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3rd grade · English Language Arts · Unit 6 of 13

Prefixes & Suffixes

Word parts that change meaning

What your child practices

Learning what prefixes (un-, re-, pre-, dis-) and suffixes (-ful, -less, -er, -ly) mean, finding base words and using new words in sentences.

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards benchmark: 3.1.1.2 · using prefixes and suffixes to read and understand words

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. A prefix goes at the start of a word: un- and dis- mean not, re- means again, pre- means before.
  2. A suffix goes at the end: -ful means full of, -less means without, -er means one who.
  3. Cover the prefix and suffix to find the base word.

Example: What is the base word in “carefully”? Take off the suffix -ly: careful. Take off the suffix -ful: care. Answer: care

Prefixes & Suffixes in Minnesota

In the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards, this is unit 6 of 13 in 3rd grade English Language Arts, after Spelling Patterns and before Word Pairs.

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: Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)

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

    What does “dishonest” mean?

    dishonest

    • not honest
    • honest again
    • very honest

  2. Question 2

    What does “preheat” mean?

    preheat

    • heat again
    • heat before
    • not heat

  3. Question 3

    Which word means “a person who plays”?

    • playful
    • replay
    • player

  4. Question 4

    What does the suffix “-less” mean in “spotless”?

    • again
    • without
    • full of

  5. Question 5

    What does the prefix “dis-” mean in “dislike”?

    • again
    • before
    • not

  6. Question 6

    What is the base word in “preheated”?

    preheated

    • heated
    • preheat
    • heat

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