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.
- What does the prefix "de" mean? (as in defrost, decode, deactivate) (together / against / half / remove or reverse) → remove or reversePrompt: What do the example words have in common?
- Which word contains a prefix that means "above, beyond"? (translate / exit / antiseptic / superstar) → superstarPrompt: Split each word into parts. Which part could mean "above, beyond"?
- These words share a prefix that means "above, beyond". Type it. supersonic, superhuman, superstar → superPrompt: 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.
- Which word means "not usual" (or the opposite of "usual")? (disusual / irusual / unusual / inusual) → unusualPrompt: Look at the first letter of the word. Does it begin with l, m, p or r?
- Add a prefix to make the opposite of "mature". Type the new word. → immaturePrompt: 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.
- Which word means "not fiction" (or the opposite of "fiction")? (irfiction / unfiction / infiction / nonfiction) → nonfictionPrompt: Look at the first letter of the word. Does it begin with l, m, p or r?
- Add a prefix to make the opposite of "correct". Type the new word. → incorrectPrompt: 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