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    Common Word Parts

    decodable words

    Understanding common word parts like base words, prefixes, and suffixes will help children break words into smaller, meaningful word parts, which can help them read, write, and understand more challenging words.

    The word help is called a base word because it can stand alone and has meaning. It is also called a base word because we can add to it to change the word. For example, we can add the ending ‑ful, for the word helpful. When we add a word part to the end of a word, it is called a suffix. We can also add a word part to the beginning of a base word. When we add a word part to the beginning of a base word, it is called a prefix. For example, the prefix un‑ can be added to helpful to make the word unhelpful.

     

    Word = Prefix + Base Word + Suffix
    Unhelpful = un + help + ful

     

    Word Part Detective

     
    Key Points About the Video
    • Mom explains how to be a word part detective. Mom shows her son how to analyze the first word (indifferent).
    • With each word, Mom has her son do more and more of the work until he is analyzing words independently.
    • If her son does not know the meaning of a word, Mom explains the meaning (unpleasing, identical, intermittently) to make sure her son understands each sentence.
    • Mom is enthusiastic and encouraging.

     

     Word Part Detective

    Help your child read challenging words by having him or her practice a strategy called word part detective. Your child will look at a word and take it apart by its word parts to help him or her read the word.



    Adding Prefixes and Suffixes to Build Words

    Key Points About the Video
    • Before beginning the activity, Dad makes sure his son knows that a prefix is added to the beginning of a word and a suffix is added to the end of a word.
    • Dad has son read the list of base words to make sure he knows them.
    • After a prefix or suffix is added to a word, Dad asks his son the meaning of the word or to use it in a sentence to make sure he understands the new word.

     Adding Prefixes and Suffixes to Build Words

    Help your child add prefixes and suffixes to base words.



     Building Words With Grammatical Endings

    Help your child use grammatical endings to build and read words.



     Building Words From Root Words

    Help your child add prefixes and suffixes to root words to build many words using the same root word.