Subscribe

8th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 3 of 12

Word Study

Roots, affixes and connotation

What your child practices

Using prefixes, suffixes and Greek and Latin roots to work out unfamiliar words, reading context clues, and noticing how word choice changes feeling.

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards benchmark: 8.1.8.2 · word parts and the effect of word choice in academic texts

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Prefixes go at the start (re-, dis-, mis-). Suffixes go at the end (-ful, -able).
  2. Greek and Latin roots carry meaning: graph (write), auto (self), bio (life).
  3. Words with similar meanings can have different connotations: slim sounds kinder than skinny.

Example: The root “graph” means write and “auto” means self. What does “autograph” mean? Put the parts together: self + write. Something you write yourself is your signature. Answer: A person’s own signature

Word Study in Minnesota

In the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards, this is unit 3 of 12 in 8th grade English Language Arts, after Literary Devices and before Irony, Satire & Allusion.

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

    Prefix or suffix? Sort each word part.

    Sort into: ⏮️ Prefix · ⏭️ Suffix

    • 📦-ment (result of)
    • 0️⃣-less (without)
    • ❌mis- (wrongly)
    • 💛-ness (state of)
    • ⏪pre- (before)
    • ↔️dis- (opposite of)
    • 🧺-ful (full of)
    • 🚫un- (not)

  2. Question 2

    The root “bio” means “life.” What is “biology”?

    • The study of words
    • The study of rocks
    • The study of living things
    • The study of stars

  3. Question 3

    The Greek root “graph” means “write.” What does “autograph” most likely mean?

    • A machine for writing
    • A picture of a car
    • A person's own signature
    • A long story

  4. Question 4

    Which word has the most positive connotation?

    • slim
    • bony
    • scrawny
    • skinny

  5. Question 5

    The prefix “re-” in “rebuild” means…

    • not
    • under
    • before
    • again

  6. Question 6

    The Latin root “aqua” means “water.” What does “aquarium” most likely mean?

    • A place to keep water animals
    • A tall building
    • A type of desert
    • A kind of flower

More 8th grade