6. Student Practice Activities for Teaching Suffixes

Students need lots of opportunities to practice reading and spelling suffixes so that they can build accuracy and automaticity on the way to fluent reading. We've included free printable student practice activities below. Please download and share them with your colleagues! 

Before students begin, make sure they understand how each activity works. You can model the activity during whole-group instruction or in a small group. Once they're familiar with the routine, students can complete the activities independently at their seats, in a center, or in a small group.

Be sure to monitor students as they work. Some students may need extra support or scaffolding. It's helpful to provide a recording sheet or another way for students to turn in their work so you can check for understanding. A few may need quick, explicit, and positive error correction, while others might benefit from additional instruction or practice with suffixes.

Roll and Reads are a fun, game-like way to practice reading and spelling words in isolation. After you've modeled how to do Roll and Reads, students can do them with partners or in centers on their own. Use this student activity to build accuracy and fluency in reading and spelling words with suffixes. Students can play with partners or in small groups.

More Roll and Read Practice Activities:

• Roll and Read with Digraphs, Blends, and the Suffix '-s' (opens in new window)
• Roll and Read with Suffix '-ing' (opens in new window)
• Roll and Read with the Suffix '-es' (opens in new window)
• Roll and Read with the Suffix '-ed' (opens in new window)
• Roll and Read with the Suffix '-er' (opens in new window)
• Roll and Read with the Suffixes '-est' and '-er' (opens in new window)
• Roll and Read with the Suffixes '-ful' and '-less' (opens in new window)
• Roll and Read with the Suffixes '-y' and '-ly' (opens in new window)

Use these read sheets with students to practice the new suffixes you've taught. You'll want to first introduce these sheets in whole or small groups. After students have read them with guidance from the teacher, they can use them to practice reading independently at school or home.

More Read Sheets:

• Suffix '-s': Student Read Sheet with Words, Phrases, and Sentences (opens in new window)
• Suffix '-ing': Student Read Sheet with Words, Phrases and Sentences (opens in new window)
• Suffix '-es': Student Read Sheet with Words, Phrases and Sentences (opens in new window)
• Suffix '-ed': Student Read Sheet with Words, Phrases, and Sentences (opens in new window)
• Suffix '-er': Student Read Sheet with Words, Phrases and Sentences (opens in new window)
• Suffix '-ful': Student Read Sheet with Words, Phrases, and Sentences (opens in new window)
• Suffix '-less': Student Read Sheet with Words, Phrases, and Sentences (opens in new window)
• Suffix '-y': Student Read Sheet with Words, Phrases, and Sentences (opens in new window)
• Suffix '-ly': Student Read Sheet with Words, Phrases, and Sentences (opens in new window)

Students should practice reading suffixes in context each day to build fluency. These decodable texts focus on the suffixes students are learning. Be sure to read How to Use Decodable Texts before implementing them with students.

More Decodables:

• Running and Watching (opens in new window)
• Hiking the Falls (opens in new window)
• The Odd Plant (opens in new window)
• Watching the Frog (opens in new window)
• Caps and Bags (opens in new window)