Word Study Lesson: Spelling Words with “-able” & “-ible” Suffixes
Author: Diann Christensen
Subject: Spelling & Vocabulary
Grade/Level: Derivational Relations Spellers
Lesson Summary: Students will participate in a sort of words ending in the suffixes "-able" and "-ible." They
will be guided to conclude that the suffix "-able" is usually attached to base words (words that can stand alone),
while the suffix "-ible" is usually attached to roots from Latin or Greek (which typically cannot stand alone
meaningfully). Generalizations will be discovered about when to drop or keep a silent “e” at the end of a base
word when adding one of these suffixes. A word chart to which students can add words over time will be used to
extend the learning to their everyday reading and writing experiences.
Standards/Objectives:
AZ- Arizona Academics Standards
Subject : Language Arts
Subject/ Grade/ Domain : Reading
Grade : GRADE 6
Strand : Strand 1: Reading Process
Concept : Concept 4: Vocabulary
Acquire and use new vocabulary in relevant context
Performance Objective PO 1: Determine the effect of affixes on root words.
Subject/ Grade/ Domain : Writing
Grade : Grade 6
Strand : Strand 2: Writing Components
Concept : Concept 6:Conventions
Conventions addresses the mechanics of writing, including capitalization, punctuation, spelling,
grammar and usage, and paragraph breaks.
Performance Objective PO 8 : Use common spelling patterns/generalizations to spell words correctly.
Performance Objective PO 10 : Use resources to spell correctly.
Materials & Preparation:
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Bag of Kissables candies—mask the name of the candy
Individual white boards or slates for each student (plus markers or chalk)
Scissors for each student or student pair
A sheet with word sort cards with the following words will be needed for each student or student
pair:
dependable, profitable, collectable, movable, stackable, agreeable,
manageable, measurable, lovable, likable, noticeable
incredible, horrible, audible, edible, feasible, terrible, invisible
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Create an identical set of word sort cards for the overhead projector or a pocket chart
Chart paper & markers
This lesson is adapted from the following source:
Bear, D. et. al. (2004). Words their way: word study for phonics, vocabulary, and spelling instruction,
3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Management Notes:
This lesson can be done with a whole class but is better-suited for small groups. To speed up the
lesson and make management easier, have the word study cards cut out beforehand. If each set is
copied on a different color of paper, it makes the cards easier to sort if the get mixed up (stamping
symbols on the backs of the cards is another option).
In fairness, you may want to share the candy with students at some point during or after the lesson!
Procedure:
Introduce & Demonstrate the Sort:
Have students get out their whiteboards. Holding up of the Kissables candies, talk about how you've
gotten thinking lately about how words that end in the suffix "-able" or "-ible" can be confusing to
spell. Have the students spell “kissable” on their whiteboards (in "Show Me" format so that they can
all participate). Reveal the name of the candy and compare spellings that have been generated. Ask
the students to suggest other words that end in these suffixes, and spell several in “show me” rounds.
Talk about the results of the "show me" rounds and how students spell the suffix differently because it
can be confusing with the schwa sound the "a" and "i" represent. Be sure to include at least one word
with a base word ending in a silent "e", such as "lovable" or “changeable”, because it is likely to
provide varied responses and will connect with later learning in the lesson.
Place some of the sort cards on the overhead projector and ask students if they see any similarities.
"I am going to give you a sheet with sort cards just like these. I would like you to cut them
out and do a VISUAL SORT: sort them by the way the suffix is spelled. Put the '-able' words
in one column and the '-ible' words in another column." Have the students help you place a few
cards in columns to demonstrate.
"If other questions about these words come to mind as you sort, I would like you to take
note of them or keep them in mind for later."
Independent Sort and Check:
Distribute the word sort card handout and give students time to complete this task individually or in
pairs. After giving students time to complete the sort on their own, work together as a group to sort
the words on the overhead or in the pocket chart, or have a couple of students come up and sort
them.
"I noticed that you have all of the '-able' words in this column and all of the '-ible' words in
that one. What I would like you to do now is see whether you can see any patterns among
the words in each column. Is there any way to tell whether to use 'able' or 'ible'? In
particular, I would like you to look at the word parts that the suffixes are attached to." It
may help to have the students underline the "word" that the suffix is attached to on each card. Give
the students a bit of time to look at this and talk about it with each other. After the students have
done this, do it as a class using the cards on the overhead screen. Take students' ideas for discussion.
