Other editions of book Word Roots and Affixes: Be a Word Sleuth

Word Roots and affixes, Book 2, is for students in grades 6 and 8. It is designed for kids to learn and apply the way root words, prefixes, and suffixes are used to create a living language. The goal is to ignite an interest in and fascination about words for students so they may decode unfamiliar words as they read and create new ones as they make language their own! Why should a teacher and his or her students spend time studying affixes (prefixes and suffixes) and roots of words? It makes perfect sense when one considers that a great number of words in the common English vocabulary are combinations of various roots and prefixes and/or suffixes. Rather than having to go to a dictionary each time an unfamiliar word is encountered, a student who has learned these three basic components can arrive at a logical meaning on his or her own. Traditionally, the only way used to improve vocabulary is to locate unfamiliar words as they are encountered in some form of dictionary and then to commit the new words to memory. This method is cumbersome, discouraging and time consuming at least. Research indicates that this method is not as effective in improving vocabulary strength as does learning affixes and roots and the many ways they can and do work in combinations to build words. The purpose and intent of teaching word parts and the ways words are put together is to give students another option for decoding and understanding unfamiliar words and for building new ones. By examining how and why prefixes and suffixes affect simple word roots and already complex words, students can more readily expand their vocabulary. All affixes or roots need not be learned at once; however, by learning to analyze, use and manipulate a number of basic components, students will develop a more efficient and effective set of tools to use when meeting unfamiliar words or inventing their own. This method and strategy will help to reduce the mass of vocabulary that students must learn as single, seemingly isolated words. Students will be able to analyze new words by using this knowledge and the context in which the word appears. How satisfying it will be for the student each time he or she can figure out the meaning of a word using these new skills! It is the puzzle solved.

The goal is to ignite an interest in and fascination about words for students so they may decode unfamiliar words as they read and create new words as they make language their own! Kids learn and apply the way roots words, prefixes, and suffixes are used to create a living language. By examining how and why prefixes and suffixes affect simple word roots and already complex words, students can more readily expand their vocabulary. They will analyze new words by using this knowledge and the context in which the word appears.