University of Arizona South
Lesson Plan Format
Planning and Preparation
Name: Gail Gulner
Grade: 3rd Grade
Duration: 2 Days (1 – 1½ hour for each day)
Title: Words of the Water Cycle
Subject: Language Arts & Science
Topic: Word Structure: Suffixes and Prefixes
Standards
Language Arts:
Common Core Standard: Reading Foundational Skills.Phonics.3.a (Grade 3)
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational
suffixes.
Science:
Arizona Science Standard: S5.C3.PO1, PO2
Understand characteristics of weather conditions and climate.


Identify the sources of water within an environment (e.g., ground water, surface
water, atmospheric water, glaciers).
Describe the distribution of water on the Earth’s surface.
Objectives
Given a list of vocabulary words the student will be able to identify if they have prefixes
and/or suffixes and break them down into their roots and affixes.
Given a list of vocabulary words about the water cycle the student will be able to apply
their knowledge of prefixes and suffixes to create a poster that includes at least twentyone of the vocabulary words.
Evaluation
Evaluate the students’ success at the Word Detective Game. Observe how successfully
the students create their affix column chart when working in pairs. Can the students
successfully identify the affixes on the flashcards during whole class instruction? How
well do the students work together in their groups to research the words? How successful
are the students at creating their own word sort category sheet, and final poster? Does
this lesson help the students to be able to understand new words by breaking them down
into smaller parts? Do the students gain knowledge about the water cycle through their
word exploration? Can the students transfer word segmenting to other unknown words?
Assessment
The teacher will use informal assessments throughout this lesson by walking around and
observing the students’ work, visiting with each group during the activities to ask
questions and check for learning. The teacher will also assess the students during whole
class instruction by observing the students’ individual responses to the flashcards and
chart building exercises. The teacher will use a rubric to formally assess the students’
understanding of the affixes and root words as demonstrated by their word puzzles and
poster creations.
Prefix & Suffix Puzzle & Poster Rubric
Excellent
Good
Fair
Score
Poster
4 Points
Poster has the
required number
of vocabulary
words (21)
accurately placed
on their poster
Word
Puzzles
Student has
correctly created
21 or more word
puzzles
3 Points
Poster has most of
the required
vocabulary words
(at least 15) and
most of them are
accurately placed
on the poster
Student has
correctly created
at least 15 word
puzzles
2 Points
Poster has some
of the required
vocabulary words
(at least 10) and
some of them are
accurately placed
on the poster
Student has
correctly created
at least 10 word
puzzles
Needs
Improvement
1 Point
Poster has only a
few of the
required
vocabulary words
(fewer than 10)
and most of them
are incorrect
Student has
created fewer than
10 word puzzles
correctly
Materials
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Labeled water cycle chart
Blank paper and pencils for students (at least four sheets of paper—one sheet for
each group; more than one sheet per group may be necessary if the teacher
chooses to appoint a more than one scribe for groups in which the novice LEP
student is unable to serve as the scribe).
water cycle word study vocabulary list
water cycle vocabulary flashcard labels (print these labels and stick them on index
cards to produce flashcards for word study or print on card stock and cut apart for
flashcards; attached at the end of this document)
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Print two sets of these flashcards: one for use by the teacher during the Preactivities portion of the lesson, and the other for use by students during the
Activities portion of this lesson.
The teacher will need to divide the water cycle word study vocabulary flashcards
carefully into four piles, making sure that all the words for one category that the
students will asked to sort the words by (for example: “bodies of water”) are not
all included in one pile of cards (for example, for the category of “bodies of
water,” one group of students does not receive all of the following words from the
water cycle word study vocabulary sheet, such as “pond”, “ocean”, “river”,
“lake”).
For final project: construction paper, poster board, glue, markers, crayons,
colored pencils, scissors
Flashlight with batteries
Stations for assisting with sorting words by meaning:
1. Affix chart and puzzle station
2. Several non-fiction texts from school media center on the water cycle
3. Bookmarked websites for affix and water cycle information
4. Encyclopedias and dictionaries
Technology Resources:
 Access to computer with internet access
Differentiation/Modifications
Developmental, Special Needs, ELL, Behavioral & Learning Styles
 The teacher should plan the group arrangements prior to the lesson. There should
be no more than five students in each of the groups. Suggested groupings are:
mixed abilities (low, high, and average) and novice ELL students paired with a
patient, helpful student; it is not necessary to pair ELL students who speak the
same language or with advanced students, but with students with whom they will
feel comfortable and who are interested in helping the novice ELL student. Care
should be taken to group students that have behavioral issues with responsible and
patient students.
