Verb prefixes: dis-, de-, mis-, over-, re-
Add the prefixes dis-, de-, mis-, over- and re- to verbs, choosing the prefix by what it does to the action and leaving the root word whole.
Board title: Verb prefixes · Say it: “Today we're putting beginnings on verbs, de- undoes, re- repeats, mis- gets it wrong, over- goes too far, and we'll catch over- doing its sneaky second job too.”
prefix · root word · verb · action · undo · repeat · overdo
over- read as too much, every single time. I overheard the soup, he overlooked the bread, she overtook her dinner. over- also means above and past, and those words are commoner than the too-much ones. Give the two meanings side by side from the start rather than correcting later.
mis- treated as a beginning that fits any verb. miswrite, misgo, mislike. They over-apply a rule they have just met. Only some verbs take mis-. Build a list on the wall and add to it as words come up rather than inventing a rule that does not exist.
un- used where de- or dis- belongs. unfrost, unconnect, unagree. The child's reasoning is sound, un- undoes things, and English has simply chosen a different beginning for these roots. Praise the logic, then teach the word. It is learnt one word at a time.
The beginning written as a separate word. over cook, re heat, de frost. A prefix cannot stand alone, and once it is split the meaning slides, over cook reads as a cook standing above something. Show it joined, then read the joined word aloud.
Same four tasks on every sheet, in the same order, with the same look. Only the demand changes. Print the one each child needs; nobody does two.
Same four tasks as every other sheet, same order, same look, the demand is lower, not the dignity. Shorter passage in Task 2, and in Task 3 a word bank or words to tick, with printed sentence starters. Give it to anyone who needs a way in, and expect them to move up.
The core sheet. Give this to most of the class. No word bank; in Task 3 pupils choose from a few close options, then use one in a sentence of their own.
Same four tasks, more demand, a longer passage with a subtler error, and Task 3 asks for two things at once. Not extra work; harder work. Nobody should be doing Spicy and the Medium sheet.
Lesson code PREFE at playspaghetti.com. The code is printed on the bottom of every pupil sheet with a QR, and Class Quiz in your dashboard opens the plenary quiz for this lesson pre-picked.