Your students will enjoy practicing prefixes and suffixes using sentences from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Students know this well-loved story through the classic movie. This makes using sample sentences from the story ideal. Students can complete the activities even if they have not read the book.
You will find four activities. The prefix and suffix puzzles combine all skills. I recommend having students complete the organizers first to learn about the six focused prefixes and suffixes. You will find the prefix organizers through this earlier post titled Prefix Activities using The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The suffix organizers are found below.
The Common Core State Standards cover prefixes and suffixes at each grade level.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.5.bUse 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.bUse 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.bUse common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., belligerent, bellicose, rebel).
Prefix and Suffix Activities
Prefix and Suffix Puzzles
Students match up two puzzle pieces to form words. Students then read the sentences. They select the best word that will fit into the blank space of the sentence from the words that were made by joining together the puzzle pieces.
A “Student Response Sheet”is provided for students to write answers. This is a great activity for a learning center, for morning review, or for differentiated instruction. Also, students do not have to read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to enjoy using these activity cards.
I WANT THIS ACTIVITY.
Suffix Organizer for -ion / -tion / -ation / -ition / -cion
The suffix -ion / -tion / -ation / -ition / -cion is used to form abstract nouns from verbs.
On the organizer, students take the eight example sentences from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and tell the meanings of the words containing the suffix -ion / -tion / -ation / -ition / -cion.
You will find this organizer in Chapter 13 of The Wizard of Oz Book Unit.
I WANT THIS ORGANIZER.
Suffix -ion / -tion / -ation / -ition / -cion
Not a tree nor a house broke the broad sweep of flat country that reached to the edge of the sky in all directions.
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.”
Dorothy was going to ask another question, but just then the Munchkins, who had been standing silently by, gave a loud shout and pointed to the corner of the house where the Wicked Witch had been lying.
Toto did not like this addition to the party at first.
The Tin Woodman gave a sigh of satisfaction and lowered his axe, which he leaned against the tree.
But my action angered the Wicked Witch of the East, for she had promised the old woman I should not marry the pretty Munchkin girl.
“That will not trouble him,” continued the man, “for Oz has a large collection of hearts, of all sizes and shapes.”
But it will take more than imagination to carry Dorothy back to Kansas, and I’m sure I don’t know how it can be done.”
Suffix Organizer for -en
Meanings
- turns adjectives into verbs [fasten, harden, strengthen]
- made of [wooden, golden, ashen]
- past participle of verbs [awaken, broken, beaten, eaten]
- plural of some nouns [children, oxen]
On the organizer, students take the eight example sentences from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and tell the meanings of the words containing the suffix -en.
You will find this organizer in Chapter 14 of The Wizard of Oz Book Unit.
I WANT THIS ORGANIZER.
-en Sentences
For,” he said to himself, “if it is the head, I am sure I shall not be given a heart, since a head has no heart of its own and therefore cannot feel for me.
But the raft was nearly done, and after the Tin Woodman had cut a few more logs and fastened them together with wooden pins, they were ready to start.
Oz keeps a great pot of courage in his Throne Room,” said the man, “which he has covered with a golden plate, to keep it from running over.
At once the cap changed to a slate, on which was written in big, white chalk marks:
“LET DOROTHY GO TO THE CITY OF EMERALDS”
I learned that if I roared very loudly every living thing was frightened and got out of my way.
So they all entered the house, where there were, besides the woman, two children and a man.
Now while the tinsmiths had been at work mending the Woodman himself, another of the Winkies, who was a goldsmith, had made an axe-handle of solid gold and fitted it to the Woodman’s axe, instead of the old broken handle.
Then the big gate swung slowly open, and they all passed through and found themselves in a high arched room, the walls of which glistened with countless emeralds.
Suffix Organizer for -ous /-ious
The suffix -ous /-ious means possessing the qualities of.
On the organizer, students take the eight example sentences from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and tell the meanings of the words containing the suffix -ous / -ious.
You will find this organizer in Chapter 15 of The Wizard of Oz Book Unit.
I WANT THIS ORGANIZER.
-ous /-ious Sentences
The cyclone had set the house down very gently–for a cyclone–in the midst of a country of marvelous beauty.
Dorothy went to get him, and saw such delicious fruit hanging from the branches that she gathered some of it, finding it just what she wanted to help out her breakfast.
“Oh! He’s a curious animal and seems remarkably small, now that I look at him.
Soon they rolled the Lion out of the poppy bed to the green fields, where he could breathe the sweet, fresh air again, instead of the poisonous scent of the flowers.
“Oh, gracious!” cried Dorothy. “Are you a real witch?”
The country here is rich and pleasant, but you must pass through rough and dangerous places before you reach the end of your journey.
They are monstrous beasts with bodies like bears and heads like tigers.
Everyone seemed happy and contented and prosperous.
