New
New
Year 3

Spelling words with the prefixes "dis-", "non-", "mis-" and "un-"

I can change the meaning of a word by adding the prefixes dis-, non-, mis- and un-.

New
New
Year 3

Spelling words with the prefixes "dis-", "non-", "mis-" and "un-"

I can change the meaning of a word by adding the prefixes dis-, non-, mis- and un-.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. A prefix is a letter or group of letters at the start of a word which creates another word.
  2. un-, non-, dis- and mis- can be added to the beginning of a word without changing the spelling of the root word.
  3. The prefixes un-, non- and dis- usually mean not.
  4. The prefix mis- usually means wrongly.
  5. How to spell the curriculum word: question.

Keywords

  • Root word - the base word from which other words are formed often by adding prefixes or suffixes

  • Prefix - a letter or group of letters added to the start of a root word to change its meaning

Common misconception

Children can often misspell words with prefixes as they spell them how they sound.

Help children to recongise when a word has a prefix and use that to support this with spelling, e.g. the prefix mis- has one 's'.

There is a lot of vocabulary within the lesson. Ensure the children understand the meaning of words used by saying them in full sentences. This supports them to be able to hear what 'sounds right' when choosing the correct prefixes.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the missing word? A __________ is a letter or group of letters at the start of a word which creates another word.
suffix
Correct answer: prefix
affix
capital letter
Q2.
Match the words to its synonym or meaning.
Correct Answer:friendly,kind

kind

Correct Answer:usual,normal

normal

Correct Answer:appear,visible

visible

Correct Answer:honest,trustworthy

trustworthy

Q3.
Which words contain the prefix 'un-'?
Correct answer: unzip
sunny
Correct answer: unhealthy
fun
Q4.
Match the words that have the same root word.
Correct Answer:unhealthy,healthy

healthy

Correct Answer:untie,tie

tie

Correct Answer:unfair,fair

fair

Q5.
Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'He felt unhelfy because he had sat on the sofa all day!'
unhealfy
Correct answer: unhealthy
unhelthy
unhelthee
Q6.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'He was so hungry, but the chips were still uncookt.'
uncookt
Correct answer: unncooked
uncooked
uncookd

6 Questions

Q1.
Fill in the missing word. The prefixes' un-', 'non-' and 'dis-' usually mean __________.
under
Correct answer: not
wrongly
Q2.
Fill in the missing word. The prefix 'mis-' usually means __________.
before
Correct answer: wrongly
under
Q3.
Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'The magician made the rabbit dissapeer!'
dissappear
dissapear
Correct answer: disappear
disapear
Q4.
Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'The little puppies would sometimes missbehayv.'
missbehayv
missbehave
misbehaiv
Correct answer: misbehave
Q5.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'I tried not to mispel the words.'
Correct Answer: misspell
Q6.
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'You shouldn't eat too much unhelfy food.'
Correct Answer: unhealthy

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