4. Videos: See Suffix Instruction in the Classroom
Suffixes Skill Explainer
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Taurra Dorsey: Let's do this one.
Students: Suffix 'ing'.
Taurra Dorsey: What does suffix '-ing' ... what does that do? What does that mean when we add that? Go. Sophia?
Sophia: Makes it ... makes it happening now.
Taurra Dorsey: Happening now. Okay. Do we agree?
Students: Yes.
Taurra Dorsey: Yes. Let's go back to suffix 's'. So let me tell you about suffix 's'. Suffix 's' makes the noun more than one. Is suffix 's' a part of the base word?
Students: No.
Taurra Dorsey: We add it on just like we add on suffix '-ing'. Suffix '-s'..
Students: Suffix '-s' ...
Taurra Dorsey: makes the noun ...
Students: makes the noun ...
Taurra Dorsey: more than one.
Students: more than one.
Taurra Dorsey: Suffix 'ing' ...
Students: Suffix '-ing' ...
Taurra Dorsey: means happening now.
Students: means happening now.
Taurra Dorsey: Awesome job. Awesome job. Everybody. Kiss your brain.
Quick Look: A Chant for the Suffix '-es' Rule
First grade teacher Carla Miller shares a special chant to help her students remember when to use the suffix ‘-es’.
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Carla Miller: And I have a little cheer for us. You ready for a little cheer?
Students: Yes!
Carla Miller: Okay. Here we go. Okay, so the cheer goes like this, 'sh', 'ch', 'x', 's', 'z', add '-es' and you'll please me! We're going to do the first part first and then the second part. Let me hear you say ...
Together: 'sh', 'ch', 'x', 's', 'z', add '-es' and you'll please me!
Teaching Suffix '-s' and Suffix '-es'
In this video, Dr. Carla Miller of Burgess-Peterson Academy in Atlanta teaches her first graders when to use the suffixes ‘-s’ or ‘-es’ to make a word plural. Watch as she teaches students a chant to remember when to use ‘-es’ and includes dictation practice to allow students to practice this new skill.
Warming Up with Suffixes
Watch second-grade teacher Khadija Williams lead students in a flash card routine for suffixes. For each suffix, Ms. Williams spells it, says it, defines it, and gives examples. And her students echo her. Once her students have routines like this down pat, they can focus on learning new content — suffixes like ‘-ing’ (happening now) and ‘-ed’ (in the past) — instead of trying to follow along with a different process every day.
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Khadija Williams: All right, now we have our suffixes. Okay.
Narrator: Warming up with flashcards is a fast, easy way for students to review their letter-sound correspondences. It helps them develop automaticity and gets their brains ready for new content. Watch as Khadija Williams leads her second graders through a deck on suffixes.
Khadija Williams: '-er', /er/.
Students: '-er', /er/.
Khadija Williams: Someone.
Students: Someone, something, or more.
Khadija Williams: Very good. Teacher.
Students: Teacher. Marker.
Khadija Williams: Bigger.
Students: Bigger.
Khadija Williams: Very good.
Narrator: Notice how Ms. Williams uses the same routine for each suffix. She spells it, says it, defines it, and gives examples.
Khadija Williams: Suffix '-ing'.
Students: Suffix '-ing'.
Khadija Williams: /ing/. Happening now.
Students: Happening now.
Khadija Williams: Running.
Students: Running.
Khadija Williams: Jumping.
Students: Jumping.
Khadija Williams: Very good. Suffix '-ed'.
Students: Suffix '-ed'.
Khadija Williams: /d/, /t/, /ĭd/.
Students: /d/, /t/, /ĭd/.
Khadija Williams: In the past.
Students: In the past.
Khadija Williams: Very good. Cleaned.
Students: Cleaned.
Khadija Williams: Danced.
Students: Danced.
Khadija Williams: Very good. Suffix '-ful', /ful/.
Students: Suffix '-ful', /ful/.
Khadija Williams: Full of.
Students: Full of.
Khadija Williams: Very good. Helpful.
Students: Helpful.
Khadija Williams: Thoughtful.
Students: Thoughtful.
Khadija Williams: Wishful.
Students: Wishful.
Khadija Williams: Very good. Suffix '-s'.
Students: Suffix 's'.
Khadija Williams: /s/ or /z/.
Students: /s/ or /z/.
Khadija Williams: Plural, more than one.
Students: Plural, more than one.
Khadija Williams: Teachers.
Students: Teachers.
Khadija Williams: Girls.
Students: Girls.
Khadija Williams: Chairs.
Students: Chairs.
Khadija Williams: Very good. Suffix '-less'.
Students: Suffix '-less'.
Khadija Williams: /lĭs/.
Students: /lĭs/.
Khadija Williams: Without.
Students: Without.
Khadija Williams: Thoughtless.
Students: Thoughtless.
Khadija Williams: Harmless.
Students: Harmless.
Khadija Williams: Hopeless.
Students: Hopeless.
Narrator: Building a consistent flashcard routine like this one helps students focus less on the process and more on mastering their suffixes.
Khadija Williams: Very good. Awesome.
Narrator: Reading Universe is made possible by generous support from Jim and Donna Barksdale, the Hastings/Quillin Fund, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the AFT, the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, and anonymous donors. Special thanks to Hope Hill Elementary, Reading Is Essential For All People, and Atlanta Public Schools. If you enjoyed this video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel @RUteaching. Reading Universe is a service of WETA, Washington D.C., the Barksdale Reading Institute, and First Book.
Khadija Williams: My name is Khadija Williams, and this is Reading Universe.
