  6. 6. incapable

  7. 7. A. illegible

  8. 8. nonfiction