 Resource material stations can be adapted to suit the different learning styles and
abilities of the students.
 Puzzles of the vocabulary words can be created in advance. The students put the
puzzles together rather than creating their own from scratch.
Developmental, Special Needs & ELL
 The teacher uses visual support for each of the categories by which the students
will sort the words, sketching representations of each category beside the word for
each category. For example, beside the category “Bodies of Water,” the teacher
will sketch a small river or draw waves; beside the category “Words that Mean
Down,” the teacher will draw a downward pointing arrow; beside the category
“Words that Mean Up,” the teacher will draw an upward pointing arrow; and
beside the category “Unknown Words,” the teacher will draw question marks.

Students can be given a blank water cycle chart for the final assessment, rather
than creating a poster from scratch.
 Students can be given a study guide that defines the different affixes being used.
 Computer activities and games are used for research, and to reinforce the learning.
It can also be utilized to provide students with additional affix and water cycle
practice, and to extend learning.
Learning Styles
 Students receive direct instruction, work in groups, and work individually. The
students also discuss patterns, and utilize books, computers, charts, and puzzles.
They have the opportunity to physically break the words apart, and to put them
back together again.
Technology
 Computer activities and games are used for research, and to reinforce the learning.
It can also be utilized to provide students with additional affix and water cycle
practice, and to extend learning.
Instructional Procedures
Anticipatory Set
Ask students if they have ever taken something apart in order to get a better
understanding of it. Show the students a flashlight, and then take the batteries out of the
flashlight. We now understand that the flashlight needs a certain size and number of
batteries in order to work. By taking it apart we understand it better. Explain to the
students that in this lesson they will become word detectives who will gain knowledge of
suffixes and prefixes in order to help them understand the meanings of words that are
used to define our water cycle.
Present New Material
Day 1
The teacher will introduce/reinforce the concepts of suffix and prefix in preparation for
the word sort activity in the corresponding part of the lesson.
1. Write the word “pattern” on the board. Ask students what a pattern is, and write
down, or allow students to come to the board and write down, examples of
patterns that students give.
2. After reviewing several examples of patterns with students, use the “Word
Detective Investigation Sheet” to help students begin identifying patterns in words
(for example, patterns that students generate may be nonverbal, using colors or
shapes to explain this concept).
3. The teacher will explain to the students that they will play a game in which, as
word detectives, they will discover the pattern that the words he or she writes
have in common. This game is fun, fast, and easy.
4. Word Detective Game Explanation:
o
In the column with the smiley face, the teacher will list one word with a
specific suffix (for example, -tion for the -tion suffix pattern that the
teacher wants the students to discover in the water cycle words being
studied, such as “evaporation” and “transpiration”). On the frowning face
side, the teacher will list a word that does not follow the suffix pattern that
he or she is trying to get the students to discover (for example, if the word
“evaporation” is listed on the smiley face side, then the teacher may list a
word such as “school” which does not have the -tion suffix, and therefore
does not follow the suffix pattern that students are seeking to discover).
Do this step twice, giving students two complete word pairs, two each on
the smiley face side, and two each on the frowning face side, so that they
may begin to discover the pattern and respond to and complete a third
example independently.
o The teacher returns to the smiley face side and chooses another word at
random with a -tion suffix.
o The teacher asks the class if they can see the pattern (the -tion suffix
pattern on the words in the smiley face column), and, if they do see the
pattern, not to tell what it is, but to give an example to add to the list. If
the word the student offers is correct, the teacher writes it under the smiley
face side. If the word is incorrect because it does not match the -tion
suffix pattern, (for example, television, an -sion suffix word), then the
teacher writes this word under the frowning column.
o The Word Detective Investigation Sheet—Sample gives an example of
how this would look when completed.
o After several more examples of the words that do, and do not fit the
desired -tion suffix pattern, the teacher stops the game and asks the
students to state what the pattern the words in the column have in
common. The teacher asks the students to explain, why the words in the
smiley face column follow the same pattern and why words in the
frowning face column do not follow the pattern.
o The teacher then circles all the -tion suffixes on all the words in the smiley
face column, asking students after he or she finishes if they know what the
-tion word part is called.
o The teacher explains to students that many words that we use every day
are made up of smaller word parts. When the word part such as the -tion
pattern that they discovered comes at the end of a word, then that word
part is called a suffix.
