affixes, texas 8th grade reading

1. Dare to know…6 minutes
• In your spiral, tell me your personal strategy for
figuring out words you don’t know when you’re
reading. Here are some guiding questions. You don’t
need to write them, just answer:
• Do you just guess what the word means?
• Do you skip it and go on without trying to figure it out?
• Do you try to recognize other words that are similar? (ex:
The boy was attentive; he always knew what was
happening. Attentive looks like attention. Maybe they’re
similar)
• Do you narrow your multiple choice answers in a
passage?
• Do you see if it’s similar to a word in Spanish?
• Tell me WHY you do what you do. Example:‖ I usually
just skip it because it’s not that important to me to
understand everything. I don’t have a big vocabulary
anyway.‖

2. Today, SWBAT
• Discover how word parts can help you figure out word
meaning.
• 8.2 A Determine the meaning of grade-level academic English
words derived from Latin, Greek, or other linguistic roots and
affixes
• This will help us become STRONG, CRITICAL readers which is
a part of our BIG GOAL—SAPERE AUDE.
• WHY?
• Learning word parts can help you comprehend (understand) what
you’re reading. You can use this for unfamiliar vocabulary.
• By learning some of these common building blocks, you’ll be able to
make intelligent guesses on words whose meanings you may not have
memorized
• Expectations:
• Write down what is underlined.
• Stay silent (which means NO TALKING) while I’m teaching, unless I
ask you to participate

3. Base Words
• A base word is a real word that can stand alone.
You can make new words by adding other word
parts.
• Examples:
• Base Word Words made by adding
parts
Think thinking, think, unthinkable, thinker
Agree agreeable, disagree, agreement

4. Root Words
• A rootcannot stand alone. Many roots come from
Greek or Latin words.
• Examples:
• Root Origin English example
dict Latin for say diction
spect Greek for observe inspect

5. Checking for Understanding
• What is the difference between a base word and a
root word?
• A base word can stand alone, while a root word
cannot.

6. Mnemonic (memory) Device
• This will help us remember the different between a
base word and a root word.
• A base is like a vase, it can stand on its own.
• A root needs a tree in order to be.

7. Prefixes
• A prefix is a group of letters added to the beginning of a
base word, like re- in rethink.
• A prefix changes the meaning of a base word.
• If the prefix re- means again, what do you think rethink
means?
• To think again!
• Examples:
• Sub – under submarine: underwater vessel
• Un- not unbelievable: not to be
believed

8. Suffix
• A suffix is a group of letters added to the end of a
base word. This also changes the meaning of the
base word.
• Suffix Meaning Examples
• -less without sleepless,
clueless, hopeless
• -ly in that waygladly, quickly, immediately
• -ness state of being happiness,
sadness, rudeness

9. Quick Check
• What is the difference between a prefix and a
suffix?
• A prefix is added to the beginning of a base
word, and a suffix is added to the end of a base
word.
• What is the difference between a root word and a
base word? Think of the mnemonic device!
• A base word can stand on its own (a vase), and a
root word cannot (it needs a tree).

10. Why are we learning this?
• You can use word parts (base, root, prefixes, suffixes) to help
you figure out the meaning of unknown words. Basically, you
will better understand what you’re reading! We’re on the way to
becoming STRONG, CRITICAL readers (SAPERE AUDE!)
• Steps:
1. Look at parts of the word.
2. Do you recognize the base or root word?
3. Are there added parts that can change the meaning?
1. For example: A verb can become a noun, or a noun can become a
verb or a noun an adjective.
4. Put the parts together and guess the meaning! If it makes
sense, you’re most likely right.

11. Let me show you.
• I know he was upset, but his actions were indefensible!
• The prefix is in-, which means not. So it means ―not‖
something.
• Defens…looks like defense. So I’m thinking something
along the lines of not defend.
• The suffix –ible is the same as –able, which means ―able to.‖
• If I put those together, I get ―not able to defend.‖ (verb)
• So I know he was upset, but he can’t defend his actions!
• It makes sense, and I only used word parts to guess the
meaning.

12. Let’s try another.
• The root dict- means ―say‖ and the prefix pre- means
―before.‖ So predict means …
• To say before, in advance; to foretell. (verb)
• What does happily mean?
• I see the base word happy, and I know the suffix –ly
means ―in that way.‖ If I put those together I get ―in a
happy way.‖ (adverb: describes an action)
• The peace in peaceful is…a base word or root word?
• Base because it can stand on its own! (adjective)

13. Let’s do a couple as a
class.
• The prefix re- means ―again,‖ and the base assured means
―confident, guaranteed.‖ So the word reassured means…
• To guarantee again. (verb)
• What is the meaning of calmness?
• What does calm mean? Is it a base or root? How do you
know? What does the suffix –ness mean?
• So calmness is ―the state of being calm.‖ (noun)
• If the root ven means ―to come, go‖ (like venir in
Spanish), and the prefix inter- means between, what does
intervene mean?
• To come between (a verb)

14. Your turn! Write your answer
in your spiral
• My cat Sage jumped into the snow. Sage had a
touch of arthritis and didn’t find the winter weather
enjoyable.
• If arthro means ―where body parts are connected‖
and –itismeans ―inflammation,‖ (pain) Sage most
likely
a) Has difficulty hearing
b) Has aches and pains in her legs
c) Has difficulty seeing
d) Has a problem eating cat food

15. The room was sizeable; the
biggest I’d ever seen!
• The suffix –able means ―capable of being‖ or ―to
be able‖ and changes the base word size from a
noun to a:
a) To a pronoun (proper noun)
b) To a verb (action)
c) To an adjective (describes)
d) To a plural noun (more than one)
a) How do you know?

16. Quiz! In your spiral, write
your ANSWERS ONLY
1. Since terra means ―earth,‖ subterranean means what? Is
terra a root or base word?
2. If the suffix –istmeans ―one who does,‖ journalist means
what?
3. What does the word believable mean?
4. The prefix un- changes the word like to mean what?
5. Make up your own word using some of the prefixes and
suffixes we learned today. Tell me what it means and WHY
you know it means that. Use it in a sentence.
1. Ex: Shuffleable. Able to shuffle. It means that because
shuffle is a base word (verb) about dancing and –able
means able to. “The song had a great beat. It was