1. An Overview of Prefixes

As you know, a prefix is a word part that is added before a base word and changes the base word's meaning. 

Add 'un-' to locked and it becomes the opposite of being locked … unlocked.

A prefix is what is known as a morpheme, the smallest unit of meaning in a language, like 're-', 'pre-', and 'non-'. Just as students develop awareness of phonemes (phonemic awareness), they also develop awareness of morphemes. And most will need your direct, explicit instruction in prefixes to get there.

The benefit of this instruction is a stronger understanding of the meanings of words — and more. As you teach prefixes, your students will build skill in each of these areas:

• Word recognition and decoding
• Vocabulary
• Spelling
• Understanding of grammar
• Reading comprehension

The goal is to help students become more confident readers and writers. When we explicitly teach students about prefixes, we are helping them to understand this simple and predictable result: when you add a prefix to a base word, it's going to change the meaning of that word.

It's most effective to teach this concept with words that students are very familiar with (part of their oral language or easily decodable). Take the word use, for example:

We cannot assume that students will learn through exposure that adding 're-' to the beginning of a word means that we are doing something again. We must take the time to explicitly teach students each prefix, its meaning, and how it changes a base word.

In this skill explainer, we will review prefixes commonly taught in first and second grade.

Print a copy of the Prefix Review (opens in new window) for your reference.