Language Arts, Reading, Vocabulary

Grade 3- 5

Objective

Students find root words from compound words.

Directions

Grammar is also concerned with the way an overall composition is structured to engage an audience and to deliver its message and with the way we choose particular words appropriate to that audience and message. It is important to generate an interest in words and to encourage children to be thoughtful about the words they use. If children develop an interest in language at an early age, they should continue throughout their school life and into adulthood appreciating the richness and diversity of our ever-growing language.
Concepts third and fourth graders should become familiar with follow.
Root words, prefixes, and suffixes
It is often helpful to see a word in terms of its various parts. These parts are called the root, the prefix, and the suffix.
The root word is the word from which other words are built.
Example: kind
A prefix is a group of letters placed at the beginning of a word. It changes the meaning or use of the root word.
Example: un + kind = unkind
A suffix is a group of letters added to the end of a word. (Sometimes spelling changes have to be made.) Suffixes also affect the meanings and uses of root words.
Example: unkindly:

Resources

• Root Words activity sheet
• pencils