Subscribe

8th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 10 of 12

Precise Words & Spelling

Spelling rules, word parts and exact vocabulary

What your child practices

Children use word families, prefixes, suffixes and spelling rules, choose precise words for a subject, and use word-processing tools to format a document.

Alaska content standards learning standard: L.8.2; L.8.6 · precise vocabulary and spelling rules

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Many words ending in f or fe change to v and add -es in the plural: knife → knives.
  2. A derivative is a base word plus a prefix or suffix: help → helpful.
  3. Pick precise subject words, and use word-processor styles to format headings.

Example: What is the plural of “knife”? “Knife” ends in fe. Change it to v and add -es. Answer: knives

Precise Words & Spelling in Alaska

In the Alaska content standards, this is unit 10 of 12 in 8th grade English Language Arts, after Write It Better and before Media Influence.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Alaska Department of Education and Early Development

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Which word is spelled correctly?

    • neccesary
    • necessary
    • necesary
    • neccessary

  2. Question 2

    Which word is spelled correctly?

    • government
    • govermment
    • govenment
    • goverment

  3. Question 3

    Which word is spelled correctly?

    • seperate
    • separate
    • separete
    • seperete

  4. Question 4

    Which word contains the prefix “trans-” meaning “across”?

    • transport
    • trample
    • train
    • trust

  5. Question 5

    Which word means the opposite of “expand”?

    • stretch
    • extend
    • contract
    • grow

  6. Question 6

    Which word comes from the Latin root “aud” (hear)?

    • audience
    • adventure
    • ancient
    • animal

More 8th grade