Grade 2 Spring — Opinion Writing, Pronouns/Adverbs/Prepositions, and Word-Building with Prefixes and Suffixes
Lesson 16 45 min eng.g2.s.lesson_16.prefixes_un_re_intro

Prefixes Un- and Re- — Flip It or Do It Again

Skills targeted
Objectives
  • Students identify un- and re- prefixes and find the ROOT inside a prefixed word.
  • Students build new words by adding un- and re- to grade-appropriate roots.
Vocabulary
prefixun-re-root wordoppositeagain

Lesson plan

Warm-up

5 min

Word-flip warm-up: teacher writes 'happy / unhappy', 'do / redo', 'kind / unkind', 'play / replay' on board. Children read each pair and explain the meaning change.

Teacher moves
  • Affirm 'un- means NOT or OPPOSITE'
  • Affirm 're- means AGAIN or BACK'
  • Bridge to formal naming

Direct instruction

13 min

A PREFIX is a little word-part you stick on the FRONT of a word. The word it goes on is called the ROOT. Today we meet two prefixes. UN- means NOT or OPPOSITE OF. Happy → unhappy (not happy). Kind → unkind (not kind). Safe → unsafe. Do → undo. Zip → unzip. RE- means AGAIN or BACK. Do → redo (do again). Write → rewrite. Play → replay. Read → reread. Return = come BACK. Watch the test: take the prefix OFF, and you find the root. UN-HAPPY → root is HAPPY. RE-DO → root is DO. Some words LOOK like they start with un- or re- but don't really (uncle, under, ready, real). The test: does the WHOLE-word meaning equal NOT+root or AGAIN+root? If yes, it's a prefix. If no, it's not.

Key examples
  • Test passed.
    model un- (prefix, means NOT) + safe (root) = NOT SAFE. Yes, that's a real prefix.
    prompt Strip the prefix: unsafe.
  • Test failed. 'Uncle' has no prefix.
    model un- + cle? 'cle' isn't a word. Does 'uncle' mean NOT cle? No. So 'un' here is NOT a prefix — it's just the start of the word.
    prompt Strip the prefix: uncle.
  • Easy.
    model re- (again) + read (root) = read AGAIN.
    prompt Build: REREAD. What's the root and the meaning?
Checks for understanding
  • Is 'under' a prefix word? Why or why not?
  • Build a new word with re- and a root from your writer's notebook.
Media
M-2-S-VOC-16-A Chart Physical / non-image

Reproduction of MG-6 rows 1 and 2 only at 11x17. Row 1 (blue UN-): 'means NOT or OPPOSITE' with 5 examples in tile-form (un-+happy, un-+kind, un-+do, un-+zip, un-+safe). Row 2 (red RE-): 'means AGAIN or BACK' with 5 examples (re-+do, re-+write, re-+play, re-+turn, re-+read). Each example shown as separate magnetic-tile-style components with a + between. Print-ready, dyslexic-friendly font.

MG-6 Chart Physical / non-image

Prefixes and suffixes anchor poster: top row PREFIX un- (means 'not' or 'opposite of') with examples unhappy, unkind, undo, unzip, unsafe; second row PREFIX re- (means 'again' or 'back') with examples redo, rewrite, replay, return, reread; third row SUFFIX -ful (means 'full of') with examples joyful, hopeful, careful, helpful, colorful; fourth row SUFFIX -less (means 'without') with examples hopeless, careless, fearless, useless, endless. Each row color-coded. Print-ready 11x17.

Guided practice

12 min
Tasks
  • Build 8 prefix words using the magnetic tiles (un- or re- + root). Read each aloud. Define the meaning.
    scaffold Prefix and root tile sets color-coded; MG-6 anchor visible
  • Sort 12 word cards into PREFIX or NO-PREFIX columns. (uncle, unsafe, return, real, ready, unkind, replay, undo, unhappy, under, reread, rewrite)
    scaffold Prefix-test cue card
Media
M-2-S-VOC-16-B Manipulative Physical / non-image

Photo of the recommended classroom manipulative kit: a magnetic word-build board (12x18 inches), 10 prefix magnets (5 un-, 5 re-), 20 root-word magnets (do, write, play, turn, read, happy, kind, safe, zip, lock, wrap, fold, paint, count, cook, freeze, build, do, find, fill). Children build, read, define. Print-ready 4x6 catalog photo for materials reference.

Formative assessment

3 min
Exit ticket
  • Build one un- word and one re- word. Then use each in a sentence.
scoring Both correctly built + used in real sentence = mastery; built but not used = practicing; misuse = reteach.

Closure

2 min
Moves
  • Hold up your magnetic word-build.
  • Predict: tomorrow we meet -ful and -less suffixes.

Homework

10 min
Tasks
  • Find one un- or re- word in a book at home. Strip the prefix. Write the root and the meaning.

Exercises in this lesson

eng.g2.s.ex_34
Strip the prefix and find the root. (1) unhappy. (2) redo. (3) unsafe. (4) rewrite. (5) uncle. (6) ready.
 prefix identify strip · diff 2
eng.g2.s.ex_35
Build 4 new words by adding un- or re- to these roots: kind, play, do, fair. Define each new word.
 prefix build words · diff 2
eng.g2.s.ex_36
Use one un- word AND one re- word in one opinion sentence about a class rule.
 prefix use in opinion · diff 3

Differentiation

Scaffolds
  • Pre-segmented prefix tiles in two colors (un-=blue, re-=red)
  • Root cards with pictures for non-readers
  • Anchor MG-6 at every table
Extensions
  • Find an un- or re- word in a mentor text. Strip the prefix; what's the root?
  • Build a 3-step word family: do / redo / undo. Map on the four-leaf chart.
English Learners
  • Bilingual prefix chart (Spanish: in- / des- / re-)
  • Slow oral stripping demo
Ieps 504s
  • Manipulative tiles only, no writing
  • Reduced target: just un- today, re- next week

Teacher notes

The prefix-test (does NOT+root = the whole word's meaning?) is the diagnostic move. Children love the magnetic-tile build — let them work in pairs for at least 8 minutes. Watch for false positives ('uncle' looking like a prefix word); this is a productive misconception that surfaces the test. Plan to re-teach the test in lesson 17 with -ful and -less suffixes.