Reflect & Discover:
"Did anyone notice a pattern? Is there any way to tell whether to use ‘able’ or ‘ible’?" Take
students' responses. If necessary, have the students cover up the suffix and read the rest of the word
in each column. They should begin to see the pattern.
"You have noticed that the suffix '-able' is attached to complete words that can stand alone,
while the suffix '-ible' is attached to word parts that don't make sense alone. When we
have a complete word to which we add a suffix, it's called a BASE WORD.” Explain how base
words may have other suffixes added to them—moved, moving, movable.
“When we attach a suffix to a word that does not make sense on its own, that word is called
a ROOT. Roots usually come from the Latin or Greek languages, and they have certain
meanings." Talk about the root "vis," for example, which forms word like "visible", "vision", “visor”
and "invisible." Explain that one way to remember this is to think “I am ABLE to move…I am ABLE to
collect, etc.”
Have the students put away all of the cards. Put the following words on the overhead (or circle them,
if you have posted a written list of the sort):
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movable
manageable
measurable
lovable
likable
noticeable
"I'd like to look at these words now. Let's write the base word next to each of these. What
do you notice about all of the base words? Yes, they all end in a silent 'e'. You notice that
some of base words drop the 'e' when a suffix is added, and some of them keep it. Circle the
“e” in each word that retains it. How do you know whether to keep the 'e' or drop it? Talk to
your partner about it." Guide the students to see that the final "e" in the base word is retained
when needed to soften a preceding "c" or "g," as in noticeable and manageable. Try writing each of
these words without the "e" and discuss how it would change the pronunciation—plus it just doesn’t
“look right.” Other examples: traceable, sliceable, etc.
Extend:
Blind Writing Sort: Collect the sort cards, then have students take out a piece of paper and create
three columns: “-able,” “-ible,” and “Oddballs”. Demonstrate on the overhead projector how to set up
the page. When you call out a word, the students’ job is to write it correctly in the proper column.
“As I say each word, write it in the column where it belongs. The first column is for ‘-able’
words that follow our pattern, the second is for ‘-ible’ words that follow our pattern, and the
third is for oddballs. An oddball is a word that doesn't seem to fit the pattern we talked
about today.” Read several words that were used in the activity, and then add some other
words to check for generalization, discussing them at the end of the activity:
“-able” (follow pattern)
squeezable
treatable
forgivable
readable
replaceable
knowledgeable
“-ible” (follow pattern)
indelible
invincible
Oddballs
immovable
palpable
Closure:
"I'm going to put up a chart of the words we worked with today, divided into three
columns. Draw the columns on the chart paper, filling in a few words. "When you come across
words that fit in these categories in your reading, you can add them to the chart. We'll talk
about them later. This chart will also remind you of what we have learned today, and it can
help you to spell these words correctly when you write." Further word inquiries may crop up
through this activity. For example, some students may be curious about when to double the final
consonant before adding "-able" to a base word. (e.g., huggable, unstoppable). Another interesting
fact is that many common words can retain the silent “e” (usable/useable, movable/moveable), but
this is not true with less-frequently used words (e.g., “measureable” is not a convention spelling).
Students can investigate how a word-processor reacts to different spellings like these.
Assessment:
1. The blind writing sort at the end of the lesson can be collected and checked for generalization of
the concept. Check for the correct use of "able" and "ible" suffixes and the dropping or use of E
to soften a preceding "c" or "g" in a base word. Oddballs that are misspelled by students
should not count against them, but they can be noted for further word study.
2. Observe the use of the pattern in ongoing writing assignments. Set the expectation that words
with this pattern will be spelled correctly in their draft writing if the words follow the pattern
discussed (root word v. base word). Students should learn to use dictionaries or spell-checkers
to verify spellings for this category of words.
Attached Lesson Resources:
See the following page for a copy master of the word sort cards.
dependable incredible profitable
horrible
collectable
audible
stackable
agreeable
edible
manageable measurable
lovable
feasible
terrible
invisible
likable
noticeable
movable
dependable incredible profitable
horrible
collectable
audible
stackable
agreeable
edible
manageable measurable
lovable
feasible
terrible
invisible
likable
noticeable
movable
Overhead Sort Cards
dependable
horrible
stackable
manageable
feasible
likable
incredible profitable
collectable audible
agreeable
edible
measurable
lovable
terrible
invisible
noticeable
movable