South Dakota ELA 3.L.4.b

ELA3rd GradeLanguage

The Standard

3.L.4: Determine or clarify the meaning and origin of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content, using flexible strategies.

Determine the meaning of words when affixes are added.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students find the base word and the part added to its beginning or end. They use both parts to figure out what the new word means.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student explains that reread means read again. They explain that careless means without care and use it in a sentence.
Common Misconceptions: Some students use only the base word and say unhappy means happy. Others see a prefix where there is none, such as treating the re in red as meaning again.
How to Assess It: On an exit ticket, ask: “What does fearless mean? Circle the base word and explain what -less adds.”

Lesson moves

Give students index cards labeled happy, read, care, un-, re-, and -less; have them build unhappy, reread, and careless, then explain each word.
Ask, “How does adding -ful change hope?” Have students write a sentence with hopeful and explain the change to a partner.
Play a matching game: pair un-, re-, and -less with not, again, and without, then give an example word for each.
Write “Refill your water bottle” on a lunchroom sign; have students circle re- and explain what the sign asks them to do.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 3.L.4.b, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

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