5. The teacher then plays the game once more, explaining to students that they will
again discover the pattern that the words he or she writes have in common, but
that this time the pattern will be in a different part of the word (not at the end of
the word, as is the case with suffixes). In the column with the smiley face, the
teacher will list one word with a specific prefix (for example, trans- for the transprefix pattern that the teacher wants the students to discover in the water cycle
words being studied, such as “transpiration”). On the frowning face side, the
teacher will list a word that does not follow the prefix pattern that he or she is
trying to get the students to discover. Do this step twice, giving students two
complete word pairs, two each on the smiley face side, and two each on the
frowning face side, so that they may begin to discover the pattern and respond to
and complete a third example independently.
6. Continue the game using the same steps as with the suffixes.
7. The teacher asks students to explain how the trans- word part in the new pattern
that they have just discovered is different from the word part that they discovered
in the first game (with the -tion suffix). After student responses, the teacher
reinforces that when the word part such as the trans- pattern that they discovered
comes at the beginning of a word, then that word part is called a prefix.
8. The teacher will introduce additional vocabulary words while reading a short
informational book or presenting a Power Point on the water cycle. As they come
to each vocabulary word, the teacher will have the students discuss in their groups
whether the words have a prefix or a suffix, and will choose students to write the
words on the board, and underline their prefixes and suffixes. If the vocabulary
words do not have either prefixes or suffixes, then the student may circle the
word.
9. The students will then work in pairs. They will draw a line down the middle of a
sheet of paper, making two columns. Students will label one column “Prefix” and
the other column “Suffix.” Working together, they will list all the words with
prefixes that they found in the “Prefix” column, and all the words that they found
with suffixes in the “Suffix” column.
10. After students complete their listing of words with prefixes and suffixes, the
teacher will hold up the flashcards labeled with the water cycle word study
vocabulary words. As the teacher randomly selects, reads aloud, and holds up the
flashcard for the students to see, the students will respond, telling the teacher
whether or not the word has a suffix, a prefix, or no suffix or prefix. If the word
has a suffix, the student will say it (ex., -t-i-o-n; “/shun/”). If the word has a
prefix, the student will say it (ex., t-r-a-n-s-; “/trans/”). Throughout this
discussion, the teacher should continue to reinforce the concepts of prefix and
suffix by restating that when a word part comes at the beginning of a word, the
word contains a prefix, and that when a word part comes at the end of a word, the
word contains a suffix.
Day 2
In this part of the lesson, students will continue to sort the vocabulary words, but instead
of looking for patterns in prefixes and suffixes, they will be sorting the words for
meaning. Students will use four resource material stations to help them sort words for
meaning.
The teacher will need to divide the water cycle vocabulary flashcards carefully into four
piles prior to the lesson. Each of the four piles should contain words from all three of the
following categories. (Bodies of Water, Words for Moving Up, Words for Moving
Down)
1. The teacher will divide the students into four groups, of no more than 5 students
each, and give each group one stack of the water cycle vocabulary flashcards.
Each stack of vocabulary cards will contain approximately ten cards.
2. Next, the teacher will refer to a labeled water cycle chart, stating to students that
this is a representation of the water cycle, and ask the students to describe what
they see on the labeled chart. Examples:
o rain
o lake
o mountains
o water
3. The teacher directs students’ attention to the arrows included on the chart, asking
students to make observations and describe the movement indicated by the arrows
(specifically, movement up and movement down).
