English lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 60 minutes

Opposites with il-, im-, ir- and in- (illegal, impossible, irregular)

Spelling

CCSS L.4.4.BCCSS L.4.2.DEngland: Y3/4 Spelling (prefixes il-, im-, ir-, in-)

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Opposites with il-, im-, ir- and in- (illegal, impossible, irregular).

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: Spell words with dis-, mis-, in- and re-

Leads to: -able or -ible? The root-word test (enjoyable, possible); Verb prefixes de-, dis-, mis-, over- and re-

Materials: Word cards, Look-say-cover-write-check sheets, Mini whiteboards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 6 min

Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Spell words with dis-, mis-, in- and re-). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

Join the prefix and the root word. Type the new word. in + correct → incorrectPrompt: Write the prefix, then the whole root word straight after it.
Which spelling is correct? (incorrect / inncorrect / encorrect) → incorrectPrompt: Say the word slowly and listen for the tricky part.
Which prefix makes a real word with this meaning? put in the wrong place: ___place (dis / mis / in / re) → misPrompt: dis- and in- often mean 'not' or 'the opposite'. mis- means 'wrongly'. re- means 'again'.

Hook · 6 min

Show a word spelled two ways and ask which looks right, then why.
Share the objective: Opposites with il-, im-, ir- and in- (illegal, impossible, irregular). 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 prefix makes the opposite of "regular"?
Step 1: All four mean 'not'. Use il- before l, ir- before r, im- before m or p, and in- before most other letters. Keep every letter, so you often get a double letter (il + legal).
Step 2: ir + regular = irregular
Step 3: So the answer is: ir
Answer: ir
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 prefix makes the opposite of "edible"? (il / im / ir / in) → inPrompt: Look at the first letter of the root word.
Type the opposite of "regular" using il-, im-, ir- or in-. → irregularPrompt: Which letter does the word start with?

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 prefix makes the opposite of "active"? (il / im / ir / in) → inPrompt: Look at the first letter of the root word.
Which spelling is correct? (inmortal / imortal / immortal) → immortalPrompt: Say the word slowly and listen for the tricky part.

Watch out for

Spelling every word exactly as it sounds.
Learning a list for a test but not using the words in writing.

Support and stretch

Support

Review first: Spell words with dis-, mis-, in- and re-.
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: -able or -ible? The root-word test (enjoyable, possible); Verb prefixes de-, dis-, mis-, over- and re-.
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-4.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder