Prefixes re-, pre- and mis-: Pick by Meaning

A key at the top of this 2nd grade page shows three puzzle pieces, re, pre and mis, with their meanings underneath: again, before and wrongly. Eight numbered rows follow, each with a short definition on the left and a two-piece word on the right: an empty dashed piece in front of a base word such as fill, view, place, pay, read, count, heat and spell. The child reads what the new word means, finds its prefix in the key and writes it in the empty piece. On the sheet shown each prefix is needed two or three times, making refill, preview, misplace, prepay, reread, miscount, preheat and misspell.

Knowing what a prefix means lets a child work out a word they have never seen, and re-, pre- and mis- are three of the most common. The puzzle pieces make the idea physical: the prefix clicks onto the front of a word and changes its meaning. The definitions are written in everyday words rather than the key's own, back up and one more time for again, early and first for before, so the child has to translate the meaning before choosing. The mis- rows say not right instead of wrongly, so no row can be solved by spotting the same letters in the definition and the key.

One sheet, eight definitions, eight prefixes. Misspell is a good one to spell out together, since the double s surprises children. Afterwards, write the three prefixes on the board and ask the class for new words for each. This face works on the front of the word; the person word face looks at an ending, and the base page mixes both.