Prefix and Suffix Pdf Lists

Tonight's post is very simple. My school has asked the 5th grade to come up with a list of important prefixes and suffixes that the students will track their progress on learning this year. We identified this as a learning gap in past years, as many students struggle to properly use and comprehend pre and suffixes, as well as root words and tenses. So, I went out and found a few documents that list common -pre and -suf fixes, all are in pdf format, and most are fairly comprehensive:

• Scholastic Most Common Prefix and Suffix Sheet: One page of each, very student friendly and print ready.
• Building Vocabulary: A fairly comprehensive, 5 page document that lists it all in table format. Not exactly student friendly but good if you're building a list.
• Huge List: Another massive list of many common prefixes and suffixes. 
• English Prefixes, Suffixes, and Root Words: I like the examples and parts of speech that are listed along with each entry.
• Table: Another nice table with all the information.
• Separated by Alphabetic Order List
• Another Big List in Table Format

These are more of a starting point for coming up with a list. When we have identified the ones that are important for 5th grade and typed them up, I will surely link to it on the blog.

Writing Journal Prompts and Resources

Writing is one of those skills that must be practiced time and again, especially in elementary school, where students are learning to master both the mechanical and creative aspects of writing.

I have my students do a daily writing journal entry based on a prompt that I write on the board. We do this in the morning during breakfast and announcements, before instruction begins. It seems easy at first to come up with good prompts, but trust me, it can be difficult to keep it going. Here are a few great places to go find some prompts or ideas:

• Daily Writing Prompts: This site at teacherscorner.net is great, it gives prompts by month, and each prompt is attached to something of historical significance that happened that day in history or around that time. 
• Creative Writing Prompts: An easy to use page with 346 writing prompts. Just hover the cursor over a number and get a prompt, very quick.
• Always Write: A fantastic page with ideas about how to make writing more interesting and fun. I love the idea of "Mr. Stick," and am actually going to introduce my own version of this tomorrow and give it a trial run in class.
• 30 Good Prompts: It is what I said it is. There's a million sites similar, but there are some good prompts of note here.

My Restaurant: A Great 5th Grade Writing Project

Every year, I do a project called "My Restaurant," a great writing activity in which students envision their own restaurant, and must do a variety of activities, from planning the layout, hiring employees, making a menu, and learning to write checks. The main writing essay that goes with the project is a persuasive essay, but can be easily adapted. The attached document is provided in both .docx and .pdf (I keep having issues with Google Docs slightly changing the formatting, so if you download that format, make sure you look over the document before printing). This is a simple, yet effective project that can span days or even weeks, and is a great activity for students to work on during their down time.

Download My Restaurant in .docx format HERE

Download My Restaurant in .pdf format HERE