4. The teacher draws four columns on the board and labels each of them with a
category by which the students will sort the flashcards that they have been given,
connecting the categories to what students were asked to observe about the
labeled water cycle chart. The four categories are:
o Bodies of Water
o Words for Moving Up
o Words for Moving Down
o Unknown Words
5. One student from each group is appointed as the group’s scribe. The scribe
recreates these four categories on a blank sheet of paper divided into four
columns.
6. Students will be given five minutes to sort the words into each of the four
categories with no resource materials and only their prior knowledge available.
The scribe will record which words the group decides to place in each category.
The teacher moves around the room and monitors each group, noting what words
students have correctly placed in each of the categories. The teacher should pay
particular attention to words that students place in the “Unknown Words”
category.
7. After five minutes have passed, the teacher directs the students to the resource
materials stations that have been set up to assist them in grouping their words by
meaning in each category. Only one group of students may visit each station at a
time. Each group will spend approximately five minutes in each station.
8. After each group has visited all of the four stations of resource materials, the class
returns to their seats. All students who did not serve as scribes take out a sheet of
paper and divide it into four columns, labeling each column with one of the four
categories.
9. The teacher asks students to report which words they chose to include in each of
the four categories, writing these words on the board as the students give their
responses. All students will copy on their own papers what the teacher writes on
the board. If a student gives an incorrect response (putting a vocabulary word in
the wrong category), the teacher will write the word in the correct category and
use the labeled water cycle chart to show students why he or she placed the
vocabulary word in the chosen category. At this point, as a result of class
discussion of student responses and teacher input, there should be no words
included in the “Unknown Word” column. The teacher, based on student input,
may choose to create a new category, perhaps “Words for Land,” which could
include water cycle word study vocabulary words such as “earth,” “soil,” “dirt,”
and “ground.”
10. Students who served as scribes may check their work and add new words that the
class gives as a whole which may not have been included in the pile of cards
which their group received. Scribes will move words that they have placed in the
“Unknown Words” category to one of the other categories on their papers.
11. Students will create puzzles for each of their vocabulary words out of construction
paper. The words should have separate puzzle pieces for the base words and any
affixes they may have. The students will write the roots and affixes on the fronts
of the puzzle pieces. They will then use their word puzzles to create and label
their own water cycle poster. Students must use at least seven words from each
of three categories, “Bodies of Water,” “Words that Mean Up,” and “Words that
Mean Down” for a total of twenty-one words.
Closure
The students should be asked the following questions:
Did your knowledge of prefixes and suffixes help you to determine the meaning of the
vocabulary words?
In what ways?
What will you do when you encounter large unknown words in the future?
The students will find at least five additional words posted around the classroom, and
create their own prefix-root-suffix chart. They will then use their affix knowledge to try
and determine the meanings for each the words in their charts.
Reflection and Revision
I would use this lesson in conjunction with a lesson on the water cycle, and I chose this
lesson because my fourth grade methods classroom has been reviewing affixes, and is
currently studying iterative patterns in math, and the water cycle in science. I was not
able to teach this lesson because of the Benchmark tests in science and social studies this
week.
Depending on the previous knowledge of prefixes and suffixes that the class has, there
may be a need to teach the “Day 1” activities as a stand-alone lesson, and to include more
prefixes and suffixes along with more in-depth discussions of their meanings.
References
This, K., Thrower, L. (2010). Water Cycle Word Study. Retrieved from
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/2848
Word List
water cycle
hydrologic cycle
evaporation
groundwater
condensation
precipitation
accumulation
transpiration
subsurface water
body of water
surface water
subsurface runoff
surface runoff
source
origin
droplets
moisture
aquifer
rain
river
stream
creek
pond
ocean
sea
puddle
lake
sun
sky
heat
clouds
snow
ice
up
down
fall
rise
earth
land
ground
soil
dirt
Flashcards
hydrologic
cycle
water cycle
groundwater
evaporation
condensation
precipitation
transpiration
aquifer
Origin
source
surface water
subsurface
water
rain
body of water
River
stream
Creek
Pond
ocean
Sea
Puddle
lake
Sun
Sky
heat
moisture
Clouds
droplets
Snow
Ice
up
Down
Rise
fall
Earth
Land
ground
Soil
Dirt
surface
runoff
subsurface
runoff
Word Detective Investigation
Sheet
!
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