Prefix/Suffix Detective

From FreeReading

What to Do

Prepare

Write a list of the prefixes and suffixes students have learned so far on the board or a piece of chart paper.

Make sure each student has a sheet of paper and a pencil.

Model/Instruct

1. Review the prefixes and suffixes students have learned so far.

Today, we will learn more about words containing prefixes and suffixes by playing Prefix/Suffix Detective.

2. Choose a student to help you model how to play the game. Complete each step together with the class.

We are going to become detectives and search our books for words that contain prefixes and suffixes.

Let the student open a book and search for a word.

When you find a word, write it on your paper.

Allow the student to write the word on his or her paper.

You will have seven minutes to find as many words as you can. When the time is up, the student with the most words wins!

Practice

3. Have students play prefix and suffix detective.

Now, it is your turn to play Prefix/Suffix Detective. Remember to write down on your paper each word you find with a prefix or a suffix. Make sure to read the words in your books carefully.

4. Walk around the classroom to monitor the students’ performance on this task.

5. At the end of the time period, ask students to tally up how many words they have found. As a wrap-up, you may ask some students to share the words they have found with the class.

Adjust

For Advanced Students:

Encourage these students to find words that contain both prefixes and suffixes.

For Struggling Students:

Ask these students to circle the prefix or suffix in each word they find in order to make the distinction between the two more clear.

For ELL Students:

ELL students may need an explanation of the meaning of the words they find.

Related activities

• All Prefixes and Suffixes Activities