Tonnes of Termites
, photos by Alamy
Learning intention:
I am learning to analyse base words and how they change with suffixes so that I can expand my spelling and vocabulary knowledge.
Success criteria:
- I can identify where verb choice makes an action more vivid
- I can identify where adverb groups/phrases give more information
- I can create my own sentences using strong verbs and adverb groups/phrases
Students read through the article in groups of four. Once they’ve finished, explain that each group will be creating a word poster displaying examples of the following from the text:
- compound words
- adverbs
- adjectives with comparative and superlative forms
- nominalisation
(Note that the tasks get progressively harder, allowing for varying student capabilities in each group.)
Students may need to research what these terms mean before beginning. Some useful links:
The NSW Education glossary
The NSW Education page on Adjectives (Comparative and Superlative)
The NSW Education page on Nominalisation
Explain that students must do more than write the examples down – they must give the base word, how the word is defined with the suffix and any spelling rules for the change. For those doing comparative/superlative, they must give all three words. For those doing compound words, students must show the two words the compound word is made up from.
Sample answers:
Compound words – teamwork, toothbrush, outside, hardworking, underground, passageways
Adverbs – correctly, happily, literally, thankfully, unfortunately, hard, deadly, immensely
Adjectives with comparative and superlative forms – cool/cooler/coolest, tall/taller/tallest, successful/more successful/most successful, impressive/more impressive/most impressive
Nominalisation – workaholic, worker, successful, storage
When complete, groups present their posters to the rest of the class.