Turning skill practice into a game is not only fun for students but will help them learn the skills so much more quickly. These prefix activities for con-/com-, uni-, and ex- use sentences from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz for practice.
Learning how to use prefixes is a skill that is covered in each grade level in the Common Core State Standards.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.5.b Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., photograph, photosynthesis).
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.4.b Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., audience, auditory, audible).
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.4.b Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., belligerent, bellicose, rebel).
Prefix Activities
Prefix Organizer for Con- and Com-
Con-/com- means together; with; jointly.
Teach the rules:
Com- becomes
- col- and cor- before l and r
- co- before gn, h, and most vowels
- con- before consonants other than b, p, and m
On the organizer, students take the eight example sentences from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and tell the meanings of the words containing the prefix com- or con-.
This organizer is found in Chapter 10 of The Wizard of Oz Book Unit.
Con- and Com-
I felt sad at this, for it showed I was not such a good Scarecrow after all; but the old crow comforted me, saying, `If you only had brains in your head you would be as good a man as any of them, and a better man than some of them.
There were four walls, a floor and a roof, which made one room; and this room contained a rusty looking cookstove, a cupboard for the dishes, a table, three or four chairs, and the beds.
“Come along,” said the Scarecrow heartily, and Dorothy added that she would be pleased to have his company.
“Your house did, anyway,” replied the little old woman, with a laugh, “and that is the same thing. See!” she continued, pointing to the corner of the house.
All this time Dorothy and her companions had been walking through the thick woods.
“The Witch of the East was proud of those silver shoes,” said one of the Munchkins, “and there is some charm connected with them; but what it is we never knew.”
And if he is the lovely Lady, I shall pretend to spring upon her, and so compel her to do my bidding.
“That is true,” said the Scarecrow. “You see,” he continued confidentially, “I don’t mind my legs and arms and body being stuffed, because I cannot get hurt.”
Prefix Organizer for Uni-
Uni- means one or single.
On the organizer, students take the eight example sentences from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and tell the meanings of the words containing the prefix uni-.
This organizer is found in Chapter 11 of The Wizard of Oz Book Unit.
Uni- Sentences
There was a soldier before the door, dressed in a green uniform and wearing a long green beard.
Now that they were reunited, Dorothy and her friends spent a few happy days at the Yellow Castle, where they found everything they needed to make them comfortable.
The Kansas prairie was a unicolor gray landscape with no trees, houses, or even green grasses to break up the monotony.
Dorothy would not have been surprised to see a unicorn in the Land of the Munchkins as it looked like a fairy tale kingdom.
Dorothy, the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, and the Lion were a unified force overcoming many obstacles as they traveled to the Emerald City.
The Land of Oz was so different from anything Dorothy had seen in Kansas; it was like being in a different universe.
Dorothy, the Tin Woodman, and the Lion greeted the Scarecrow in unison as the Stork flew him across the river to shore.
The Emerald City was so unique with its green glow.
Prefix Organizer for Ex-
Ex- means out of or from.
On the organizer, students take the eight example sentences from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and tell the meanings of the words containing the prefix ex-.
This organizer is found in Chapter 12 of The Wizard of Oz Book Unit.
Ex- Sentences
There was no garret at all, and no cellar–except a small hole dug in the ground, called a cyclone cellar, where the family could go in case one of those great whirlwinds arose, mighty enough to crush any building in its path.
Experience is the only thing that brings knowledge, and the longer you are on earth the more experience you are sure to get.
The north and south winds met where the house stood, and made it the exact center of the cyclone.
The forest was so expansive that the travelers thought they would never get through it.
But the little woman evidently expected her to answer; so Dorothy said, with hesitation, “You are very kind, but there must be some mistake. I have not killed anything.”
But the little woman evidently expected her to answer; so Dorothy said, with hesitation, “You are very kind, but there must be some mistake. I have not killed anything.”
The Scarecrow exuded wisdom by directing the others with intelligent plans.
“She was so old,” explained the Witch of the North, that she dried up quickly in the sun.
Prefix Game
Turning skill practice into a game is not only fun for students but will help them learn the skills so much more quickly. This trail game practices with the prefixes con-/com-, uni-, and ex-.
Game Instructions
- Players determine who goes first with the roll of a die.
- During a play, the player draws a card. The player looks at the prefixes on the trail game and moves his/her marker to the first space on the trail that forms a real word by adding the prefix from the game board to the root word that is on the card.
- If a player reaches the last few spaces of the trail and a real word cannot be formed, the player must wait and try again during his/her next turn.
- The first player to reach the finish line is the winner.