Using Pictures to Teach Word Parts | Morphology Science of Reading

Teach and review word parts (morphemes, morphology) in an engaging way. Your students will love learning and applying knowledge of prefixes, suffixes and root/base words to pictures, short passages, activities, and questions.  This resource is the perfect supplement to your morphology study!

THREE Levels of Word Parts Included:

• Level One (10 pages) includes the following word parts:
  • Prefixes: re-, dis-, pre-, non-, un-, over-, under-, in-
  • Suffixes: -ful, -ing, -ed, -y, -less, -est, -er, -ly, 
  • Base Words: bio, photo, graph, hydr

• Level Two (9 pages)  includes the following word parts:
  • Prefixes: anti-, bi-, tri-, super-, quad-, multi-, mis-, oct-, auto-, semi-, fore-
  • Suffixes: -ment, -ist, -able, -tion, -ology, -sion
  • Base Words: chron, struct, aqua, ath, therm

• Level Three (6 pages)  includes the following word parts::
  • Prefixes: tele-, ex-, inter-, sub-, poly-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, mid-, micro-, trans-
  • Suffixes: -ess, -ee
  • Base Words: phon, manu, ast

Each Level is DIFFERENTIATED:

Each of the three levels of activities is differentiated into TWO versions:

• On Level Versions - These versions are best for grades 3 and 4. The vocabulary in the passages  is more straightforward, and the activities are well-suited for on-level instruction.
• Advanced Versions - These versions are best for grades 5 and 6.  These texts use advanced vocabulary and include a more difficult task of generating words with the given morphemes..

There are four components to EACH page of this resource:

• Observe It: This section includes the picture with plenty of white space around it. The white space is for students to make observations/inferences about the picture.  Challenge students to include the focus morphemes in their observations/inferences!
• Choose  It: This section has a multiple choice question that focuses on a specific set of word parts AND relates to the picture in the “observe it” section.
• Write It: In this section, students will write a definition of a bolded word using their new information on word parts AND context clues. (In the advanced version, students will generate a sentence about the picture using the given prefixes/suffixes/root words)
• Apply It: This section has a short story that loosely relates to the same topic shown in the picture (but does NOT represent the picture) and has students identify a selection of words using the focus morpheme.

Digital Version: This resource includes a Google Slides version optimized for digital use. 

Answer Keys: Suggested answer keys are included.

Also Included: 

• A morpheme analysis page for students to break down words to find their meanings
• A word parts anchor chart
• Word Part Reference Guides for each level

Looking for more ways to teach literacy using pictures? They’re right here!

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